Panda's Orange Chicken (Janet Berryman)

Sauce:
1 ½ C. Water
2 Tbsp. Orange Juice
2 Tbs. Packed Dark Brown Sugar
1/3 C. Rice Vinegar
2 ½ Tbs. Soy Sauce
¼ C. plus 1 tsp. Lemon Juice
1 tsp. Minced Water Chestnuts
½ Tsp. Minced Fresh Ginger
¼ Tsp. Minced Garlic
1 Rounded Tsp. Chopped Green Onion
¼ Tsp. Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
5 Tsp Corn Starch
2 Tsp. Arrowroot
Chicken:
4 Chicken Breast Fillets
1 C. Ice Water
1 egg
¼ Tsp Baking Soda
¼ Tsp Salt
1 ½ C. unsifted cake flour
2-4 C. Vegetable Oil
1. Combine all of the sauce ingredients- except the cornstarch and arrowroot- in a small saucepan over high heat. Stir often while bringing mixture to a boil. When sauce reaches boil, remove it from heat allow it to cool a bit, uncovered.
2. Slice chicken breasts into bite size chinks. Remove exactly 1 cup of the marinade from the pan and pour it over the chicken in a large resealable bag in order to marinate chicken. Marinate for a couple of hours. Cover remaining sauce and leave it to cool until chicken is ready.
3. When chicken has marinated, preheat 2 inches of vegetable oil in a wok or skillet to 350 degrees.
4. Combine corn starch with arrowroot in a small bowl, then add 3 tablespoons of water. Stir until cornstarch and arrowroot have dissolved. Pour this mixture into the sauce and set the pan over high heat. When sauce begins to bubble and thickens, cover and remove from heat.
5. Beat together the ice water and egg in a medium bowl. Add baking soda and salt.
6. Add ¾ cup of the flour and stir with a fork just until the flour is blended into the mixture. The batter should still be lumpy.
7. Sprinkle another ¼ cup of flour on top of the batter and mix with only one or two strokes. Most of this flour will still be floating on top of the mixture. Put the remaining flour (½ cup) into a medium bowl.
8. Dip each piece of chicken first into the flour, then into the batter. Let some of the batter drip off and then slide the chicken into the oil. Fry up to ½ of the chicken pieces at a time for 3-4 minutes, or until golden brown. Flip the chicken over halfway through the cooking time. Remove the chicken to a rack or paper towels to drain.
9. As the chicken cooks, reheat the sauce left covered on the stove. Stir occasionally.
10. When all of the chicken is done, pour it into a large bowl, and cover with the thickened sauce. Stir gently until all of the pieces are well coated.
Serves 4