Gluten Free Orange Chicken |Cooking With Amanda

I think that we all have our favorite Chinese take-out. Whether it is General Tso's chicken, Mongolian beef, chicken peanut satay with noodles, egg drop soup, or this gluten-free orange chicken.

It is fairly easy to convert many Asian take-out recipes to be gluten-free. You just have to sub the regular soy sauce for a gluten-free tamari soy sauce. Easy Peasy!

The recipes that are breaded are not always so simple to convert.

I've seen some gluten-free orange chicken recipes that are prepared low-carb style, just made without any breading. That is a simple solution, but I really like the extra chew and crispness that you get with breaded orange chicken. The breading also helps the chicken to hold on to more of the sweet, tangy citrus sauce. Of course you want a way to eat more of that mouthwatering sauce!

Want to know the simple solution? You probably already have it in your kitchen.

Cornstarch!

Cornstarch is often used as a thickener in Asian-style sauces, so it is very natural to use to as a coating on the chicken.

I only coated the chicken in cornstarch one time to make it a quick and easy weeknight dinner. If you want a thicker coating on your gluten-free orange chicken just coat it twice. After you toss the bite-size chicken pieces in cornstarch, toss them in a little milk or an egg white whisked with a little water, and then toss them in another 1/2 cup of cornstarch.

Another secret to the perfect golden crisp gluten-free orange chicken is to make sure that your pan is sizzling hot before you add the chicken. To prevent catching my kitchen on fire I heat the pan up dry until a drop of water fizzles away seconds after landing on the hot surface. Then I add just enough oil to coat the bottom of the pan, and then add the chicken. I also like using a cast-iron skillet because it has such great even heat.

So here you go, a gluten-free orange chicken recipe that is so easy and delicious that you'll never miss Chinese take-out again. I think it tastes even better than Panda Express's orange chicken. That is the power of the orange zest! Now all you need are some gluten-free fortune cookies and your meal is complete.

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Gluten Free Orange Chicken Recipe

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Ingredients

2 pounds chicken, cut into bite-sized pieces (i used chicken tenderloins)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 cup cornstarch, plus 1 tablespoon, divided
1/4 cup oil, approximately
1/4 cup tamari gluten free soy sauce
1/4 cup white vinegar
1/4 cup orange juice
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon orange zest
green onions, to garnish, optional

Directions

Heat a heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-high heat.
Place the cornstarch in a large bowl and season with salt and pepper, add the chicken on top and toss until evenly coated.
Add just enough oil to coat the bottom of the hot skillet and then add the chicken. Cook stirring occasionally until all the chicken is cooked through and golden brown.
Meanwhile whisk together all the remaining ingredients in a small bowl.
Once the chicken is cooked through and golden brown remove it from the skillet.
Pour the contents of the small bowl into the hot skillet and simmer and stir until thickened.
Remove the skillet from the heat, add the chicken back in, and toss to coat.
Garnish with some green onions if you want, and enjoy. You can serve it with steamed rice if desired.