Chinese Orange Chicken

As I mentioned last week, Mike and I went on a Chinese addiction a last month. It also involved this new recipe - Chinese Orange Chicken. We revised the original recipe to make it gluten free and healthier (less oil and sugar, added veggies). The result was still delicious - sweet, but not too overwhelming; crunchy, but not coated in a greasy, fried batter.

While our Chinese addiction has ended for now, I'm sure it won't be long until we crave it again. What's your favorite Chinese dish?

Chinese Orange Chicken
Adapted from Cooking Classy

Ingredients:
·1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast, diced into 2” pieces
·1 cup chicken broth
·1 TBS orange zest
·½ cup freshly squeezed orange juice
·⅓ cup white vinegar
·¼ cup gluten free soy sauce
·⅓ cup granulated sugar
·¼ tsp ginger
·¼ cup chopped onion
·2 tsp minced garlic
·1 tsp Sriracha
·Salt and pepper
·3 TBS EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)
·3 TBS cornstarch
·2 cups broccoli, steamed
·Brown rice for serving, green onions and sesame seeds for garnish

Directions:
Place chicken pieces in a large bowl, season with salt and pepper, set aside.

In a medium saucepan, combine chicken broth, orange zest, orange juice, vinegar, soy sauce, sugar, ginger, onion, garlic, Sirarcha and pepper. Whisk mixture well, then measure out ⅔ cup of the mixture and pour it over the chicken. Press chicken into marinade, cover, and refrigerated for 30 minutes.

Heat remaining sauce mixture over medium heat and bring just to a boil, stirring frequently. Stir in a few teaspoons of water if it becomes too thick, stir in a teaspoon of cornstarch if it becomes too thin. Remove from heat when thickened.

Heat EVOO in a large skillet or dutch oven. Stir cornstarch into chicken marinade. Carefully place marinated chicken pieces into hot oil, cooking for 5-7 minutes until golden brown – turning once or twice during cooking. Remove chicken from pan and toss with sauce.

Stir in cooked broccoli. Serve warm over brown rice garnished with chopped green onions and sesame seeds.