rice

Orange Chicken

Leave a comment

I love Asian food, but let’s be honest…it’s not the healthiest option and often times we don’t even know all the ingredients that are added. Well, when you cook it yourself you can guarantee you know everything that goes in it. Usually I make stir fry inspired Asian dishes, switching up the protein, veggies and homemade sauces, but this time I decided to try something completely different and make orange chicken. It turned out really good, but be warned it was not the easiest recipe, it took a lot of time and made quite the mess!

To give credit where credit is due…I found the basis for my recipe from The Pioneer Woman.

What you need (for chicken):

– Vegetable Or Peanut Oil For Frying
– 4 whole Egg Whites
– 2 Tablespoons Cornstarch
– 2 Boneless, Skinless Chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces

What you need ( for the sauce):

– 1 cup Orange Juice
– 2 Tablespoons Soy Sauce
– 2 Tablespoons Packed Brown Sugar
– 2 Tablespoons Rice Vinegar
– 1/2 teaspoon Sesame Oil
– Dash Of Salt
– Dash Of Crushed Red Pepper
– 2 garlic cloves, minced
– 1 Tablespoon Cornstarch (additional)
– 1/4 cup Water

Then:

For the chicken:

– In a large bowl, whisk together the cornstarch and egg whites with a fork until frothy, about 1 minute. Add the chicken to the mixture and allow to sit for about 10 minutes.
– Heat about 2 inches of vegetable oil in a heavy-bottomed pot or cast iron skillet.
– In several small batches, carefully drop a few pieces of chicken into the oil (drop them in one by one to keep them from sticking together) and move it around, about 2 minutes, or until light golden.
– Let the pieces drain on a plate lined with paper towels for 2-3 minutes. Then drop them back into the oil for 30 seconds to 1 minute to really give them that good crunch.

For the sauce:

– Combine the orange juice, soy sauce, sugar, vinegar, sesame oil, salt, crushed red pepper and garlic in a small nonstick skillet and whisk together.
– Heat until bubbling and starts to thicken, about 3-4 minutes.
– Whisk together the cornstarch and 1/4 cup water in a small bowl and gradually add a small amount of the cornstarch mixture to the sauce until it is your desired thickness.

For the finale:

– Toss the chicken in the sauce and serve over brown rice. (I sautéed my brown rice with some oil, a little soy sauce and fried egg)

2015/01/img_0282-0.jpg

Chicken and Shrimp Jambalaya

1 Comment

Staying in the Diabetic slow cooker mood I decided to try their shrimp and chicken jambalaya recipe. I am not a HUGE onion fan, I just like to use a little to add flavor to things, and I’m also not a HUGE celery fan. I’ll eat celery all day with my wings dipped in some ranch, but as far as cooking goes I don’t care that much for it. I even try to avoid it when eating chicken noodle soup. With that being said, the original recipe called for 2 whole onions chopped up and 4 stalks of celery, but, as you can see, I cut both of these ingredients down a little.

What you need:

  • 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast
  • 2 stalks celery
  • ½ onion
  • 1 14.5 oz can no salt added diced tomatoes – DONT DRAIN!
  • 1 14.5 oz can low sodium chicken broth
  • 1 ½ teaspoons Cajun seasoning
  • ½ 6 oz jar no salt added tomato paste
  • 2 garlic cloves minced (or 2 teaspoons of already minced garlic)
  • 1 ½ cups uncooked instant brown rice
  • ¼ cup chopped assorted peppers (I used green, red and yellow)
  • 1 lb peeled and deveined shrimp

Then:

  • Cut chicken into 3/4 inch pieces
  • Add to crock pot with celery, onion, tomatoes, tomato paste, chicken broth, garlic, Cajun seasoning and some salt.
  • Let cook on low for 4 ½ –  5 ½ hours or cook on high for 2 ½ – 2 ¾ hours.
  • If using low, turn to high and stir in uncooked rice and peppers. Cover and cook 30 more minutes or until most of the liquid is absorbed.
  • Now your shrimp needs to be cooked before added. I cooked mine in a skillet on the stove with some garlic, olive oil and a dash of cajun seasoning.
  • Stir in cooked shrimp right before serving.

The important stuff (per serving):

8 servings – 1 serving = 1 ½ cups

  • Calories: 226
  • Fat: 2 g
  • Carbs: 37 g
  • Sodium: 419 mg
  • Protein: 24 g

before

after