Spicy Orange Chicken

This delicious restaurant favorite isn't that hard to make if you follow these instructions. The ancho chili pepper adds a small amount of heat.

• Ready In: 2 hrs 30 mins
• Serves: 6

Ingredients

• 1 1⁄2 lbs chicken breasts, cut in 1-inch chunks
• 3  large oranges
• 6  tablespoons sugar, ground in coffee grinder (or use caster sugar)
• 8  tablespoons light soy sauce
• 3  garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1⁄2 ounce ginger, finely chopped
• 1  tablespoon rice vinegar
• 1  chili pepper, serrano, finely chopped
• 1  cup white rice
• 1 1⁄2 cups water
• 5  tablespoons canola oil
• 3  tablespoons cornstarch
• 1⁄2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1⁄2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 1⁄2 bell peppers, any color
• 8  ounces  snap peas
• 1⁄2 ounce green onion, chopped in 1-inch pieces

Directions

1. Mix the soy sauce, garlic, ginger, rice vinegar, and chili pepper.
2. Grind sugar in a coffee grinder for 15 seconds to reduce the granules. Alternately, use caster sugar. The sugar needs to be fine to dissolve properly in the marinade. Add to mixture.
3. Zest the peel of 1 orange into the mixture. Squeeze the juice from 3 oranges into the mixture and blend thoroughly. Retain orange peels for later if you want to add zest to the end product.
4. Add mixture to a zip lock bag or sealed container, and add chopped chicken breast. Allow to marinade, refrigerated, at least 2 hours.
5. Bring 1 1/2 cups of water to a boil. Add the rice and a pinch of salt and return to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to a simmer, and cook until water is absorbed (about 16 minutes). Rice should have steam holes when it's ready.
6. Using a colander, strain the marinade juices into a pan to separate them from the chicken. Heat on low heat to reduce, stirring as it starts to bubble up.
7. Heat the oil in a wok or large pan.
8. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels, taking care to not wipe off garlic and ginger bits. Mix the cornflour with the salt and pepper. Toss the chicken in the mixture until completely coated.
9. When the oil is hot, reduce heat to medium and cook the chicken in batches, about 5 minutes on each side. If you have a meat thermometer, the chicken is done when the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F.
10. Remove each batch of chicken with a slotted spoon, and place in a bowl lined with a paper towel to soak up excess fat.
11. When all the chicken is cooked, add the bell pepper, snap peas, and green onion to the hot pan. Saute until the peppers soften up a bit (about 5 minutes), then add marinade juices. Add the chicken back in and stir until blended. Heat until it reaches the desired consistency.
12. Serve up with white rice. Top with orange zest if desired.