East Coast vs. West Coast and Chinese Food

One of the things that I've had to get used to since moving to California 9 years ago (wow!! has it really been that long?) was the Chinese food. Now, that may seem like an odd thing to say I had to "get used to," but it's really true- the Chinese food in New Hampshire is completely different. No pu-pu platters in California (you have no idea how many times I've been made fun of for that one by Californians who have no idea what their missing!).
The one thing that New Hampshire Chinese food can't top is orange chicken. I'll be honest I don't know that anything can top orange chicken from Panda Express, but I did feel a lot less guilty after eating this and it was fun to have at home!



Home Made Orange Chicken

Ingredients:
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into pieces
1 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Ingredients for sauce:
1 1/2 cups water
2 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon ginger
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup rice vinegar
1/2 teaspoon garlic, minced
1/4 cup orange juice
2 tablespoons onion
1 tablespoon grated orange zest

1. Mix sauce ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
2. Place chicken pieces and one cup of sauce in a glass dish or a sealed plastic bag. Refrigerate for two hours.
3. When chicken is done marinating mix dry ingredients in a Ziploc bag and add chicken pieces. Seal and shake the chicken to coat.
4. Heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a large pan and brown chicken on all sides. Remove chicken and clean pan.
5. Add the remaining sauce to the pan and heat, adding 3 tablespoons cornstarch and 2 tablespoons water to thicken. Add the chicken and simmer until all is heated through.

Serve over rice and enjoy!