Orange Chicken

No-sugar orange chicken

This recipe is not the traditional orange chicken recipe that we get in asian restaurants. The jelly like sauce is too sweet for my palette. My recipe is a different version of it with no sugar and tastes delicious with steamed rice or just as is. You can call it a keto version of the orange chicken recipe we’re all used to eating.

Ingredients:

4 chicken drumsticks
1 tbsp ghee or olive oil
1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
1 tsp lemon juice
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp orange zest
1/4 tsp lemon zest
1 tsp ginger, minced
1 tsp garlic, minced
1 tbsp red chilis, chopped or 1 tsp red chili powder
salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp honey
1 tbsp arrow root powder
1 tbsp scallion-greens, chopped

Method:

1. Make 2-3 slits on each chicken drumstick and place it in a bowl.

2. Add orange juice, lemon juice, zest, soy sauce, garlic, chilis or red chili powder and ginger to the bowl.

3. Season with salt and pepper and marinate the chicken for 15mins.

   

4. In a pan, heat ghee and add the drumsticks and half the marinade. Cook on medium flame for 10mins and cover and cook for 15 more mins on a low flame turning halfway.

5. Add arrowroot powder and honey to the remaining marinade.

6. Mix the remaining marinade to the pan and cook for 10mins or until the sauce thickens. Keep turning the drumsticks to coat it evenly with the sauce.

7. Garnish with chopped scallions and serve warm.

Notes:

1. Because this sauce condenses, the salt in the soy sauce will dominate the flavor. I keep the salt to half what I would add otherwise and adjust later.

2. Optional garnish : You can serve this with caramelized orange slices. Fry orange slices in a pan with 1 tsp of ghee for 3 mins on high flame turning halfway and caramelized orange is ready. You can brush a little honey on the orange slices before or after frying for some extra flavor.

   

3. Add 1 tsp of asian chili powder or use cayenne pepper if you want to make this a bit spicier.