Homemade, Gluten-Free Orange Chicken
Servings: 4
Preparation Time: 30 minutes
Ingredients:
Orange Sauce:
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 1 cup mild honey
- 1/2 cup fresh orange juice
- 1/2 cup rice wine vinegar
- 2 1/2 tablespoons gluten-free tamari
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons fresh ginger, grated or minced
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- pinch of red chili flakes
- zest of one orange
- zest of one lemon
- 3 tablespoons GMO-free cornstarch, mixed with 2 tablespoons cold chicken stock or cold water
Crispy Fried Chicken:
- coconut oil or palm shortening for frying
- 1 pound chicken breasts cut into bite-sized chunks and dried off
- 4 tablespoons GMO-free cornstarch
- 3 pastured eggs, beaten well
- 2 tablespoons cultured buttermilk
- 2 cups brown rice flour
- sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
Directions:
Sauce:
In a medium saucepan, combine all ingredients except the cornstarch and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat while whisking regularly.
In a small bowl, stir the cornstarch together with the chicken stock or water.
Slowly pour the cornstarch mixture into the orange sauce while whisking. Lower heat to medium-low and continue to stir. When the sauce thickens, reduce the heat to low or turn the burner off and let it stand.
Chicken:
In a large frying pan, heat 2–3 cups of coconut oil or palm shortening (or combination) over medium to medium-high heat. Once you start cooking the chicken, you may need to lower the heat to medium.
Cut chicken into bite-sized pieces and dry off.
Toss the chicken pieces in a bag with the cornstarch until they are completely coated.
In a bowl, whisk the eggs and buttermilk together. In a separate bowl, mix flour, sea salt, and pepper.
Remove 1/3 of the chicken pieces from the bag and place them in the egg mixture. Coat each piece with egg, then place in the flour mixture. Coat each piece in the flour. Shake off any excess flour and place chicken in the hot oil, careful not to overcrowd the pan to ensure each piece gets crispy and golden.
Cook until chicken is golden brown and remove the chicken from the pan; repeat for the rest of the chicken pieces.
When you’re ready to serve, you can serve the sauce on the side, or you can toss the chicken in the sauce until covered.
Recipe and photo submitted by Jessica, Denver, CO.
