Your Future Holds: Orange Chicken

About author / Sarah Christine Bolton

Coffee addict; professional food writer; food fusion. Her slow cooker recipes go above and beyond your normal crockpot fare.

I have always been a big fan of Chinese buffets, especially as a kid, when words like “saturated fat,” “sodium,” and “MSG” weren’t even on my radar. There was one place we used to go to a few times a month. Usually, we were all ravenous. Sitting through the server’s greeting and drink orders was torture, with all the smells of delicious food wafting through the air. As soon as the server left to go get ice water and hot tea, we sprinted for the buffet line.

I grabbed a big plate, hot from the plate warmer. A buffet required an initial walk-through, just to see what was available that day. I always chose the sautéed green beans, sweet barbecued pork ribs and orange chicken. Depending on the day, I would either add a spoonful of fried rice or a pile of noodles. Back to the table to eat while tinkling music played softly above our heads. I sipped hot green tea in between bites.

A buffet, by default, always requires at least two visits, and one final trip for dessert. I went for the canned peaches with an almond cookie. No matter how full we all got, there was always room for a fortune cookie. We passed around our fortunes, dramatically reading them out loud. And then, we would all waddle out of the restaurant, ready for a nap.

I still go to Chinese buffets occasionally, but they aren’t as fun now that I’m aware of just how much salt is in one scoop of rice. I’ve added some items to my favorites list: wonton soup, sushi, and peel-to-eat shrimp. I don’t go for the orange chicken as much, since it’s battered and fried and all that delicious-but-bad-for-you stuff.

These days, more often than not, I make my Asian food at home. I spent hours one time rolling wontons and making the perfect broth for wonton soup. My husband created our own version of fried rice, complete with eggs, green peas, and lots of soy sauce. My mom has a great recipe for egg foo yung that she used to make for New Year’s Eve every year…I was able to talk her into sharing it with me a few months ago, and I’m going to give it a try to usher in 2009.

I decided to try making orange chicken after having it at P.F. Chang’s the other night. It brought back memories of why I loved it so much: just a bit of crispy breading drowned in sweet, sticky orange sauce. In doing a bit of quick research, I found out that orange chicken is one of those Western adaptations of the traditional Chinese dish, which is much less sweet than the American version.

Since I always cook with chicken, I decided to try a different version of the recipe. This one uses pork and skips the breading and deep frying step. It’s still just as tasty, and you can go back for multiple trips without feeling guilty. The only thing you might miss are the fortune cookies.

Serves/Makes: 6

• 8 pork tenderloins, cut into bite-size pieces
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1 cup orange juice
• 1 tablespoon grated orange peel
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon dry mustard
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 4 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch mixed with
• 1/4 cup water