Healthier Orange Chicken
I love orange chicken but it is so fatty that I often don't eat it. This version has all the flavor and much less of the fat.
I love orange chicken but it is so fatty that I often don't eat it. This version has all the flavor and much less of the fat.
- 2 tablespoons orange juice concentrate orange juice concentrate
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons chicken flavored bouillon chicken flavored bouillon
- 1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch cornstarch
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger ground ginger
- 1/2 cup water water
- 1/4 cup corn syrup corn syrup
- 1/4 cup brown sugar brown sugar
- 3/4 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts or
- tenders tenders
- 1/2 cup thinly sliced carrot thinly sliced carrot
- 1 whole red pepper cut into strips
- 1/2 pound snow pea pod fresh
- 4 ounces fresh mushrooms sliced
- 1 whole onion cut into strips
- 1 8 oz can water chestnuts sliced and drained
- hot cooked instant brown rice
- Carbohydrate 50.3830546690844 g
- Cholesterol 49.4581702372362 mg
- Fat 1.484303138508 g
- Fiber 1.84838270874648 g
- Protein 21.7364999321374 g
- Saturated Fat 0.355032073800839 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (314g)
- Sodium 401.551733371597 mg
- Sugar 48.534671960338 g
- Trans Fat 0.443427025423124 g
- Calories 296 calories
Step-by-step
- In a small bowl, combine 1/2 cup water, orange juice concentrate, soysauce, bouillon, cornstarch and ginger, brown sugar and corn syrup. Setaside;
- Spray a large skillet with PAM; place over medium high heat.
- Addchicken, garlic and onion and saute for about 3 minutes.
- Add the freshveggies and stir-fry for another 3 minutes or until tender crisp.
- Add thewater chestnuts and bouillon mixture; cook 2 minutes or until thickened.
- Serve with the brown rice.
Glossy amber sauce clings tightly to tender slices of chicken and crisp-tender vegetables, releasing a sharp, citrus-forward aroma tempered by savory soy and ginger. Traditional versions rely heavily on deep-frying the poultry in copious amounts of oil, which saturates the breading and adds unnecessary weight to the dish. Bypassing the fryer altogether alters the final texture entirely, trading heavy grease for a clean, vibrant bite that highlights the natural flavors of the aromatics.
Preparing this meal ahead requires attention to the structural integrity of the produce, as delicate items like snow peas and red peppers lose their snap if stored improperly. When freezing portions for future lunches, separate the cooked brown rice from the stir-fried mixture to prevent the grains from absorbing excess moisture and turning mushy. Stored in airtight glass containers, the cooked chicken and vegetable combination keeps safely in the refrigerator for up to three days or in the freezer for two months.
Reheating requires direct, high-heat methods rather than slow thawing to revive the crispness of the vegetables. Placing the thawed mixture into a hot skillet for two to three minutes restores the sauce's glossy sheen without boiling the vegetables into submission. Substituting frozen orange juice concentrate with freshly squeezed juice and grated zest introduces a brighter, less cloying citrus note if the sweetness from the corn syrup proves too pronounced.
