Cheesecake Factory Orange Chicken

Ingredients

1 1/2 pound Chicken thighs — skinless trimmed and cut in 1 1/2-inch pieces
3/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth
3/4 cup orange juice (fresh squeezed)
1 1/2 teaspoon grated orange zest
8 strips orange peel (each about 2 inches long by 1/2 inch wide)
6 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup dark brown sugar — packed
3 cloves garlic — minced or pressed
1 piece (1 inch size) ginger — grated
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon cornstarch PLUS
2 teaspoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons water (cold)
8 small whole dried red chiles — optional

Coating and Frying
3 large egg whites
1 cup cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3 cups peanut oil

Prepare

FOR THE MARINADE AND SAUCE:

1. Place chicken in 1-gallon zipper-lock bag; set aside.

2. Combine chicken broth, orange juice, grated zest, vinegar, soy sauce, sugar, garlic, ginger, and cayenne in large saucepan (with at least 3-quart capacity); whisk until sugar is fully dissolved.

3. Measure out 3/4 cup mixture and pour into bag with chicken; press out as much air as possible and seal bag, making sure that all pieces are coated with marinade. Refrigerate 30 to 60 minutes, but no longer.

4. Bring remaining mixture in saucepan to boil over high heat.

5. In small bowl, stir together cornstarch and cold water; whisk cornstarch mixture into sauce.

6. Simmer sauce, stirring occasionally, until thick and translucent, about 1 minute. Off heat, stir in orange peel and chiles (sauce should measure 1 1/2 cups); set sauce aside.

FOR THE COATING:

1. Place egg whites in pie plate; using fork, beat until frothy.

2. In second pie plate, whisk cornstarch, cayenne, and baking soda until combined.

3. Drain chicken in colander or large mesh strainer; thoroughly pat chicken dry with paper towels.

4. Place half of chicken pieces in egg whites and turn to coat; transfer pieces tocornstarch mixture and coat thoroughly.

5. Place dredged chicken pieces on wire rack set over baking sheet; repeat with remaining chicken.

FOR CHICKEN:

1. Heat oil in 11- to 12-inch Dutch oven or straight-sided saute pan with at least 3-quart capacity over high heat until oil registers 350 degrees on instant-read or deep-fry thermometer.

2. Carefully place half of chicken in oil one piece at a time; fry until golden brown, about 5 minutes, turning each piece with tongs halfway through cooking.

3. Transfer chicken to large plate lined with paper towels. Return oil to 350 degrees and repeat with remaining chicken.

TO SERVE:

1. Reheat sauce over medium heat until simmering, about 2 minutes.

2. Add chicken and gently toss until evenly coated and heated through. Serve immediately

Cheesecake Factory Orange Chicken

2015-09-22 12:36:28

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Prep Time

45 min

Cook Time

30 min

Total Time

1 hr 15 min

Prep Time

45 min

Cook Time

30 min

Total Time

1 hr 15 min

Ingredients

1. 1 1/2 pound Chicken thighs -- skinless trimmed and cut in 1 1/2-inch pieces
2. 3/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth
3. 3/4 cup orange juice (fresh squeezed)
4. 1 1/2 teaspoon grated orange zest
5. 8 strips orange peel (each about 2 inches long by 1/2 inch wide)
6. 6 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
7. 1/4 cup soy sauce
8. 1/2 cup dark brown sugar -- packed
9. 3 cloves garlic -- minced or pressed
10. 1 piece (1 inch size) ginger -- grated
11. 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
12. 1 tablespoon cornstarch PLUS
13. 2 teaspoons cornstarch
14. 2 tablespoons water (cold)
15. 8 small whole dried red chiles -- optional
16. Coating and Frying
17. 3 large egg whites
18. 1 cup cornstarch
19. 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
20. 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
21. 3 cups peanut oil

FOR THE MARINADE AND SAUCE

1. Place chicken in 1-gallon zipper-lock bag; set aside.
2. Combine chicken broth, orange juice, grated zest, vinegar, soy sauce, sugar, garlic, ginger, and cayenne in large saucepan (with at least 3-quart capacity); whisk until sugar is fully dissolved.
3. Measure out 3/4 cup mixture and pour into bag with chicken; press out as much air as possible and seal bag, making sure that all pieces are coated with marinade. Refrigerate 30 to 60 minutes, but no longer.
4. Bring remaining mixture in saucepan to boil over high heat.
5. In small bowl, stir together cornstarch and cold water; whisk cornstarch mixture into sauce.
6. Simmer sauce, stirring occasionally, until thick and translucent, about 1 minute. Off heat, stir in orange peel and chiles (sauce should measure 1 1/2 cups); set sauce aside.

FOR THE COATING

1. Place egg whites in pie plate; using fork, beat until frothy.
2. In second pie plate, whisk cornstarch, cayenne, and baking soda until combined.
3. Drain chicken in colander or large mesh strainer; thoroughly pat chicken dry with paper towels.
4. Place half of chicken pieces in egg whites and turn to coat; transfer pieces tocornstarch mixture and coat thoroughly.
5. Place dredged chicken pieces on wire rack set over baking sheet; repeat with remaining chicken.

FOR CHICKEN

1. Heat oil in 11- to 12-inch Dutch oven or straight-sided saute pan with at least 3-quart capacity over high heat until oil registers 350 degrees on instant-read or deep-fry thermometer.
2. Carefully place half of chicken in oil one piece at a time; fry until golden brown, about 5 minutes, turning each piece with tongs halfway through cooking.
3. Transfer chicken to large plate lined with paper towels. Return oil to 350 degrees and repeat with remaining chicken.

