Orange Chicken

Sauce and Marinade:
1-1/2 cups water
2 TBS orange juice
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/3 cup rice vinegar (or white vinegar)
2-1/2 TBS soy sauce
1 TBS grated orange zest
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp. minced fresh ginger
1/2 tsp. minced fresh garlic
2 TBS chopped green onion
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
3 TBS cornstarch
2 TBS water

Chicken:
2 lbs. boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs, cut into bite size cubes
1 egg
1-1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 TBS oil
1/2 cup cornstarch
1/4 cup flour
oil for frying

1.  Pour 1-1/2 cups water, orange juice, lemon juice, rice vinegar, and soy sauce into a saucepan and set over medium-high heat.  Stir in the orange zest, brown sugar, ginger, garlic, chopped onion, and red pepper flakes.  Bring to a boil.  Remove from heat and allow to cool for 10- 15 minutes.

2.  Place chicken cubes into a resealable plastic bag.  When sauce is cool, pour 1 cup of it into the bag, reserving the remainder.  Seal the bag and place in fridge for at least 2 hours or overnight.  Refrigerate remaining marinade in separate container.

3.  Using a slotted spoon, remove chicken cubes from marinade to a large bowl.  Throw used marinade away.  Stir in the egg, salt, pepper and 1 TBS of oil.  Mix well.  In a separate large shallow bowl, mix the cornstarch and flour together until well blended.  Add the chicken a few at a time to the cornstarch/flour mixture.  Stir to coat evenly and tap off excess.

4.  Pour about 1 inch of oil in a wok or deep heavy skillet and heat to 375℉.  If you do not have a thermometer, heat the oil until it starts to ripple in the pan.  Add the chicken cubes, a small handful at a time and fry until golden and crisp, about 3-4 minutes.  Remove the chicken with a slotted spoon onto a paper towel lined plate.When cooking the remainder batches, you may need to turn down the heat a little to keep the chicken from cooking too fast and possibly add a little more oil.

5.   Once all the chicken is cooked, return to the reserved sauce.  Put the sauce in a skillet and bring to a boil over medium- high heat.  Mix together the 3 TBS cornstarch and 2 TBS water, stir into the sauce.  Reduce heat to medium- low, add the chicken pieces, and simmer, about 5 minutes, stirring every once in a while.  Remove from heat and serve over sticky rice.  Garnish with sesame seeds and sliced green onions if desired.