I owe you some chicken and rice!
Led Zeppelin III - Paired with "Tangerine" chicken and fried rice
On the episode in which we cover Led Zeppelin III, I had offered Breddy the pairing of some Orange Chicken and fried rice. But I had to Led Zep it up a notch, BAM! Upgraded the orange to tangerine, one of the best cuts on the album, and a damn fine fruit if I do say. I’ll share a few methods I like to use for these dishes your mileage and setup may vary so happy to answer any questions or come up with solutions to get you on your way. Just one bit of advice, if you’re gonna squeeze your lemon…or any other citrus for that matter, make sure the juice doesn’t run down your leg, might be too distracting…it was for Robert Plant.
For the fried rice
4 cups, pre-cooked, cold, dry white rice (let it cool all the way, makes it so much easier to fry)
2 eggs, scrambled
1/2 cup diced carots
1/2 cup peas
3 tbsp scallions, chopped
1 1/2 cups diced bbq pork (shrimp, chicken, crab, scallop, tofu, horse…just something meaty!)
2 tbsp knorr chicken powder. This is what a lot of Chinese chefs use in the restaurants for seasonings. It has that psuedo soy/msg flavor to it that is so essential the Chinese umami flavor
Optional: Chili flakes, Sriracha (add towards the end if using)
For the “Tangerine” Chicken
2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken thighs cut into pieces
2 tbsp soy
1 tsp salt
1 tsp white pepper
1.5 cup cornstarch
1/2 cup chopped scallion
For the sauce
1 tbsp dark soy sauce
2 tbsp Shaoxing wine
2 tbsp Chinese rice vinegar or distilled white vinegar
3 tbsp homemade or store-bought low-sodium chicken stock
4 tbsp sugar
1 tsp roasted sesame seed oil
3 tsp grated zest and 1/4 cup juice from 4 tangerines or 1-2 large oranges
1 tbsp cornstarch
2 tsp peanut, vegetable, or canola oil
2 tsp minced garlic
2 tsp minced fresh ginger (about 1 (1-inch) piece)
2 tbsp thinly sliced scallion bottoms (about 1 scallion)
To Prepare:
Marinate the diced chicken with the salt, soy, white pepper for at least 30 minutes
in a large bowl add the cornstarch and fill with enough water to cover the cornstarch let sit for 30 minutes
Warm fryer or pot of oil to 325 f
Dump the water off of the top of the cornstarch and use a fork to break up what is left in bowl. Add your chicken to the cornstarch bowl. The cornstarch will be sludgy but keep mixing it so that the chicken is coated.
Once the oil is hot, drop a few pieces of chicken in at a time and fry for 3-4 minutes until the outside is golden brownish. If you take a piece out to check, the internal temperature should be 165 f.
Setup a sheet tray or bowl with paper towels to catch the chicken after its first fry
Meanwhile, for the sauce, combine everything but the garlic, ginger, scallion in a cup or bowl
Add a small amount of cooking oil to a saute pan and turn heat to medium. Add the ginger, garlic and scallion and saute for 1-2 minutes. At this point add your sauce mixture that’s in a bowl or cup. Continue cooking down and whisking for 2-3 minutes, as the sauce heats, the cornstarch will activate and thicken the sauce.
As your sauce nears completion, you can begin to start frying chicken for a second time. This is really just a surefire way to get crispy chicken even when you cover it in an amazing sauce like this! So give the chicken two minutes and add to a mixing bowl when it comes out. Once it is all finished, pour the sauce on the chicken and toss to coat a few times. You can land it on a plate and garnish with sesame seeds or scallions.
Eat the chicken! Or fry your rice…
It is vital in wok cooking to have all your ingredients ready beside you so that things don’t get overcooked by a super hot wok. A large stainless pan could also handle this task just fine!
Get your wok or pan as hot as you are comfortable with and add a small amount of oil to the pan. Add in half of your rice and stir in the wok, try not to lift the wok away from the flame, its important to keep it hot. Sprinkle the rice with chicken powder. You can add more rice in once you feel like you have room in the pan (or just do this in two batches). Taste the rice after seasoning to see it how it tastes on its own, can always add more seasoning but can’t add less, so exercise caution with this or any new ingredient you are working with.
Once you start getting a few crispy bits of rice, push all the rice, piled up, to the back of the pan to create some open space. In the open space, add a little bit of oil and then your scrambled egg mix. Allow the egg 15 seconds to cook, then stir and chop with your wooden spoon/tongs/thing you are stir frying with and let the rest of the egg cook. Once it’s all cooked push it into the rice and open some space up front again.
Add a small bit of oil to the open space and add your proteins (if cooking chicken, it is best practice to cook the chicken in the wok PRIOR to making the rice then putting it in a bowl while you make the rice then add it back in later) and give them 20 seconds to heat up and cook before mixing them with the rice.
At this point, combine the rice, egg, protein and add your veggies to the mix, saving half of your green onions to put on at the end. Continue to stir fry until the proteins are cooked through and everything is well seasoned.
Land your rice in a bowl to share or a plate, garnish with the remaining green onions, grab some of that Tangerine Chicken and rock out to some Zeppelin!
