Skinny Orange Chicken

Skinny Orange Chicken - made January 18, 2014 from Gimme Some Oven

I'm still on a roll with cooking more at home and since I was giving myself a break from crock pot cooking, I went with what is essentially a stir fry recipe that was equally easy: brown the chunks of chicken, pour the sauce over it and let simmer until thickened. Can't get much easier than that.

This is a skinny version of orange chicken because it isn't breaded or deep fried. Much as I love the breaded, deep-fried version, this is much easier to prepare. The orange sauce delivered the orange chicken flavor although it thickened into something a little more gelatinous than I would've liked. I would cut back on the cornstarch by a teaspoon or two next time. Otherwise, a nice simple dish easy to prepare even on a weeknight when you don't have a lot of time.

Chicken
2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces (I used boneless, skinless chicken thighs)
salt and pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil

Orange Chicken Sauce
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup orange juice
1/2 cup honey (add more to sweeten, if desired)
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
zest of one orange
pinch of crushed red pepper flakes

1. Season chicken generously with salt and pepper.
2. Heat oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Add chicken and saute for about 4-6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is browned and nearly cooked through.
3. Combine all orange sauce ingredients. 
4. Pour in the orange chicken sauce, and stir to combine. Let the sauce come to a boil, then boil for an additional minute or two until thickened. Remove from heat and serve immediately over quinoa or rice. Garnish with green onions, sesame seeds and additional orange zest.