I imagine the orange chicken they hand to you on a toothpick at the mall is what they serve in heaven.
You have to know what I am talking about. We have all stumbled into the food court after spending way too much money at Sephora and Forever 21. The only cure to fill that massive void of shopping guilt in your body is MSG. There, behind all of the tables, chairs, and crying babies, stands a women with a tray of toothpicks. Is it a mirage? It is just the shopping haze? No. There on that tray contains something that I imagine has the addictive qualities of crack. It is orange chicken. Behind that food stand is an unimaginative world. On the levels of Mr. Wonka himself. Nobody knows what goes on behind the walls of that Orange Chicken factory, but I'm hoping that heaven disregards the negatives health impacts of MSG. I'm hoping as I enter those gates, there is a little woman with orange chicken on a toothpick ready for me.
Alas, since I have not reached the pearly gates of heaven...yet, I am forced to concoct my own version of this asian delicacy. If you look up recipes for "healthy" meals two things come up. 1. Chicken and Broccoli and 2. Meal Prepping. I'm addicted to watching fitness and healthy videos on YouTube and not applying them to my life. However, meal prepping is something I can hop on board with. I actually do it. Living alone, it's hard to make dinner for one. It's a lot easier for me to meal prep on Sundays so I can have lunch for the entire week. I am also someone who doesn't get bored with eating the same thing over and over again, so it works out great for me. Plus the cute containers. I got these ones on Amazon and they are amazing!
So onto the chicken and broccoli. Fortunately, I am a big fan of the two, but alone they can be well...pretty bland. Ever sine I stepped into the mall two weeks ago, that sample of mall chicken has been lingering in my mouth. I tried out several variations of this but everything came off as too healthy tasting. I finally, after much patience, got the recipe right so that the sauce is thick and sticky, without the guilt.
I know traditional mall chicken does not include broccoli but so many typical american asian dishes do so I decided to add it for the extra nutrients. I tossed it in the sauce as well. This broccoli is so delicious it can be a meal for itself. I served this meal with plain white rice but you can swap it out for brown rice or quinoa.
Alas, since I have not reached the pearly gates of heaven...yet, I am forced to concoct my own version of this asian delicacy. If you look up recipes for "healthy" meals two things come up. 1. Chicken and Broccoli and 2. Meal Prepping. I'm addicted to watching fitness and healthy videos on YouTube and not applying them to my life. However, meal prepping is something I can hop on board with. I actually do it. Living alone, it's hard to make dinner for one. It's a lot easier for me to meal prep on Sundays so I can have lunch for the entire week. I am also someone who doesn't get bored with eating the same thing over and over again, so it works out great for me. Plus the cute containers. I got these ones on Amazon and they are amazing!
So onto the chicken and broccoli. Fortunately, I am a big fan of the two, but alone they can be well...pretty bland. Ever sine I stepped into the mall two weeks ago, that sample of mall chicken has been lingering in my mouth. I tried out several variations of this but everything came off as too healthy tasting. I finally, after much patience, got the recipe right so that the sauce is thick and sticky, without the guilt.
I know traditional mall chicken does not include broccoli but so many typical american asian dishes do so I decided to add it for the extra nutrients. I tossed it in the sauce as well. This broccoli is so delicious it can be a meal for itself. I served this meal with plain white rice but you can swap it out for brown rice or quinoa.
Ingredients:
4 boneless chicken breast
1 tbs olive oil
salt and pepper
1 head broccoli diced
Sauce Ingredients
2 cups orange juice
3 tbs honey
1tbs fresh ginger (or 1/2 tbs ground)
1 tsp dijon mustard
1/4 cup soy sauce
3 tbs rice wine vinegar
zest of one orange
1/2 cup chicken broth
Toppings:
Green onions
Orange Zest
Sesame Seeds
Dice up chicken into bite sized pieces and generously season with salt and pepper. In a large non-stick skillet cook chicken in olive oil until completely browned and cooked through. Remove chicken from pan and set aside. Whisk together all sauce ingredients and add to the pan. Bring to a boil and cook for 2 minutes. Reduce heat to low and simmer sauce for 20 minutes. This is important because it allows the sauce to really thicken. In a medium sized pot, add 1/2 cup of water and the broccoli. Cover the pot and cook on low for 10 minutes or until the broccoli is desired doneness. Once sauce has thickened add in chicken and broccoli. Stir so that the chicken and broccoli are fully coated with the sauce. Top with green onions, zest, and sesame seeds. Serve with rice.
4 boneless chicken breast
1 tbs olive oil
salt and pepper
1 head broccoli diced
Sauce Ingredients
2 cups orange juice
3 tbs honey
1tbs fresh ginger (or 1/2 tbs ground)
1 tsp dijon mustard
1/4 cup soy sauce
3 tbs rice wine vinegar
zest of one orange
1/2 cup chicken broth
Toppings:
Green onions
Orange Zest
Sesame Seeds
Dice up chicken into bite sized pieces and generously season with salt and pepper. In a large non-stick skillet cook chicken in olive oil until completely browned and cooked through. Remove chicken from pan and set aside. Whisk together all sauce ingredients and add to the pan. Bring to a boil and cook for 2 minutes. Reduce heat to low and simmer sauce for 20 minutes. This is important because it allows the sauce to really thicken. In a medium sized pot, add 1/2 cup of water and the broccoli. Cover the pot and cook on low for 10 minutes or until the broccoli is desired doneness. Once sauce has thickened add in chicken and broccoli. Stir so that the chicken and broccoli are fully coated with the sauce. Top with green onions, zest, and sesame seeds. Serve with rice.
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