Homemade Orange Chicken Sauce

Orange Chicken Sauce by Mina Goodman, RDN

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CategoryCuisineTags, , DifficultyBeginner

This sauce offers a little sweet and a little tang but the best part is that it's packed full of flavor and compliments chicken, pork and even tofu alongside a serving of brown rice and steamed broccoli.

Yields1 Serving
Prep Time5 minsCook Time20 minsTotal Time25 mins
 1 tbsp vegetable oilor grapeseed oil
 4 cloves garlicminced
 ½ cup loosely packed dried tangerine peelor grated orange zest
 1 cup orange juice
 ¾ cup rice vinegar
 ¼ cup light soy sauceor use tamari if gluten-free
 ¼ cup Shaoxing wineor Japanese sake, dry sherry or chicken stock
 ¼ cup sugar
 1 tbsp sesame seeds
 2 tbsp cornstarch
 1 tsp Celtic sea salt
1

Add dried tangerine skin in a small bowl and add hot water to cover. Let soak for about 20 Minutes, or until the tangerine skin softens. Drain and finely slice. Transfer 1/4 cup sliced tangerine skin into a bowl, and save the rest in an airtight container in the fridge for next time. If you do not use dried tangerine peel, grate about four fresh orange skins to make 1/2 cup orange zest.

2

Add the rest of the sauce ingredients and the re-hydrated tangerine skin to a big bowl. Stir until the cornstarch is fully combined.

3

Heat oil in a saucepan until warm. Add garlic and minced ginger. Cook and stir until you smell a strong fragrance.

4

Stir to mix the sauce again to completely dissolve the cornstarch. Pour into the pan. Cook and stir until the sauce thickens, just enough to coat the back of a spoon.

5

Transfer the sauce into a bowl immediately, so it won’t continue to cook in residual heat.

6

Transfer the sauce in an airtight jar or container once cooled down. Store in the fridge for 1 to 2 weeks, or in the freezer for 2 to 3 month.

Re-heating
7

Microwave sauce (1/3 cup to 1/2 cup) by 30 seconds increments. Then stir it and continue to heat until the sauce just turns hot without bubbling.

8

If you heat the sauce on stove-top, always use low heat and stir the sauce frequently to prevent scorching.

9

If you freeze the sauce, some of the liquid might separate and the thawed sauce looks like jelly. Simply stir to mix the sauce together and reheat in microwave or on the stove. You can restore the sauce to the previous consistency.

Ingredients

 1 tbsp vegetable oilor grapeseed oil
 4 cloves garlicminced
 ½ cup loosely packed dried tangerine peelor grated orange zest
 1 cup orange juice
 ¾ cup rice vinegar
 ¼ cup light soy sauceor use tamari if gluten-free
 ¼ cup Shaoxing wineor Japanese sake, dry sherry or chicken stock
 ¼ cup sugar
 1 tbsp sesame seeds
 2 tbsp cornstarch
 1 tsp Celtic sea salt

Directions

1

Add dried tangerine skin in a small bowl and add hot water to cover. Let soak for about 20 Minutes, or until the tangerine skin softens. Drain and finely slice. Transfer 1/4 cup sliced tangerine skin into a bowl, and save the rest in an airtight container in the fridge for next time. If you do not use dried tangerine peel, grate about four fresh orange skins to make 1/2 cup orange zest.

2

Add the rest of the sauce ingredients and the re-hydrated tangerine skin to a big bowl. Stir until the cornstarch is fully combined.

3

Heat oil in a saucepan until warm. Add garlic and minced ginger. Cook and stir until you smell a strong fragrance.

4

Stir to mix the sauce again to completely dissolve the cornstarch. Pour into the pan. Cook and stir until the sauce thickens, just enough to coat the back of a spoon.

5

Transfer the sauce into a bowl immediately, so it won’t continue to cook in residual heat.

6

Transfer the sauce in an airtight jar or container once cooled down. Store in the fridge for 1 to 2 weeks, or in the freezer for 2 to 3 month.

Re-heating
7

Microwave sauce (1/3 cup to 1/2 cup) by 30 seconds increments. Then stir it and continue to heat until the sauce just turns hot without bubbling.

8

If you heat the sauce on stove-top, always use low heat and stir the sauce frequently to prevent scorching.

9

If you freeze the sauce, some of the liquid might separate and the thawed sauce looks like jelly. Simply stir to mix the sauce together and reheat in microwave or on the stove. You can restore the sauce to the previous consistency.

Orange Chicken Sauce by Mina Goodman, RDN