Thursday, June 11, 2015

Curry Orange Chicken

     This here is a bit of a conundrum. I made this recipe a few weeks back. I started to write it up and never finishes. Now, for the life of me, I can't remember where I got the original recipe from! If anybody recognizes the original, please let me know and I will certainly give credit where credit is due. As for the actual recipe, I recall enjoying this immensely. Give it a try and see what you think. It's no Panda Express, but  I think you'll enjoy it. As always, notes and changes are in blue.


Orange Curry Chicken
Ingredients
  • 1 tablespoon ground coriander (omitted)
  • 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (omitted)
  • 2 tablespoons Hot Yellow Curry Powder from The Spice House
  • 4 boneless chicken breasts, about 6 ounces each
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 2 navel oranges
  • 2" piece of fresh ginger, peeled and grated
  • 3 large garlic cloves, chopped
  • 1/4-1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (I was a little heavy-handed here and used about 3/4 teaspoon)
  • 2 teaspoons sweet curry powder
  • 1-1/2 cups chicken stock
  • 3 tablespoons tamari (we substituted reduced sodium soy sauce since I didn't fancy blowing up like a water balloon)
  • 3 scallions, thinly sliced
  • 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
  • 2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds (easy trick. Put them on a plate and microwave for a minute. Then give them 30 second bursts until toasty. If they catch fire, you left them in too long)
  • Slurry of 2 tablespoons corn starch and 2 tablespoons cold water
  • Bag of frozen broccoli, defrosted
Directions
  1. In a bowl, combine the coriander, cayenne, and some salt and pepper (I used the hot curry powder since it contains all of those as well as turmeric, coriander, ginger, white and black pepper, cinnamon, fenugreek, fennel, nutmeg, arrowroot and cloves!) Season the chicken with the mixture.  Preheat a large skillet over medium high heat with the vegetable oil. Add the chicken and cook it on each side for 5 to 6 minutes, or until cooked through (I decided to cube the chicken before I cooked it. I wanted more of a take-out feel that I wouldn't have gotten with whole breasts)
  2. While the chicken is cooking, zest the oranges and reserve the zest. Remove the peel and pith with a paring knife. Slice each orange into 1/4 inch thick discs and reserve (I just cut the orange sections into about 1/4 inch chunks.
  3. Remove the chicken from the skillet to a plate. Return the skillet to medium-high heat and add the ginger garlic and red pepper flakes. Cook, stirring constantly for 1-2 minutes, then add the chicken stock and tamari (or low-sodium soy)  and turn the heat to high. Cook until the liquid reduces by half. Add the reserved orange zest, orange pieces and scallions. Continue to cook for 1 minute to heat the orange and scallions (in a fit of laziness, I threw all everything from this step as well as the defrosted broccoli in right off the bat. I wasn't excited about big hunks of orange and wanted them to break down in cooking)
  4. Add the sesame oil and sesame seeds.
  5. If you're doing it as originally intended, serve whole chicken breasts over spicy noodles and top with sauce.
    If you're doing it my way: add the chicken and corn starch slurry and stir to fully mix. Turn the heat down and simmer until sauce thickens. Serve over rice.
Good times!

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