Saturday, March 20, 2010

Orange Chicken

I finally found it!!! A delicious orange chicken recipe!!! This recipe is best if eaten fresh. It does take some time to make. And will feed about 6 people.

Ingredients

Sauce:
1 1/2 Cups Water
2 TBSP Orange Juice
1/4 Cup Lemon Juice
1/3 Cup Rice Vinegar
2 1/1 TBSP Soy Sauce
1 TBSP Grated Orange Zest
1 Cup Packed Brown Sugar
1/2 tsp Minced Fresh Ginger
1/2 tsp Minced Garlic
2 TBSP Chopped Green Onion
1/4 tsp Red Pepper Flakes

3 TBSP Cornstarch
2 TBSP Water

Chicken:
4-5 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts (cut into large chunks)
1 Cup All-Purpose Flour
1/4 tsp Salt
1/4 tsp Pepper
3 TBSP Olive Oil

Directions

Pour 1 1/2 cups water, orange juice, lemon juice, rice vinegar, and soy sauce into a saucepan and set over medium-high heat. Stir in the orange zest brown sugar, ginger, garlic, chopped onion, and red pepper flakes. Bring to a boil. Remove from heat, and cool 10-15 minutes

Place the chicken pieces into a resealable plastic bag. When contents of saucepan have cooled, pour 1 cup of sauce into bag. Reserve the remaining sauce. Seal the bag, and refrigerate at least 2 hours.

In another resealable plastic bag, mix the flour, salt, and pepper. Add the marinated chicken pieces, seal the bag, and shake to coat. Put a drying rack over a baking sheet, pour out contents onto drying rack.

Pour the oil into a large pot, making sure the oil does not come more than halfway up the sides. Heat the oil to 375°F on a deep-frying thermometer.

Preheat oven to 200°F. Line a baking sheet with paper towels.

Working in batches, fry the wings until golden brown and crispy, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer the wings to the paper towel-lined baking sheet and keep warm in the oven.

Pour the sauce into a skillet. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Mix together the cornstarch and 2 tablespoons water; stir into the sauce. Reduce heat to medium low.

Transfer the fried chicken to a large bowl. Pour the sauce over the wings and stir to coat evenly. Serve immediately with rice.

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Chicken Broccoli Casserole

This may not be greatest looking, but lets be serious what casserole really makes you drool just by looking at it!?!


Ingredients:

Broccoli (1-2 bushels or 1 large frozen bag)
2 Cups Cooked Chicken, diced or shredded
1 Cup Mayonnaise (we prefer Miracle Whip in our home)
1 Can Cream of Chicken Soup
1 Egg
1/2 tsp Salt
1/8 tsp Pepper
Dash of Paprika
Dash of Cayenne Pepper (**Only if you like spicing it up!**)
1/4 Cup Bread Crumbs
4-6 oz. Shredded Cheese (I like a mild cheddar personally)

Directions

Preheat oven to 375°F.

In a small bowl mix together Mayonnaise, Cream of Chicken Soup, Egg, Salt, and Pepper. In a casserole dish lay out a layer of broccoli, then a layer of chicken. Cover the chicken layer with the mayonnaise mixture. At this point I like to add a light sprinkle of paprika and if I feel like spicing it up a little I will sprinkle just a little bit of cayenne on. Sprinkle bread crumbs on top (you can use more or less than the 1/4 cup, just make sure there is a nice even coat that is fairly thin). Finally I sprinkle it all with cheese. We like a lot of cheese... but adjust to your preference!

Bake for 45 minutes so the broccoli will be fully cooked and the cheese will be melted.