Orange Chicken with Stir-Fry Veggies

Posting this recipe today is so bitter-sweet for me. I want to share delicious things with you and I know this one is just that, but part of me is sad that yesterday’s post about the death of my beloved hens won’t be the first thing on the blog. Once a post moves slowly down the home page and into the archives, it is essentially lost to the world. The death of my birds will be forgotten, except by me, and right now that’s hard to swallow.

I was crying on the phone about the whole thing to my mom the day it happened and blogging about it came up. She encouraged me to do so because lots of condolences and comments would help me feel better. She’s right. You all came to the rescue. I know it is just a blog post and a little comment, but I checked them all day long and read them over and over again. Thank you for caring and mourning with me. You really are thoughtful and you’ll never know how much I needed those comments. So thank you. I’d be a whole lot sadder without all your kinds words.

I’ve got to stop being a debbie-downer because food just doesn’t taste as good when you’re sad. This recipe should be able to get me out of my funk though, or at least brighten your day. It is so good. Sweet and savory sauce on delicious chicken with veggies and rice; definitely a perfect meal. If you were closer I’d say thanks by making you this meal, and since I can’t, you just get the recipe. 🙂 Thanks for being so great. I really owe you all one.

PS. This just happens to be gluten-free, so if you or someone you love eats gluten-free then pass this along to them. It’s a keeper.

Orange Chicken with Stir-Fry Vegetables

Adapted from Annie’s Eats

Printable Recipe

For the marinade and sauce:
3/4 cup chicken broth
3/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
1 1/2 tsp finely grated orange zest
6 T white vinegar
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup brown sugar (dark or light)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 T fresh ginger, grated
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 1/2 lbs boneless chicken thighs or breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 T plus 2 tsp. cornstarch
2 T cold water

For the coating and frying:
2 large eggs
1 cup cornstarch
3 cups peanut or canola oil

For the Veggies:
3-4 T oil

1 large head broccoli, cut into bite-sized pieces

2 bell peppers, chopped

1/2 red onion, thinly sliced

Hot cooked rice

MY OTHER RECIPES

Place the cut pieces of chicken in a large zip-lock bag or bowl. In a medium bowl add the broth, orange juice, zest, vinegar, soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic, ginger, and cayenne pepper. Whisk to combine. Measure out 3/4 cup of the orange juice mixture and pour it over the cut pieces of chicken and stir to combine. Seal the bag or cover the bowl of chicken with plastic wrap. Let the chicken marinate for 30 minutes but no longer than an hour.

Place the rest of the orange juice mixture in a small saucepan. In a small bowl (or measuring cup) combine the corn starch and cold water. Mix with a fork until smooth. Add the corn starch mixture to the saucepan with the orange juice mixture and whisk to combine. Heat the mixture over medium-high heat. Bring to a simmer and allow to cook for about a minute until the sauce starts to thicken. Pull the sauce off the heat and move on to fryin’ up that chicken.

Preheat the oil to 350 degrees in a large skillet, pot, or dutch oven. Beat the two eggs in a bowl until they start to get foamy. Put the cornstarch in a shallow dish. Dip the pieces of chicken in the egg and then dip them in the cornstarch, making sure the cornstarch coats the chicken completely. Drop the coated chicken in the hot oil and fry until cooked through and starting to brown, around 5 to 6 minutes. Flip the chicken half way through the cooking time. Fry the chicken in two or three batches so that you don’t crowd the pan. When the chicken is cooked, remove it from the oil and put it on a paper towel lined plate to drain.

To cook the veggies heat 3-4 tablespoons of oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. When the oil starts to shimmer add all of the veggies. Stir often so that they don’t stick to the bottom of the pan. Cook until the veggies are bright in color and tender-crisp.

Reheat the sauce if necessary and then pour it onto the chicken to coat. Serve the orange chicken over hot cooked rice with the veggies on the side. Garnish with thinly-sliced green onions and sesame seeds if you’d like.

Notes:
Most soy sauce is NOT gluten free- so read labels carefully, you can find it but you have to look for it, or use tamari as a gluten-free substitute if needed.
I only used about half of the sauce on the chicken and saved the other half to serve with the vegetables. It’s so delicious that way!

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Orange Chicken with Stir-Fry Veggies

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