The Consumption: Saucy Orange Chicken

This dinner was so yummy!  When I was mixing the juice, zest, salt, balsamic vinegar, crushed red pepper (which I measured super accurately), brown sugar, ketchup and garlic, I was wondering exactly what this mix would taste like.  Was I creating a marinade, where the juice would flavor the chicken?  How does ketchup and brown sugar fit in here?   

I hand-squeezed the oranges, which was challenging.  Since I do not own a juicer,  my boyfriend, Matt and I invented one using a small tool you stick into fruit to literally drink the juice and a sifter.

I mixed all the ingredients, poured over the chicken, and set the crock to LOW and cooked 3.5 hrs.

The juicy marinade turned into a sauce that coated all the pieces of chicken.  I served on white rice with a side salad & ginger dressing.  My man does not like onions so, I substituted sesame seeds.

The flavors reminded me of ordering take-out from my favorite Chinese restaurant.  I will definitely be making this slow cooked meal again!  It was so simple!  We had plenty of leftovers for dinner the next night.  Great recipe!

Tips & Tricks:

• Get a juicer.
• Extraordinary uses for ketchup!  

- Chef Mimi

The Recipe: Asian Orange Chicken

I found the original recipe on:
Stephanie O'Dea's blog, A Year of Slow Cooking, 
but modified the ingredients to use fresh oranges.   

Prep:  25 mins
Cook:  Low 3.5 - 4 hours
Serving Size:  6
Category:  Poultry

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds of chicken breast, cut into 2 inch chunks
• 1/2 cup of flour
• Olive oil, for browning the chicken
• Green onions, chopped
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt 
• 1 can mandarin orange slices
• 3 oranges
• 1 teaspoon of zest, from your oranges
• 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar 
• 1 teaspoon of crushed red pepper 
• 3 tablespoons brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons ketchup 
• 1 tablespoon garlic

Preparation:

Cut chicken and toss in flour.  In a skillet heat the oil and brown chicken piece on all sides and put in the crock. 

I used the side of a cheese shredder to get the zest from the orange peel. Then I squeezed all 3 oranges, which measured out to 8 ounces of juice. 

Mix the juice, zest, salt, balsamic vinegar, crushed red pepper (1 teaspoon), brown sugar, ketchup and garlic and pour on top of the chicken. 

Cover and cook on low for 3.5 - 4 hours.

Serve over white or brown rice, top with chopped green onions and garnish with mandarin orange wedges. 

Tips and Tricks:

• How to make your own orange zest
• How to squeeze out all the juice in an orange

- Chef Tiffany

The Ingredient: Oranges

Florida oranges are great during the summa-time, as they are the easiest snack to bring to the beach.  They don't melt or get soggy; you just peel and eat!

I absolutely love walking into my man's back yard and eating an orange right off the tree. Talk about refreshing!  The hottest months (May, June, & July) are when you can find the juiciest oranges, which is why I picked this ingredient.

From what I understand, oranges are very diverse when it comes to cooking...you can use the rind, zest, juice and flesh. 

I can't wait to see how this yummy fruit cooks in the crock!

Tips and Tricks:

• All about oranges
• Send a gift of Sunshine - FloridaOrange.com
• Check out the link below to watch videos on how oranges are grown & harvested:
• Florida Department of Citrus

- Chef Mimi