Baked Orange Chicken

📝 Ingredients

• 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts ((about 2 breasts, cut into 1-inch cubes))
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1 large egg
• 2 Tbsp milk
• 1 1/2 cups panko bread crumbs
• 2 oranges ( zest from one, fresh squeezed juice from both (approximately 3/4 - 1 cup juice))
• water ((added to juice to make 1 3/4 cups liquid when combined with fresh juice))
• 1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp rice vinegar
• 3 Tbsp low sodium soy sauce
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 tsp finely grated ginger
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 2 Tbsp cornstarch
• 2 Tbsp COLD water
• chopped green onions

👨‍🍳 Instructions

1. 1Heat oven to 425˚F. In three separate dishes/plates combine the flour, garlic powder, salt & pepper into the first; the egg & milk whisked into the second; & the panko in the third.
2. 2Coat each piece of chicken. First in the flour mixture (I tossed all my chicken in this mixture all at once), then egg, then panko. Place each coated piece of chicken on a thoroughly greased baking sheet.
3. 3Bake chicken for 10 minutes. Then flip/stir up the chicken & cook an additional 10 minutes or until cooked all the way through & crispy on the outside.
4. 4While chicken cooks in the oven, combine orange juice, zest, water, rice vinegar, & soy sauce in a saucepan over medium heat for a few minutes. Stir in brown sugar, ginger, & garlic letting it come to a boil. Make a slurry with your cold water & cornstarch. Pour slurry into boiling sauce until it thickens. Keep warm.
5. 5Once the chicken is out of the oven, spray a large saucepan/wok with pan coating & add chicken on high heat. Toss chicken a little bit & gradually add sauce until chicken is coated well. (The sauce should sizzle when it hits the pan.) Reserve leftover sauce.
6. 6Serve chicken with rice, green onions & extra sauce.