Orange chicken sauce

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Orange chicken sauce flavored with orange zest, ginger, garlic, soy sauce, and sriracha.

Prep Time10

Cook Time5

Total Time15

Servings: servings (⅓ cup each)

Calories: 123kcal

Ingredients

Orange chicken sauce

1 clove garlic
2 teaspoon orange zest
1 inch ginger zested
1 cup fresh squeezed orange juice about 6 clementines, 4 larger mandarins, or 3-4 navel oranges
½ cup chicken broth
3 tablespoon brown sugar
2 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon rice wine or apple cider vinegar
1-3 teaspoon sriracha start with 1 teaspoon for mild
2 tablespoon corn starch mixed with 2 tablespoon water
1 tablespoon sesame oil optional, purely for flavor

Instructions

Preheat pan

This orange chicken sauce cooks and thickens in 3-5 minutes in an already hot pan. If you don't have a hot pan from cooking chicken or something else, preheat a metal skillet with some olive oil in it over medium-high heat while you prep the ingredients. (Heating an empty pan can cause it to warp or ruin nonstick coatings).
Alternatively, add all of the sauce ingredients to a cold pan, then cook over medium-high heat. It will take about 15 minutes to cook and thicken.

Make the orange chicken sauce

Zest the oranges, ginger, and garlic on a microplane grater. Squeeze the orange juice until you have 1 cup. If you fall short, add extra chicken broth. Mix corn starch & water together, then all it and all other sauce ingredients (EXCEPT the sesame oil) to a liquid measuring cup or bowl. Stir.
Add the sauce mixture to a hot pan, cook for 2-5 minutes until thickened. Reduce heat and add sesame oil if using. (It has a low smoke point, so I add it in at the end).

Taste & serve

Stir in more sriracha for a spicier flavor. Add more sugar for a sweeter flavor. Add more soy sauce for salt.
If it's too thin, add more corn starch (but first mix it with water!). If it's too thick, add more orange juice or chicken broth.

Notes

This makes enough sauce for:

4 modest sized servings, or 2 large takeout sized portions.
It's enough sauce to cover 20 ounces of chicken and have a bunch leftover for rice.
OR it's enough for 20 ounces of chicken plus 4 servings of vegetables with a little leftover for rice.

Nutrition calculated for 4 servings.

Sesame oil

Sesame oil has a great flavor for this dish, but has a low smoke point. That's why I add it to the orange sauce at the end.

Broth vs orange juice

I've made it with just orange juice (no broth) as well as different combinations of the two. I found that adding a little broth balances the tartness of the oranges without the need for more sugar.

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Nutrition