Spring has sprung and so has sport season. Lucky for me the times have changed from dinner time to a bit later. Good because I get to make a good dinner still, but bad because it changes the kids’ routine at night.
I love Chinese take out. I rarely get to have it, but I do love it when I get it. Making it at home is even better because you control what goes into the dish. Take out food tends to have a ton of sodium in it. At least I think it does. This way I put what I wanted in it and didn’t feel the need to have a gallon of water with dinner!
This recipe was originally called “Sweet and Spicy Orange Chicken” but because the kiddos were eating, I left out the spicy. I, however, would have liked the spicy. I suppose I could have added some pepper flakes to my own plate! Next time.
We eat a lot of chicken at our house so I try to find as many different recipes to change up the week so that it doesn’t feel like we’re having the same thing over and over. This was a really good, sweet, fun to make dinner. We will be making this again.
Here’s what you need:
1 egg white
2 tbs olive oil
1 tbs cornstarch
2 tbs honey
Zest of 1 and juice of 3-4 oranges
(If you’re going to use the spicy)
1 jalapeño, Serrano, or habanero chili pepper, seeded and minced
1 tsp kosher salt
2 cups frozen sugar snap peas, broccoli florets, or other vegetable (I used fresh green beans)
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into 2 inch pieces
fresh ground pepper to taste
How to:
1 Whisk the egg white, cornstarch, 1 tablespoon orange juice, and kosher salt together until slightly foamy. Add the chicken and toss to coat. Marinate at room temperature for 15 minutes or overnight in the refrigerator.
2 Heat the canola oil in a large cast iron or nonstick skillet over medium low heat. Shake the excess marinade off each chicken piece before adding to the skillet. Brown the chicken on each side, about 3-4 minutes. Add the remaining orange juice, orange zest, honey, and chili pepper. Bring to a simmer.
3 Add the frozen vegetables and simmer for about 5 more minutes, until the sauce is thickened and the vegetables are tender. Season with additional salt and pepper as needed.
I added a bit more orange juice before it was done cooking. I felt it needed a bit more sweetness to it. Then I topped with a bit more of the zest too to add a bit more zing to it! You could replace the orange with lemons too if you prefer that over orange. This was different for us so I thought I’d give it a try. Craig ate his with some white rice on the side. The kids and I chose not to have rice. I’m not a huge fan of rice so I tend to skip that with dinner.
Instead of takeout, make this in your own kitchen. Saves time and money. This was a great dinner for us.
Have a great week and let us know what you like about this meal. What would you change? What would you add? Or would you just keep it the way it is?
Patricia – Two Girls Cooking
Source
Two Girls Cooking 