Perfect Orange Chicken At Home (Takeout Style)

Ingredients

• 900 g chicken thighs — about 2 pounds
• 1 tbsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp MSG — not optional
• ½ tsp baking soda
• 1 tbsp Shaoxing cooking wine
• 2 cloves garlic — fresh grated
• 1 inch ginger — grated, about a 1-inch knob
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 cup rice vinegar
• ½ cup soy sauce — regular, not low sodium
• 3 tbsp fish sauce
• ⅓ cup water
• 1 tsp MSG
• 1 orange juice
• 2 tbsp cornstarch
• 2 tbsp water — for thickening sauce
• 1 red Fresno or red jalapeno pepper
• 2 inch ginger — for sauce preparation
• 6 cloves garlic — for sauce preparation

Steps

1. 1

   Cut the chicken thighs into bite-sized pieces, about half an inch thick.

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2. 2

   In a bowl, combine the chicken with kosher salt, MSG, baking soda, Shaoxing cooking wine, grated garlic, and grated ginger. Mix thoroughly to coat the chicken.

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3. 3

   Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it marinate in the fridge for at least 30 minutes, preferably overnight.

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4. 4

   Prepare the orange chicken sauce by finely chopping the red Fresno or red jalapeno pepper and ginger.

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5. 5

   Smash and finely chop the garlic cloves for the sauce.

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6. 6

   In a medium sauce pot over medium heat, add a little vegetable oil and the chopped vegetables. Sweat them for about 2-3 minutes until softened.

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7. 7

   Remove the vegetables from the pot and set aside. In the same pot, combine white sugar, rice vinegar, soy sauce, fish sauce, water, MSG, and the juice of one orange. Stir and bring to a boil.

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8. 8

   Let the sauce boil for about 5 minutes to reduce and intensify the flavors.

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9. 9

   To thicken the sauce, whisk together cornstarch and water, then add it to the sauce while stirring.

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