For AIRC's week for Cancer Research, we chose one of the recipes you've sent us — one with oranges: Orange Chicken.

Orange Chicken

Many thanks to our friend Kelly, who sent us this tasty recipe. Send your own recipe to cinzia@tenutegiachi.com.

Recipe

Ingredients

For the sauce:

  • 1 1/2 cups water
  • 2 tablespoons orange juice
  • 1/4 cup lemon juice
  • 1/3 cup rice vinegar
  • 2 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon grated orange zest
  • 1 cup packed brown sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon minced fresh ginger root
  • 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
  • 2 tablespoons chopped green onion
  • 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 3 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 2 tablespoons water

For the chicken:

  • 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
1

Make the base

Pour the water, orange juice, lemon juice, rice vinegar and soy sauce into a saucepan and set over medium-high heat.

2

Add the aromatics

Stir in the orange zest, brown sugar, ginger, garlic, chopped onion and red pepper flakes. Bring to a boil, then remove from heat and cool for 10 to 15 minutes.

3

Marinate the chicken

Place the chicken pieces into a resealable plastic bag and pour in 1 cup of the cooled sauce; reserve the remaining sauce. Seal the bag and refrigerate at least 2 hours.

4

Coat and brown

In another resealable bag, mix the flour, salt and pepper. Add the marinated chicken, seal and shake to coat. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat, brown the chicken on both sides, then drain it on a paper-towel-lined plate and cover with aluminum foil.

5

Finish the sauce

Wipe out the skillet and add the reserved sauce; bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Mix the cornstarch with 2 tablespoons water and stir it into the sauce. Reduce the heat to medium-low, add the chicken pieces and simmer about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Enjoy! Food pairing: Vernaccia di San Gimignano.

Vernaccia di San Gimignano