Orange Chicken

Orange Chicken that will blow your mind!!! Seriously, it will rock your taste buds. Panda Express ain't got nuffin on my orange chicken. It sounds like a lot of directions for cooking this but it's so easy and surprisingly quick. I cooked basmati rice and added garlic to it. I made the honey cheescake (recipe on blog) for dessert. Happy Cooking!


Orange Chicken
adapted from Cooks Illustrated


1 1/2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1 1/2 inch chunks
3/4 c low sodium chicken broth
3/4 c orange juice
1 1/2 tsp grated orange zest, plus 8 2-inch strips of peel
6 Tbs white vinegar
1/4 c soy sauce
1/2 c packed dark brown sugar
3 cloves garlic, minced
1-inch piece of fresh ginger, grated
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 Tbs plus 2 tsp corn starch
2 Tbs cold water
4 small whole dried red chiles, or 1 tsp dried chili flakes (optional)

3 large egg whites
1 c cornstarch
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp baking soda
3 c peanut oil

Place chicken in a 1 gallon resealable bag. Combine broth, orange juice, zest, vinegar, soy sauce, sugar, garlic, ginger, and cayenne in a large saucepan. Whisk until sugar is fully dissolved. Measure out 3/4 c of the mixture and pour into the bag with the chicken. Press out as much air as possible and seal bag. Chill for 30-60 minutes, but no longer.

Bring remaining mixture to a boil over high heat. In a small bowl, stir together cornstarch and cold water. Whisk cornstarch mixture into sauce. Simmer sauce, stirring occasionally, until thick and translucent, about 1 minute. Remove from heat. Stir in orange peel and chiles. Set aside.

Place egg whites in a shallow dish. Using a fork, beat until frothy. In a second dish, mix the cornstarch, cayenne, and baking soda until combined. Drain chicken in a colander; pat dry. Place half of chicken in the egg whites, coating completely. Transfer pieces to cornstarch mixture and coat thoroughly. Place dredged chicken pieces on a wire rack set over baking sheet; repeat with remaining chicken.

Heat oil in a dutch oven or a straight sided saute pan over high heat until the oil registers 350 degrees. Carefully place chicken in oil. Fry in 2 batches until golden brown, about 5 minutes, turning pieces halfway through cooking. Transfer chicken to a large plate lined with paper towels. Let oil return to 350 degrees between batches.

Reheat sauce over medium heat until simmering, about 2 minutes. Add chicken and gently toss to coat. Serve immediately.

Honey Cheesecake with Blackberries

This was absolutely delicious! I don't usually eat cheesecake because it is so rich. However, the honey and tartness from the berries just brought this dessert to a whole new level. Happy Cooking!


HONEY CHEESECAKE

2 pkg. (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened
1/3 c. honey
2 eggs
2 egg yolks
1 c. dairy sour cream
1 tbsp. grated lemon peel
2 tsp. cornstarch

HONEY CHEESECAKE CRUST:

1 1/4 c. flour
1/2 c. ground walnuts
1 tsp. ground cinnamon

Add 1/3 cup each honey and melted butter to flour, ground walnuts and cinnamon; mix well. Press into bottom and up sides of 8 inch pan. Bake at 375 degrees for 15 minutes until lightly browned.
Blend cream cheese with honey until smooth. Beat in eggs and yolks. Add remaining ingredients; beat until smooth. Turn into prepared crust and bake at 300 degrees for 50-55 minutes or until set. Cool and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled before serving. Makes 8 servings. Tip: Lightly drizzle top of cheesecake with additional honey if desired.

Bistro Chicken

Cooked this tonight and my five year old son completely devoured it. It's kind a manly mans dinner due to heaviness but mom thoroughly enjoyed this meal as well!!! I cooked some linguine mixed with spaghetti sauce and placed a chicken breast covered in the tomato gravy it cooked in on top. I added some chicken broth to the tomato mixture. I made some breadsticks as well. Happy Cooking!


2 tsp oil
3 cups sliced fresh mushrooms
1 onion, chopped
1 15 oz. can stewed tomatoes (undrained)
¼ cup Zesty Italian dressing
1 tbsp. tomato paste
4 small boneless chicken breasts
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
2 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled

This recipe is so simple that you won’t even need any step-by-step photos to follow!

Heat the oil in a large non-stick skillet on medium high heat. Add the mushrooms (I didn’t have any fresh, so I used a can of sliced mushrooms) and onions. Cook for 5 minutes stirring occasionally. Stir in the tomatoes, dressing and tomato paste.

Add the chicken breasts. Cover and simmer on medium-low heat 12 minutes or until chicken is done. Top each chicken breast with cheese and bacon. You can cook up a couple of slices of bacon in the microwave or you could substitute about a 1/4 cup of bacon bits if you have those. Simmer, uncovered an additional 5 minutes or until the cheese is melted. Garnish with fresh parsley, if desired.

–Recipe from Kraft Foods (www.kraftfoods.com)