Reconciliation with Orange Juice

I grew up drinking orange juice almost every day with breakfast. My Mother has never been a coffee drinker, but she has to have a glass of orange juice each morning to kick start her day. So, as a child I did the same. As I grew older I discovered coffee and loved it, so my morning juice was replaced by hot cup of coffee. I still would drink orange juice from time to time until one day…. I spent spring semester of my sophomore year studying in Granada, Spain. I loved absolutely everything about it including the food and drinks. My host mother, Gloria, was an amazing cook that made the most fantastic paella, fish soup, tortilla, and the list goes on and on. I also found a love for espresso, Cola Cao, different teas, and a renewed love of fresh squeezed orange juice. Most weekends I would travel either with my program or my two sisters, Jess and her best friend Gail, who were both working in Granada while I was studying. In general the cheapest and fastest ways to travel short distances in Spain is by bus. One of my last weekends in Granada, Gail and I decided to make a day trip to Córdoba so I could see the amazing Mosque there. We left early that morning and despite Gloria leaving breakfast sitting on the table for me I was in such a hurry that I decided to just grab something at the bus station. That morning I wasn’t too hungry, but I couldn’t pass up a large glass of fresh squeezed orange juice. Let’s just say that the combination of an empty stomach, a large glass of juice, curvy roads, and a packed bus didn’t work out very well for me. That was over five years ago and since that day I have not picked up a glass of orange juice or cooked with orange juice until the last few months. I guess I have finally gotten over my association of orange juice and the bus ride to Córdoba. Tonight’s dinner is one that even six months ago I would have passed by, but now that I am slowly learning to love orange juice again I decided to give it a try.

Tonight I made Orange Chicken with Scallions from the November issue of Fine Cooking. To start you use a vegetable peeler to peel large pieces of zest from an orange. You then juice the orange and add soy sauce, rice vinegar, crushed red pepper flakes, and light brown sugar to it. You set all of this to the side. You then use a mini food processor to combine the cornstarch, egg whites, and salt. Then you cut up the chicken into small pieces and sprinkle it with the remaining salt. The chicken is then tossed with the cornstarch mixture and sautéed in a hot non-stick pan with a little oil. You need to do the chicken in two batches in order to allow room for the chicken to not touch and be able to brown. The chicken is then removed from the skillet and placed on paper towels to drain any excess oil. You then put the large pieces of orange zest in the skillet for about 30 seconds and then add the orange juice mixture. The chicken and white scallions are then added to the skillet for a few minutes until the sauce reduces and glazes the chicken. I served the chicken over brown rice with a side of green beans.

Russ and I really liked this dish; however, there was a slight bitter taste to it that most likely came from the zest. The pieces of zest I used did not have any pith on it, but the vegetable peeler does go deeper into the skin than a zester does. I would recommend not using the vegetable peeler and going with a zester which is not only quicker, but also should eliminate the bitterness. Overall the taste was wonderful and we liked the small pieces of chicken and the orange flavor. Russ rates the meal an 8.

Orange Chicken with Scallions, Fine Cooking November 2007
Serves two to three.

1 large navel orange
1 Tbs. soy sauce
1 Tbs. rice vinegar
2 tsp. light brown sugar
1/8 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch cubes
¾ tsp. kosher salt
2 large egg whites
1/3 cup cornstarch
3 to 4 Tbs. canola or peanut oil
4 scallions, trimmed and thinly sliced (keep whites and greens separate)

Using a vegetable peeler, shave the zest from the orange in long, wide strips. If necessary, remove any large patches of bitter white pith from the zest strips with a paring knife. Juice the orange in a small bowl and mix with the soy sauce, rice vinegar, brown sugar, and red pepper flakes.

Sprinkle the chicken with ½ tsp. of the salt. In a mini food chopper or food processor, process the egg whites, cornstarch, and the remaining ¼ tsp. salt until smooth. In a medium bowl, toss the chicken with the cornstarch batter.

Heat 2 Tbs. of the oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet or large stir-fry pan over medium-high heat until shimmering hot. Using tongs, transfer about half the chicken to the pan. Reduce the heat to medium and cook, flipping every minute or so, until the chicken browns and crisps all over and is firm to the touch, 3 to 4 minutes. With clean tongs, transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate. Add the remaining 1 Tbs. oil to the skillet (or 2 Tbs. oil if the pan seems very dry) and repeat the cooking process with the remaining chicken; transfer to the plate.

Put the orange zest strips in the skillet and cook, stirring, until they darken in spots, 15 to 30 seconds. Stir the orange juice mixture and add it to the pan. Let it boil for about 10 seconds and then add the chicken and the scallion whites. Cook, stirring often, until the sauce reduces to a glaze and the chicken is just cooked through – check by cutting into a thicker piece – 1 to 2 minutes. If the chicken isn’t cooked through but the glaze is cooking away, add a couple tablespoons of water and continue cooking. Serve sprinkled with the scallion greens.