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Ring in Chinese New Year with tangerine chicken

Martin Yan celebrates the first day of the lunar calendar with this recipe

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  Chinese New Year recipes
Feb. 7: Want to celebrate the Year of the Rat? Chef Martin Yan makes a tangy tangerine chicken dish.

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updated 10:47 a.m. ET Feb. 7, 2008

Happy Chinese New Year! Thursday, Feb. 7 corresponds to Jan. 1 on the lunar calendar, which marks the start of the Year of the Rat. Chef Martin Yan of “Yan Can Cook” fame celebrates with this recipe for tangerine peel chicken.

Tangerine peel chicken
Martin Yan

The word “tangerines” in Chinese sounds like “luck,” so they’re displayed and given as hostess gifts throughout the year but especially during the Chinese New Year. Here’s a classic dish made with dried tangerine peels that brings luck all year round. You can also try deep-frying the chicken in batter and then adding to the stir-fry for a contrast in texture.

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 pound skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut widthwise into 1-inch-wide strips
• 1 egg white, beaten
• 1/4 tsp Shao Hsing wine
• Pinch ground white pepper
• 1 tsp peanut oil
• 2 1/2 tbsp cornstarch
• 31/2 cups frying oil
• 8 small whole dried chilies
• 2 tsp minced ginger
• 2 green onions, cut into 2-inch pieces
• 1 tsp fresh tangerine zest, can substitute with orange
• 1/2 white onion, medium julienne
• 2 tsp cornstarch solution (slurry)
• 6 slices of fresh tangerine or oranges in half moons, or supreme
• 1 tsp toasted sesame seeds

Sauce

• 1 tbsp double dark soy sauce
• 41/2 tsp sugar
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp Shao Hsing rice wine
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1 tsp Chinese rice vinegar or distilled vinegar
• Pinch ground white pepper
• 1/4 cup fresh orange juice
• 1 1-inch piece fresh ginger, smashed
• 2 pieces dried tangerine peel, soaked in warm water for about 20 minutes and julienne

Recipe continues below ↓
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DIRECTIONS

Place all of the sauce ingredients into a bowl and set aside.

Place the chicken into a bowl and add the egg white, ¼ tsp Shao Hsing, pinch of ground white pepper, peanut oil and cornstarch.

Heat up the frying oil in a wok to 400 degrees F. Fry the chicken pieces, making sure they don’t stick to one another, until golden and crispy; about 3-5 minutes. Turn off the heat and remove the chicken with a strainer.

Remove all but 1 tablespoon of the cooking oil in the pan. Heat up the pan again and add the dried chilies and cook until a little darkened, about 30 seconds. Add the ginger, garlic, green onions, zest and onions to cook for about 2 minutes. Add the reserved sauce. Drizzle in the cornstarch slurry while stirring continuously to avoid lumps. Toss in the fried chicken to coat and transfer to a plate. Garnish with tangerine pieces and toasted sesame seeds.

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Martin Yan’s new 26-part TV series, called “Martin Yan’s China,” just debuted in January on PBS. In the series, he travels through all parts of China to showcase authentic culinary dishes and traditions for the American public. An accompanying cookbook, also called “Martin Yan’s China,” will hit stores soon and will be his 24th English cookbook.

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