The idea came from food shopping in one of those stores that have the chinese food ready to go. We both saw the orange chicken and sighed. I thought, I can do this better...I did my research and this is what I came up with.
You make the sauce first because it does need to reduce and thicken a bit. I served mine over some brown rice with broccoli and topped with scallions.
Ingredients for Sauce:
- 3/4 cup low sodium or unsalted chicken broth
- 1/2 cup of orange juice (I zested two oranges first then juiced them)
- 1 to 2 tbsp orange zest
- 1 tbsp low sodium soy sauce
- 1/4 cup white vinegar
- 1/3 cup sweet marmalade
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/2 tsp ginger powder
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (optional)
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
Ingredients for Chicken:
- 2 large chicken breasts, cut into cubes
- 1/2 cup cornstarch
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Optional: Brown rice, broccoli and scallions
- Combine all the ingredients for the sauce EXCEPT for the cornstarch in a medium saucepan.
- Bring the sauce to a boil over medium heat then lower to a simmer and let reduce for 9 minutes.
- Mix 1 tbsp of cornstarch with 1 tbsp water in a small bowl then add to the sauce and stir until thickened.
- Let the sauce cook for about another 5 minutes then remove from heat and let cool.
- Add the diced chicken, cornstarch and salt to a ziploc bag and shake until the chicken is coated.
- Drizzle the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the chicken to the pan and saute on each side for about 4 to 5 minutes or until the chicken is brown and cooked through.
- Add some of the sauce to the pan and toss to coat chicken. This is when I added some steamed broccoli. You can decide how much sauce you like at this point.
This recipe makes about 6 servings and I hope you enjoy!!
Christine