TO SERVE

1. Reheat sauce over medium heat until simmering, about 2 minutes.
2. Add chicken and gently toss until evenly coated and heated through. Serve immediately

By Teresa Gonzalez

Florida Girl Cooks http://floridagirlcooks.com/

The post CHEESECAKE FACTORY ORANGE CHICKEN appeared first on Florida Girl Cooks.

The two items that will not be easy to find in a regular grocery store are the egg roll / spring roll wraps and the tamarind pulp. I know for a fact that Whole Foods and some Publix Supermarkets carry the egg roll wraps but they don’t have the tamarind pulp.

If you’re searching for these two items in the West Palm Beach area you can go to the Oriental Market on Military Trail and Westgate Avenue. There is a Marshalls, Petco, L.A. Fitness right next door. Their number is 561-686-3655. I called in advance to make sure they had the items I needed and the lady there was more than happy to help me and had my items waiting for me at the counter!

The saffron is not easy to come by at a regular grocery store either. Whole Foods sells the saffron strands, which you can easily just grind up yourself like I did for this recipe. You can also find the powder at Cyber Cucina. They sell .03 oz of it for $24.50. That sounds like a lot but saffron is the most expensive spice in the world. There are other sites on the net that sell 1 oz. for about $120…don’t be alarmed because that is accurate. Why does it cost so much? Saffron is made from the stigmas of crocus flowers. The stigmas have to be hand picked and to make the saffron. It takes 14,000 stigmas to make 1 oz. of saffron. Glad that’s not my job, in a way. Ha!

Avocado Egg Rolls

Ingredients

Dipping Sauce
4 tsp white vinegar
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
1/2 tsp tamarind pulp
1/2 cup honey
1 pinch saffron threads
1/2 cup chopped cashews
2/3 cup fresh cilantro
2 garlic cloves
2 green onions
1 tbsp granulated sugar
1 tsp cracked black pepper
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 cup olive oil

Egg Rolls
6 California avocados (Haas avocados)
2 tbsp sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil, chopped
1 tbsp yellow onion, minced
1/2 tsp fresh cilantro
*pinch salt
14 egg roll wraps

Prepare
1. Stir together the vinegars, tamarind, honey, saffron with a fork in a small microwave safe bowl, and microwave for 1 minute.
2. Stir until tamarind is dissolved.
3. In a blender, puree tamarind mixture with cashews 2/3 cup cilantro, garlic, onions, sugar, pepper, cumin, and olive oil.
4. Refrigerate until ready to use.
5. In a medium sized mixing bowl stir together avocado, tomatoes, onion, 1/2 tsp cilantro, and salt.
6. Distribute filling evenly onto center of each spring roll wrapper.
7. Position the wrapper so that the corner is pointing to you, fold the bottom corner up and the top corner down, bring the right side over and begin rolling tightly. (See diagram above if you’re a visual person like me).
8. Repeat with remaning wrappers.
9. Place 5 tbsp olive oil in a large skillet on medium heat. (Note another alternative is deep frying them but I refuse to get one since I don’t particularly enjoy food with that much oil)
10. Cook each side of the roll for 2 minutes or until golden brown.
11. Slice the rolls diagonally with santoku knife and serve with the dipping sauce.

Avocado Egg Rolls

2015-08-17 20:14:39

Serves 12

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Prep Time

20 min

Cook Time

20 min

Total Time

40 min

Prep Time

20 min

Cook Time

20 min

Total Time

40 min

Ingredients

1. Dipping Sauce
2. 4 tsp white vinegar
3. 1 tsp balsamic vinegar
4. 1/2 tsp tamarind pulp
5. 1/2 cup honey
6. 1 pinch saffron threads
7. 1/2 cup chopped cashews
8. 2/3 cup fresh cilantro
9. 2 garlic cloves
10. 2 green onions
11. 1 tbsp granulated sugar
12. 1 tsp cracked black pepper
13. 1 tsp ground cumin
14. 1/2 cup olive oil
15. Egg Rolls
16. 6 California avocados (Haas avocados)
17. 2 tbsp sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil, chopped
18. 1 tbsp yellow onion, minced
19. 1/2 tsp fresh cilantro
20. pinch salt
21. 14 egg roll wraps

Instructions

1. Stir together the vinegars, tamarind, honey, saffron with a fork in a small microwave safe bowl, and microwave for 1 minute.
2. Stir until tamarind is dissolved.
3. In a blender, puree tamarind mixture with cashews 2/3 cup cilantro, garlic, onions, sugar, pepper, cumin, and olive oil.
4. Refrigerate until ready to use.
5. In a medium sized mixing bowl stir together avocado, tomatoes, onion, 1/2 tsp cilantro, and salt.
6. Distribute filling evenly onto center of each spring roll wrapper.
7. Position the wrapper so that the corner is pointing to you, fold the bottom corner up and the top corner down, bring the right side over and begin rolling tightly. (See diagram above if you're a visual person like me).
8. Repeat with remaning wrappers.
9. Place 5 tbsp olive oil in a large skillet on medium heat. (Note another alternative is deep frying them but I refuse to get one since I don't particularly enjoy food with that much oil)
10. Cook each side of the roll for 2 minutes or until golden brown.
11. Slice the rolls diagonally with santoku knife and serve with the dipping sauce.

Florida Girl Cooks http://floridagirlcooks.com/

The post AVOCADO EGG ROLLS appeared first on Florida Girl Cooks.