Clearly orange chicken can be done with any white meat. It will work with boneless rabbit, grouse, partridge, quail or turkey, too. The optional ingredients -- white pepper, tangerine peel and green onions -- give the dish a more Chinese feel. I personally like this dish sweet and hot. But some people just like sweet, and that's OK. You should know this is not as sweet as Panda Express. To get there you will need another tablespoon or even two of honey or marmalade. And if you like a thicker crust, add a couple tablespoons of flour to the corn starch you toss the meat in.
1to 1 1/2 pounds pheasant or other white meat,cubed
2cupscooking oil
2teaspoonscorn, tapioca or potato starch, mixed with 3 tablespoons hot water
Chopped green onionsoptional
Instructions
Mix all the marinade ingredients together with the pheasant pieces; make sure each piece gets coated. Set aside while you prep everything else, about 20 minutes. For the sauce, mix the soy, orange juice, marmalade and vinegar together and set aside. Mix the 1 tablespoon of corn starch with about 2 tablespoons water in a little bowl and set aside.
Heat the oil in a wok or small, heavy pot to 350°F to 360°F. Set a baking sheet nearby and line it with paper towels. While the oil is heating, toss the pheasant pieces with the 1/4 cup of corn starch. (This is a messy process, so you'll need to wash your hands at some point.) When the oil is hot, fry the pheasant in 3 to 4 batches until golden brown, about 3 to 5 minutes per batch. As each batch finishes, set it in the baking sheet to drain.
After you've fried all the pheasant, pour out the oil into a glass or metal container; you can strain and reuse it later. Rinse the wok and wipe it out with paper towels, then set it back on very high heat. Add about 2 tablespoons of oil from the container you just used. When it's hot, add the chiles and tangerine peel and stir-fry for 30 seconds. Add the pheasant back to the wok and the ingredients for the sauce you mixed together earlier. Stir fry this for a few seconds. Now, start stirring the corn starch slurry, and, while still stirring, pour it over the meat. Stir fry until it gets thick, a couple seconds. Drizzle the sesame oil over everything, give it one more toss and serve immediately.