Chef notes
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 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.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon fresh orange juice
- 1 teaspoon finely grated orange zest
- 1/2 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- 1 large clove garlic, minced
- 4 (4- to 5-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breasts or thighs
- 1/2 cup flour
- 2 eggs, lightly beaten
- 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
- paprika
- kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1/2 cup unseasoned rice vinegar
- 1/2 cup honey
- 3 tablespoons orange juice
- 1 teaspoon finely grated orange zest
- 1 tablespoon Thai chile-garlic sauce
- 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
- 1½ teaspoons toasted sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 2 large cloves garlic, minced
- 1/3 cup Kewpie or regular mayonnaise
- 1½ teaspoons hot Chinese mustard or 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 cups shredded green cabbage
- 1/4 cup shredded carrot
- 1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion
- vegetable oil, for pan-frying
- 4 potato or brioche buns, halved and lightly toasted
- fresh cilantro leaves
Preparation
For the chicken:
1.In a small glass 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.
2.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.
3.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 breadcrumbs stick to the chicken. Let the chicken sit while you make the sauce and slaw; this helps everything stick when you fry it!
For the sauce:
1.In a bowl, dissolve the cornstarch in the vinegar, then stir in the honey, orange juice and zest, chile-garlic sauce, soy sauce and sesame oil until the honey is dissolved.
2.In a small saucepan, heat the vegetable oil over medium-low heat. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes.
3.Add the sauce mixture, bring to a boil, reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer until the sauce thickens, 2 to 3 minutes. Cover to keep warm.
For the slaw:
In a medium bowl, whisk together the mayo, mustard, sesame oil and salt. Add the cabbage, carrot and onion and toss to coat.
To cook and assemble:
1.Heat 1/2-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).
2.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.
3.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.
Reprinted from Cravings All Together. Copyright © 2021 by Chrissy Teigen with Adeena Sussman. Photographs copyright © 2021 by Alex Lau. Published by Clarkson Potter, an imprint of Random House."
