Feeling in the mood for a little something different?? How about some Chinese food?!

We LOVE Asian inspired food, so I thought it would be fun to make some of our favorite dishes we usually get at restaurants here at home. My personal favorite is Orange Chicken! The problem with a lot of places is the chicken can sometimes be way too fried and overcooked (a little too crispy). I have a recipe that makes perfectly battered chicken that is soft and delicious!

What you’ll need:

• 2 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs

• 1 orange (for the zest) I used 2 of my son’s halo oranges to make up for the 1 and it was just as good!

• 10 Tbs White wine

• 10 Tbs sugar

• Soy sauce

• Sesame Oil

• 2 packages of Chow Mein Noodles (can be found at the store)

• Oyster Sauce

• 1 egg

• 2 Tbs oil plus oil for frying (I used Coconut oil to fry my chicken)

• Cornstarch

• Celery

• Cabbage

• 1 Yellow Onion

• Flour

• Salt

• Garlic

• Crushed Red Pepper

The Sauce:

1. Mix 3 Tbs soy sauce, 1 tsp sesame oil, 1/4 cup of water, the zest of the orange, 1 Tbs cornstarch, the sugar and the white wine all together and mix with a whisk.

2. In another bowl, put together 1 Tbs oil, the egg, and salt and pepper.

3. In yet ANOTHER bowl (sorry for the cleanup), add 1/2 cup cornstarch and 1/4 cup flour and mix together.

4. Have a pan or wok ready and HOT (around 375). Remember, I used coconut oil for frying my chicken and I think it made a big difference (and a healthier one too).

5. Cut the chicken thighs into 1 inch pieces and place into the bowl with the egg mixture. Coat well, transfer to the flour bowl to dredge, and place in the frying pan. Cook for about 4-5 minutes or until a little golden. It doesn’t really matter how golden they are just be sure to check if your chicken is cooked through, but not dried out. You want them to be super juicy and tender, so have a paper towel on a plate ready to transfer the finished pieces to and check.

6. When the chicken is finished and on the cooling plate, drain all the oil and do a swift rinse of the pan. Put back on the stove and add a Tbs or 2 of oil. Add the garlic (2 cloves) minced and then add the sauce. Bring it all to a boil.

7. Turn the heat off and add in the chicken and let it all get sticky and thick. Stir it all around so it coats the chicken well. Sprinkle in the crushed red pepper.

The Chow Mein: This makes a TON of chow mein, but we like it for leftovers!

1. Cut half a cabbage super thin, the yellow onion thin, and the half a bunch of celery thin. Put in a large pan or wok with a little oil. Set on high heat and let the veggies caramelize together.

2. Cook the noodles according the packaging. Ours usually says boil for 3 mins, drain, and rinse with cold water. Set aside.

3. When the veggies have cooked down well add the noodles and mix around. Add 2 Tbs oyster sauce, and 4 Tbs soy sauce and mix. I personally love garlic, so I also add 2 cloves of minced garlic to this as well.

That’s IT! This is such a good meal and we absolutely LOVED it! Kirk was rather impressed with how the chicken turned out so tender and juicy, and I honestly think the coconut oil had a lot to do with it.

Give it a try and let me know what you think!

Always,

Britny