Orange chicken

Where do I begin? First - this is a solid recipe and the flavors are all there but need to be intensified. I would suggest using Grape Seed oil that can withstand higher heat, has a neutral flavor and is healthy like OO. I mixed up the 'sauce' ingredients and decided to up the garlic and ginger - the orange was really subdued so I added orange zest (would use marmalade the OJ concentrate next time) Put some of the sauce on the chicken to marinate with the cornstarch instead of adding it later. I used Sambal chili paste instead of chili flakes. Additional vegetables like pepper and onions add a lot to this recipe. Thanks for an inspiring recipe - all the right flavors it just needs more of them.  -  27 Aug 2012  (Review from Allrecipes US | Canada)

I’m hit or miss when it comes to Thai food, but this was awesome! I made a few changes, but mostly to the cooking process, not the ingredients. I felt that adding the crushed red pepper flakes at the end of the cooking process would not give it the kind of spicy kick it deserves, so I started by sauteing the crushed red pepper along with the garlic in the olive oil for about 3 minutes before adding the carrots and ginger. This infuses the oil with flavor and gives the dish an even and consistent spice. It also brings out the heat in the red pepper. After the carrots started to soften, I pushed them to the side and added the chicken, omitting the second dose of olive oil. I’m not big on oily dishes and have found that I can cut it or even eliminate it most of the time. As the chicken browned, I stirred it with the carrots and added the rest of the ingredients except the orange juice. I used the orange juice to whisk the cornstarch in and added it last. Serve over noodles and you will have a sweet orange dish that ends with a spicy kick.  -  04 Dec 2012  (Review from Allrecipes US | Canada)

Great dish with lots of flavor. If you are someone reading this who does not like tweaks - STOP reading right now! My DH and I loved this recipe. It was every bit as good as take out. As I stated above, I read the other reviews and made some changes. I had 2 small chicken breast, so I added red, orange and green pepper and sliced a small onion to the mix. This added a lot more bulk, but all with fresh veggies. I did double the sauce as I was serving this over sushi rice and I wanted it saucy. Rather than add water, I replaced it with more orange juice and mixed the cornstarch with it. That worked great and thickened up the sauce nicely. I also added a heaping tablespoon of orange marmalade, because I had an opened jar. I added peanuts to mine after I dished it up as DH does not like nuts in his Asian food. I also zested a fresh orange before serving. I did use all the ingredients listed, just more of them and added a few extras. Really very happy with how this dish turned out. Definitely a keeper!!  -  24 Oct 2013  (Review from Allrecipes US | Canada)