Tower Dining Orange Chicken fiasco

When thinking about orange chicken from your favorite restaurant, the thought of fresh orange slices on top of chicken breast does not usually come to mind. The thought of crispy fried chicken covered in orange sauce is usually what is pictured. However, Tower Dining decided to take a fresh and unique take on this dish. 

IUPUI’s Barstool Instagram account discovered this meal, after being posted by @myahbales. After going through comments, there is a wide variety of opinions. 

@jake_williams_28 writing “Woah woah woah, stop hating and try it. That chicken was fire.” While others such as @andy.heltzl commented, “Forget about maggot and mold. This is the biggest L for the dining hall.” 

There were many comments both supporting and criticizing this dish, but the main question throughout was why? Why would the dining hall simply throw orange slices on top of chicken and call it orange chicken? 

Stacy Blanton, Residential District Manager for IUPUI Dining shed a little light on what went through their minds to serve this. 

“The recipe calls for fresh oranges as a key component of the sauce. In some cases, the chef or cook will arrange them on top of the chicken after cooking as a garnish. The recipe is more in depth than what has been made popular by Americanized/Hybrid Asian restaurants and fast food franchises. It lends a flavor profile similar that you might find in the Hunan province where bright citrus combined with chilies is very common,” Blanton said. 

For those unfamiliar with the Hunan province, it is a mountainous province in southern China, bringing tradition to their palate. Blanton is an experienced food service professional with fifteen years of food service management in the higher education sector. She claims IUPUI was simply trying to follow tradition and create a dish which might have been an unusual sight, especially when people are not used to it being prepared this way. 

“I mean, I would try it out of curiosity, but I wouldn’t expect it to taste the same. I’ve had orange chicken from PF Chang’s and Panda Express, but this definitely looks different.,” senior Jenilyn B. commented when asked about this unique approach.

 At first glance this orange chicken may look like something which was thrown together with little thought, however, this was not the case. This raises the question, just because something doesn’t appear as the norm should we avoid it and believe it won’t be great? Maybe that is a little too in depth for orange chicken, but it is something to think about. Was this out of the ordinary? Definitely. Was it the prettiest dish to look at? Maybe not. Did it taste good? You would have to try it and decide for yourself. 

After doing research on IUPUI Barstool’s Instagram, it is clear to see Tower Dining has had many unique dishes in the past and will most likely continue. Whatever your take on this Chinese dish, Tower dining has definitely laid down the groundwork for some unique meals in the future.