Spicy Orange Chicken Stir Fry

I got this recipe from Everyday Food magazine. They have it set as a make-ahead-and-freeze-it meal. Personally I'm not a fan of cooking and then freezing veggies. They just aren't crisp enough. And after making the recipe as it was written I made a few adjustments to it.

This recipe is really easy to throw together so it's a great entry to cooking Asian foods. You don't need anything special and you can get all of the ingredients at your local store.

So, here's my take on the recipe:

What You Need:
5 T (just under 1/4c) cornstarch
1 c orange juice
1/4 c soy sauce
1/4 c rice vinegar
1/8 c honey
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 t red pepper flakes (less if you don't like it spicy)
coarse salt
1/2 T vegetable oil
1 1/2 lb chicken breast cut crosswise into 1/2" wide strips
Small head of broccoli, cut into florets (you can also peel and thinly slice the stalks to add)
3 carrots peeled and diagonally sliced thin
cooked rice (I use brown rice- it's just a bit better for you)

Here's What You Do:
Put cornstarch in a medium bowl. Whisk in orange juice until smooth. Whisk in soy sauce, vinegar, honey, garlic, and red pepper flakes; season with a pinch of salt. Set aside.

In a large pan (I use the one I boil pasta in) heat oil over medium high heat. Cook chicken on one side until lightly browned, turn and cook another minute and remove from pan.

Add broccoli, carrots and 1/4 c water to the pot. Cook, partially covered, until water has evaporated and broccoli is bright green- about 3 minutes. Add chicken and cornstarch mixture, bring to a boil. Cook 2-3 minutes, until chicken is opaque and sauce has thickened. Serve over rice.

Now,please don't hate me, but my kids eat everything that is put in front of them. The main reason for this is because they are not given a choice. You eat what you are given or you don't eat. This is not to say that we don't sometimes have problems, but they are rare. We try to keep meals fun by giving them different names and by using chopsticks with our Asian cuisine.