Orange Chicken with Concentrated Sauce

This recipe was inspired by Eating Well’s Chicken Paillards with Blood Orange Pan Sauce. While I didn’t have any fresh oranges on hand I still wanted to try this recipe. I am obsessed with Cheesecake Factory’s strong orange sauce but hate out thick the breading is. So I took this a little more Asian and added in some new-found knowledge from my HelloFresh experience.

Orange Chicken with Concentrated Sauce

Served with Garlic-Ginger Rice and Sesame Green Beans

4-5 Servings

Ingredients:

Chicken:

1lb chicken breasts (about 3 large)
1 egg
1/4c flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp True Orange shakers: Orange and Ginger mix
1 TB olive oil

Rice:

1½ c water
1 tsp Better than Bullion Chicken stock concentrate
1 tsp butter
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp ginger powder
1c jasmine rice

Sauce:

3 TB frozen orange juice concentrate
1 tsp Better than Bullion Chicken stock concentrate
1 tsp ketchup
2 TB brown sugar
1/3 c warm water

1 TB scallion whites, thinly sliced
1 tsp butter
1 tangerine peeled and divided

Green Beans

8oz green beans, French cut
1/4c water
Sesame Oil
Salt and Pepper

Directions:

Butterfly chicken breasts and pound to 1/4” thick within a ZipLock bag. Add egg and mix around to cover evenly. Combine flour, salt, pepper, and Orange and Ginger mix in small bowl, then add to bag and toss to cover chicken evenly.

In small pot combine water, chicken stock, butter, garlic and ginger - bring to boil. Add rice then cover and reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer for 15 minutes then remove from heat and keep covered to allow to steam. Fluff with fork before serving.

Set oven to 350°F. Prepare baking sheet with oven-safe cooling rack.

In large frying pan, heat olive oil to medium-high. Fry chicken until both sides are evenly browned, 3-4 minutes per side. Transfer to baking sheet and finish cooking until internal temperature reaches 165°F, about 8-10 minutes.

In small bowl, combine orange juice, chicken stock, ketchup, brown sugar, and warm water. To frying pan used for chicken, melt 1 tsp butter on medium heat and sauté scallion whites until tender, scraping off chicken bits as you go. Add sauce and tangerines, stirring them in to break down. Reduce heat to low and simmer until thickened.

In steaming bowl, add green beans and water. Microwave for 5 minutes. Drain water and toss with a drizzle of sesame oil and salt & pepper to taste.