I’m going to share one of my favorite dishes ever with you. It’s my own Frankenstein creation based on several recipes, and I’ve tweaked it until it’s about as perfect as I like it – for now, at least. The best thing about this dish is that it’s so versatile: A friend of mine took this same recipe a couple nights ago and modded it using the ingredients she had around the house – no ginger, but fresh oranges, peppers and squash. You can do the same, and I encourage that – you may not like celery and decide to leave it out (I used to hate it, but recently have developed quite an affection for the crunch and little pops of flavor some diced celery can bring to a dish), or you might have a can of crushed pineapple laying around and decide to wok that into the mix. Kick up the heat or grate in some orange zest. Use fresh ginger. Add and subtract ingredients, depending upon your tastes – that’s what cooking is all about.
Note the disembodied spoon in this picture. This dish is so simple, it practically stirs itself!
But here’s the version I’m in love with at this moment. It goes equally well with brown or white rice.
Lynn’s Ginger-Orange Chicken
Servings: 4
Weight Watchers Points: 6 per serving
3/4 c. chicken broth
1/3 c. orange juice
1 1/2 Tbsp. cornstarch
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 Tbsp. rice wine vinegar
1 tsp. ground ginger
1 Tbsp. honey
1 Tbsp. ketchup
2 tsp. Sriracha sauce
1 tsp. sesame oil
2 scallions, chopped – reserve green parts for garnish
1 c. onion, sliced
1 celery stalk, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into thin strips
2 c. rice, cooked and kept warm
In a medium bowl, whisk together broth, orange juice, cornstarch, sugar, soy sauce, vinegar, honey, Sriracha, ketchup and ginger. Add chicken and marinate for 15 to 30 minutes.
Heat oil in a wok or large skillet over medium-high heat. Add scallions, onion, celery and garlic and cook 2 minutes. Add chicken and sauce and bring to a boil. Cook until sauce is thickened and chicken is cooked through, about 8 – 10 minutes. If sauce is too thick, add more chicken broth.
Serve chicken and sauce over rice and sprinkle with green scallion slices. Yields about 1 cup of chicken and sauce and 1/2 cup of rice per serving.
3 Responses to “Chinese, please!”
I’ve been waiting for you to post this recipe!! This looks so good!
I cannot wait to try this!! Maybe tonight.
Ok. We are having this for the second time tonight. We love this!! It has just enough kick to be a tad spicy, but also allows the other flavors to come through. Awesome!