Crisp chicken tossed at the last moment in a glossy orange, soy, ginger, and garlic glaze, with a small touch of ají amarillo that brings it into Peru's chifa tradition. The sauce stays citrusy, sweet, and savory without burying the chicken under candy-like sweetness. Serve hot with white rice, scallions, and sesame.
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Cut the chicken breast into even 3 cm pieces. Mix with the egg, two fifths of the soy sauce, two fifths of the garlic, two fifths of the ginger, the pepper, and salt. Rest for 10 minutes while you prepare the remaining ingredients; the surface should be moist without sitting in a pool of marinade.
Mix the all-purpose flour with four fifths of the cornstarch. Coat the chicken in batches, pressing each piece gently into the dry mixture. Shake off excess thoroughly: the surface should look dry, irregular, and lightly craggy, not buried under a thick layer.
Heat the vegetable oil in a wide skillet to 175 to 180°C. Fry the chicken in batches for 4 to 5 minutes, turning for even browning, until golden and crisp and the thickest piece reaches 74°C internally. Drain on paper towels for 1 minute. Do not crowd the skillet: if the oil temperature drops, the coating absorbs oil and loses its crunch.
Carefully remove the frying oil from the skillet, leaving only a thin film. Over medium heat, cook the remaining garlic, remaining ginger, and ají amarillo for 30 to 45 seconds, just until fragrant. Add the orange juice, zest, brown sugar, remaining soy sauce, oyster sauce, and red wine vinegar. Simmer for 4 to 5 minutes, until it tastes less like sweet juice and more like a citrusy, savory sweet-and-sour sauce.
Dissolve the remaining cornstarch in the cold water until completely smooth. Pour it into the sauce in a thin stream while stirring and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, until glossy, lightly thickened, and able to coat the back of a spoon. Reduce the heat and stir in the sesame oil.
Return the fried chicken to the skillet and toss with the glaze for only 30 to 45 seconds, until every piece has a shiny orange coating. Remove from the heat immediately: the sauce should cling to the crust, not turn the chicken soggy.
Finish with the scallions and sesame seeds. Serve immediately with the cooked white rice, letting the rice catch the extra glaze. The chicken should arrive hot and sticky outside while still retaining some crunch, with clear orange, ginger, and soy in every bite. And that's it—chifa, orange, and absolutely no need to turn it into candy.
