Chicken in Orange Sauce

Poetry On The Wall 

I do not know how I fared at this event today but here is the poem I entered.

Clothesline

by Sue Ready

What if our words were strung on a line

                                                                        hung to dry

                                                                                             for all to see.

Would pinned words

                                      make us proud

                                                                  embarrassed

                                                                                          or even feel some regret

wishing we had said

                                     so much less.

A gust of wind

                          ripped those words

                                                             right off the line

                                                                                           forever gone and can’t get back.

Another load

                        a second chance

                                                     pin new words

                                                                                quick to listen

                                                                                                          slow to speak.

Chicken in Orange Sauce 

Cook's notes: Since I come from the Midwest it's hard for me to even fathom picking oranges, grapefruits and lemons off trees whenever I would want some for cooking and eating.Recently we were gifted a bunch from some friends visiting. The size of the lemons almost equaled the size of grapefruit. And I've never seen a stem on a lemon.  Perhaps I've been in Minnesota too long!

With all this yummy citrus fruit available I knew Chicken in Orange Sauce would be the perfect recipe for another Chinese meal to celebrate the New Year. Oranges are considered a symbol for wealth and luck. Oranges are often given as gifts during the New Year. 

The recent recipes posted have similar ingredients so once you purchase some staples such as rice vinegar, chili paste, chicken broth and fresh ginger you will find there are a variety of recipes that use those same ingredients. 

This recipe below was adapted from  closet.cooking.com

Chicken In Orange Sauce  

• 1 LB. boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs, cut into 2 inch pieces
• 1 TB. olive oil or Blood Orange Olive Oil
• 3/4 cup orange juice
• 3 TB. honey
• 2 TB. soy sauce
• 2 TB. rice vinegar
• 1-1/2 tsp. chili paste a.k.a sambal oelek
• 1 TB. orange zest
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tsp. fresh ginger, minced
• 1-1/2 TB cornstarch
• 3 TB. chicken broth
• 1/4 cup diced green onions
• 1/2 tsp. salt 

Directions:

• Mix 3 TB. chicken broth with cornstarch.   
• In a blender mix juice, honey, soy sauce, rice vinegar, chili paste, orange zest, minced garlic, minced ginger and cornstarch/chicken broth.
• Heat oil in pan over medium high heat, add chicken pieces and cook until chicken is cooked through about 4 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Stir frequently so pieces do not stick to the pan. 
• Lower heat and slowly add in orange sauce and cook until sauce is thickened. Do not cover.
• Remove from heat and garnish with green onions. Serve over rice or noodles.