Panda Express' Orange Chicken Hack

Ingredients: 1 lb. chicken, cut into bite sized pieces 1 egg, beaten 1 cup all purpose flour 4 cups of vegetable oil for deep frying + 2 tbsp for sauteeing 3 cloves of minced garlic 1 tsp sesame oil 1/8 cup green onions chopped (optional) ORANGE SAUCE: 5 tbsp vinegar 5 tbsp sugar 1 1/2 tbsp water 1 1/2 tbsp soy sauce To thicken sauce: 3 tbsp cornstarch 3 tbsp water (Yes, the recipe does NOT call for any citrus fruit)

Step 1: Dip the chicken pieces one by one into the egg, and then roll in flour. Continue until all chicken pieces are covered in flour. Step 2: Prepare the orange sauce by mixing the cornstarch and 3 tbsp of water. Set aside. Combine 5 tbsp of vinegar, 5 tbsp of sugar, 2 1/2 tbsp of water and 2 1/2 tbsp of soy sauce. Mix well until sugar is dissolved. Set aside. Step 3: Heat oil in a deep pan, deep fryer or wok. Fry chicken pieces until cooked. Do not cook all the chicken pieces at once. This will result in lowered oil temperature. Set aside when done.

Step 4: On a separate wok, heat up 2 tbsp of oil. Sautee garlic and then add the orange sauce. Little by little, add the cornstarch mixture. Wait for the sauce to bubble a little. If it's too thin, add a little bit more of the cornstarch mixture. Repeat this step until you reach your desired thickness. Step 5: Once the sauce is thick enough, add the fried chicken. Mix well to make sure all pieces are covered with the sauce. Add the sesame oil and mix once. Remove from heat and transfer to serving plate. Add green onions on top for garnish (optional) Serve and enjoy over hot rice!