Baked Orange Chicken

This recipe seems a little more time consuming that what I usually like (a lot of ingredients, a lot of different things to mix up) but it looks amazing and we love Chinese food.  I thought I'd give it a try sometime.

(Picture and recipe courtesy of myfavoriterecipes-rejoice.blogspot.com)

2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 2 inch cubes

1/2 cup flour

1 tsp. garlic powder

1/2 tsp. pepper

2 Tbsp. butter or oil (I used butter)

1 1/2 cups water

1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp. fresh orange juice

1/3 cup rice vinegar

2 1/2 Tbsp. soy sauce

1 Tbsp. orange zest

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 tsp. finely minced ginger (NOT ground ginger)

1 tsp. minced garlic

2 Tbsp. green onion

3 Tbsp. cornstarch

1/4 cup water

Heat oven to 350 degrees. In a shallow bowl, combine the flour, garlic powder and pepper. Dip each piece of chicken in flour mixture and coat evenly. Pour melted butter or oil in a baking dish. Arrange chicken in a single layer. Arrange chicken in pan and bake uncovered for 30 minutes at 350 degrees. Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, combine water, orange juice, rice vinegar, soy sauce, and orange zest and whisk over medium heat for a few minutes. Stir in brown sugar, ginger, garlic, and green onion and let it come to a boil. Combine cornstarch with water till dissolved and add to the sauce to thicken. After chicken has baked the 30 minutes, turn each pice over and pour 1/2-3/4 of sauce mixture evenly over chicken. Bake another 30 to 40 minutes, basting often. Serve chicken over rice with extra sauce on the side.