Orange Chicken Stir Fry

One great thing about living in Southern California is the amount of great Chinese and Thai restaurants that we have.  So many to choose from and so little time!

While we have many favorite dishes that we typically order when we go out, there are a few that I just love.  Chicken is probably my favorite protein in  Asian dishes, so I tend to order that more. Getting a couple of main dishes and sharing them is our favorite thing!  I love Cashew Chicken, General Tao's Chicken, Lemon Chicken...you get my drift.  Another popular one is Orange Chicken, and I love it as well.  The unfortunate thing is that this dish tends to be fried.  So we don't end up ordering it as often as I'd like to.

So everyone loves a good stir fry right?  They are easy and quick to make at home.  You can make a small or large quantity with no problem, and the taste is fresh...outstanding!

So missing my Orange Chicken, I set out to make a dish worthy of the name with the flavors I crave...but with out the frying.  Out came the ingredients to whip up a wonderful glaze and using my base techniques for stir fry it was done!  Quick and simple, fresh, light, and citrusy.  My cravings were satisfied...ahhh!

What a great meal to cook on a weeknight.  This can be done in under 30 minutes.  Prep is the key, and make sure to start the rice first.  A nice bed of fluffy brown or white rice will set the dish off.  The rest is a piece of cake.

Next time you are craving take out, make it at home.  It will be healthier for you and more cost effective. The best part is it will taste just as good as your local Chinese restaurant.

Orange Chicken Stir Fry

serves 4
time:  under 30 minutes

1 T cornstarch
2/3 c orange juice
1/2 t ginger
1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite size cubes
1 large zucchini, halved and sliced
1 medium onion, thinly sliced and separated into rings
3 teaspoons canola oil, divided
1/3 cup reduced-sugar orange marmalade
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice

Roasted peanuts, optional
Hot cooked rice, optional

In a small bowl, combine cornstarch and orange juice, and ginger until smooth; set aside. 

In a large nonstick skillet or wok, stir-fry chicken 2 teaspoons canola oil about 5-7 minutes until golden brown and cooked all the way through.  Remove and keep warm.

In the same pan,  add another teaspoon of canola oil and stir-fry zucchini until tender, about 5 minutes.  Add chicken back to the pan.  Stir in the marmalade, brown sugar and lemon juice until marmalade is dissolved. 

Stir orange juice mixture.  Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Serve over rice and top with roasted peanuts if desired.