We live in the age of orange chicken. It's popping up everywhere and people are gobbling it up like crazy. However, I'm not very fond of the sickly sweet poultry and wondered why it's so fashionable.
Most people associate orange chicken with Panda Express, so I started my search there. The Panda Express enterprise is ever-expanding and is composed of 882 restaurants in 34 states. It seems to be taking over the Chinese food restaurant world.
Orange chicken is by far the most popular item sold at the restaurants. It's expected that a staggering 38 million pounds of the entrée are to be sold this year, according to a Panda Express press release.
But Panda Express isn't the only place to get your citrus chicken fix. Almost every other Chinese restaurant serves it. It's a popular item at Trader Joe's, sold in the frozen foods aisle. I even saw it as an option at an Italian restaurant in Hollywood. With such a large market, I wondered - Where did it all start?
The chicken came from the Hunan province, close to the Yangtze River in China. Poultry and citrus are often combined in western China, which is specifically Hunan-style cooking. It's similar to Szechwan cuisine, but has some key elements, such as a hot or spicy flavor, fresh aroma and deep color. Hunan is also characteristically sweet or sour.
In Chinese culture, orange chicken is referred to as "old skin chicken." This doesn't allude to the age of the chicken, but to the peel used to make it. Traditionally, a dried orange or tangerine peel is used to prepare it. I doubt a menu item with "old skin" in its name would be a good marketing tactic in the U.S.
Orange chicken is sometimes prepared with ginger, garlic and red chilies and is always deep fried. The recipe for the sauce varies.
Some chefs pour orange juice into their sauce while others just scrape in the peel, either fresh or dried. As for the sweetness, brown sugar, honey, sherry and orange marmalade have all been used. Every recipe calls for something different, and some of those blueprints are highly guarded.
At San Diego State, a line is almost always in front of the East Commons restaurant. Orange chicken is the most popular item at that location, as well. About 40 pounds of it are sold every day, assistant manager Mila Buyko said.
"I eat it every day," she said. "Even my first day (working here), I ate it. I mix it with mandarin chicken and vegetables."
She isn't the only one who has her daily orange chicken routine. Freshmen Garett Gomez and Stephani Parker eat it every day also. They said it fills them up and can be bought with their meal plan. Gomez said it's the mix of the tangy, crunchy and high temperature of the food draws people in. Although both Gomez and Parker are orange chicken fiends, Panda Express is not their favorite venue for the fare.
"I like PF Chang's better because it's real chicken and it tastes fresher," Parker said.
Added Gomez: "Yeah, it's kind of stale at Panda Express. I like other places better. Since it's fast food, you can tell it's fast."
Buyko would disagree with them. She said the quality at Panda Express is what makes people like it. Also, she said it is made fresh every day, contrary to what Gomez and Parker might think.
Orange chicken is definitely the craze, but one can't help wonder why. Any taste sensation your palate hankers for can be found, but many people keep choosing the same thing. The diversity of dishes available in Chinese cuisine is staggering, and there is no shortage of tasty foods that should be explored.
We may never know why so many are stuck on orange chicken.
Be the first to comment on this article!