Orange Chicken

Chicken

• chicken thighs700 g
• cornflour80 g
• plain flour40 g
• eggs1
• vegetable oil1 l
• salt½ tsp
• white pepper½ tsp

Orange glaze

• oranges2
• light soy sauce3 tbsp
• rice vinegar2 tbsp
• caster sugar4 tbsp
• garlic cloves3
• ginger20 g
• dried chillies3
• cornflour2 tsp
• sesame seeds1 tbsp
• spring onions2
• water2 tbsp

Chicken

1. 01

   Cut the chicken thighs into 3 cm pieces and beat the egg. Season the chicken with salt and white pepper and turn it through the egg, then toss in the mixed cornflour and plain flour until thickly and unevenly coated. The lumps are what fry up craggy.

2. 02

   Heat the oil in a deep, heavy pan to 170°C; it should be at least 5 cm deep and fill the pan no more than halfway. Fry the chicken in batches for 4 minutes until pale and cooked through with no pink inside. Drain on kitchen paper.

3. 03

   Raise the oil to 190°C and fry again in batches for 90 seconds until deep gold and hard to the touch.

Orange glaze

4. 04

   Toast the sesame seeds in a dry pan and slice the spring onions; set both aside.

5. 05

   Finely chop the garlic and grate the ginger. Heat 1 tbsp of the frying oil in a wok or large frying pan over medium heat and fry the garlic, ginger and whole dried chillies for 30 seconds.

6. 06

   Zest one of the oranges and squeeze both. Add the orange juice and zest, soy sauce, vinegar and sugar, and simmer for 3 minutes.

7. 07

   Mix the 2 tsp of cornflour with the water, stir it in and cook for 30 seconds, until the sauce turns glossy and coats a spoon.

8. 08

   Take the pan off the heat, tip in the chicken and toss quickly to coat.

9. 09

   Scatter the sesame seeds and spring onions over and serve at once, before the coating softens.