Jan 26, 2018, Updated Jun 20, 2023 I have a real soft spot for mall Chinese food. I can’t help it. Most of it is brazenly inauthentic, I know – (hello, giant chicken balls with cherry sauce) – but I just love the crispy, sweet, salty thing that goes on in those magical food warmers. I made this recipe after one of my food court favourites – Orange Chicken. Juicy bites of lightly-coated chicken with deliciously sticky orange sauce. I partnered with Tropicana Canada on this recipe, and it starts with Tropicana Pure Premium Orange Juice (which has just one ingredient from grove to glass, the sunshine-y juice squeezed from fresh oranges – no flavours or colours or sugar added). I live for bright citrus this time of year when the winter is full force.
Paired with garlic, crushed red pepper, soy sauce, and a splash of rice vinegar, this glossy orange sauce hits the full spectrum of flavours – sweet, savoury, sour, salty – making it completely irresistible. (You might want to double the recipe, it’s decidedly more-ish.)
I pile our plates up with lots of stir-fried veggies and brown rice, so my version is definitely a notch or two healthier than combo number 13. And so delicious. The kids devour it, too. The chicken benefits from a quick marinade while you prepare all of the other ingredients. It’s lightly coated and lightly fried until golden brown, and when the orange sauce is thick and sticky, the chicken is tossed in to finish cooking. We enjoy it for dinner, but you could also serve the chicken bites with little skewers or toothpicks as a crowd-pleasing appetizer.
