Orange Chicken Fried-Chicken Sandwiches

SERVES: Makes 4 sandwiches PREP: 45 minutes TOTAL TIME: 1 hour, 30 minutes (including minimum marinating time)

Orange Chicken Fried-Chicken Sandwiches

SERVES: Makes 4 sandwiches PREP: 45 minutes TOTAL TIME: 1 hour, 30 minutes (including minimum marinating time)

This freakin’ sandwich is exactly what a sandwich should be: a Panda Express knockoff in a bun.

Oh, excuse my language, but I’m honestly so f*cking excited to write about this one! The stickiness, the crispiness, the sweet, the tart, the slaw. EVERYthing about this sandwich is perfect.

To be honest, I’m guessing you guys don’t make a lot of sandwiches from recipes. I rarely get sent pictures of them. My guess is that it’s just so damn easy to just make your favorite sandwich, or to hit up a drive-thru to achieve your sammy desires. And it is!! But you also need to trust the fact that when I, an AVID sandwich eater, love a sandwich, it means: It. Is. Legit.

The funniest part of this sandwich is that it led to a heated conversation about orange chicken, a dish I LOVE, which I learned John (and his brother!) DO NOT LIKE. I wasn’t aware people didn’t like orange chicken. It’s a Panda Express world and we are just living in it! I actually call restaurants before I order their orange chicken, to make sure it’s fried and not grilled; grilled orange chicken is a waste of my precious time. Anyhow, phew. This freakin’ sandwich is exactly what a sandwich should be: a Panda Express knockoff in a bun.

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INGREDIENTS DIRECTIONS

For the Chicken:

1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon fresh orange juice
1 teaspoon finely grated orange zest
½ teaspoon toasted sesame oil
1 large garlic clove, minced
4 (4- to 5-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breasts or thighs
½ cup flour
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup panko bread crumbs
+ Paprika
+ Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the Orange Sauce:

1 tablespoon cornstarch
½ cup unseasoned rice vinegar
½ cup honey
3 tablespoons orange juice
1 teaspoon finely grated orange zest
1 tablespoon Thai chili-garlic sauce
1 tablespoon light soy sauce
1 ½ teaspoons toasted sesame oil
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 large garlic cloves, minced

For the Slaw:

¹⁄8 cup Kewpie or regular mayonnaise
1 ½ teaspoons hot Chinese mustard, or 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
½ teaspoon toasted sesame oil
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
2 cups shredded green cabbage
¼ cup shredded carrot
¼ cup thinly sliced red onion

For Cooking and Assembly:

+ Vegetable oil, for pan-frying
4 potato or brioche buns, halved and lightly toasted
+ Fresh cilantro leaves

Prepare the chicken: In a small glass or ceramic baking dish, medium bowl, or zippered plastic bag, combine the soy sauce, orange juice, orange zest, sesame oil, and garlic. Add the chicken and toss or smoosh around to coat well. Leave on the counter to marinate for 1 hour, or in the fridge for up to 24 hours.
Place the flour in one shallow bowl, the eggs in another, and the panko in a third bowl. Season the flour and eggs with pinches of paprika, salt, and pepper. Remove the chicken from the marinade and dip it in the flour (shake off the excess), then the egg (let the excess drip off back into the bowl), then into the panko, pressing down so the bread crumbs stick to the chicken. Let the chicken sit while you make the sauce and slaw; this helps everything stick when you fry it!
Make the sauce: In a bowl, dissolve the cornstarch in the vinegar, then stir in the honey, orange juice and zest, chili-garlic sauce, soy sauce, and sesame oil until the honey is dissolved. In a small saucepan, heat the vegetable oil over medium-low heat. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the sauce mixture, bring to a boil, reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer until the sauce thickens, 2–3 minutes. Cover to keep warm.
Make the slaw: In a medium bowl, whisk the mayo, mustard, sesame oil, and salt. Add the cabbage, carrot, and onion and toss to coat.
Fry the chicken: Heat ½ inch of the vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until very hot but not smoking (a small piece of bread should fry evenly to a nice golden brown when dropped into the oil). Gently arrange the cutlets in the skillet, 2 at a time or all 4 if they can fit without touching, and fry until golden and crisp, 3 minutes per side. Place a few layers of paper towels on a platter and transfer the chicken to them to drain when ready.
Assemble: Dip the fried cutlets in the sauce until well coated. Place them on the bottom halves of the buns, pile with some slaw and cilantro, then close with the top halves of the buns. YUM!