Baked Orange Chicken
Baked Orange Chicken
Baked Orange Chicken
Baked Orange Chicken

Baked Orange Chicken

David Venable

Takeout gets a "bakeover" at home. By baking instead of frying, and using a few ingredient swaps, this dish helps you feel good about enjoying one of your favorites.

Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup + 2 Tbsp cornstarch
  • 4 egg whites, beaten
  • 2 cups panko breadcrumbs
  • 2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into 1" pieces
  • 1 cup fresh squeezed orange juice, divided
  • 1/2 cup light brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup rice wine vinegar
  • 1/2 cup soy sauce
  • 1 tsp minced ginger
  • 1/2 tsp minced garlic
  • 1/2 tsp sesame oil
  • Pinch of crushed red pepper
  • 1/2 cup sliced scallions
  • Cooked brown rice (for serving)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400°F.
Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray and set aside.
Using three shallow bowls, put 3/4 cup cornstarch in the first, egg whites in the second, and panko in the third. For each piece of chicken, coat in the cornstarch, dip in the egg whites, and then coat with the panko. Place all of the coated chicken on the baking sheet.Bake in the oven for 15–20 minutes.
While the chicken is cooking, prepare the sauce in a medium saucepan. Add 3/4 cup of orange juice, brown sugar, rice wine vinegar, soy sauce, ginger, garlic, sesame oil, and red pepper. Bring to a simmer on medium heat.
In a bowl, take the remaining orange juice and whisk in 2 Tbsp of cornstarch with a forkuntil there are no lumps. Stir the mixture into the saucepan. Continue simmering the liquid until it thickens, then remove from the heat.
When the chicken has finished baking, carefully put into a bowl and pour the sauce over the hot chicken. Toss to coat. Sprinkle on the scallions and serve with brown rice.

Cook's Notes

Go a slightly different route by substituting grapefruit or pineapple juice for the orange variety. Sautéed or steamed veggies are a nice addition—just include with the chicken before tossing in the sauce.

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