Crispy Orange Chicken Stir Fry

Nuggets of crispy chicken, sitting on a bed of brown rice with stir fry vegetables enrobed in a light orange glaze, garnished with slivered almonds and slices of oranges. Try to say that 5 times fast, it's a mouthful and oh! so good.

I was sorting through some recipes that I tore from a magazine recently, and stumbled upon this recipe that received rave reviews.  The recipe was titled Applebee's Copycat Orange Big Bowl, even though I have never eaten the "original version" the combination of flavors seemed right up my alley.

So after a long day of pesach cleaning this quick and easy recipe was a real treat. Play around with the vegetable and starch combinations. This is a great recipe to use some leftover produce or starches.

Stir Fry Vegetables

Orange Glaze

Crispy Orange Chicken Stir Fry with Slivered Almonds
2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken, cubed
1 egg
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 cup all-purpose flour
 Oil (for frying)

Glaze:
1 tsp minced garlic
1 1/2 tsp orange zest
1 cup orange juice
1/2 cup hoisin sauce
Dash cayenne pepper
1/4 cup  sugar
salt and pepper to taste

Vegetable Stir Fry:
1 onion, chopped
1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
1 yellow pepper, sliced
1 bag cauliflower, carrot and broccoli stir fry mix
1 tbsp. olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Whisk egg, salt, pepper and oil to combine, add in  chicken cubes. combine so that chicken is evenly coated, set aside. In another large bowl, combine the cornstarch and flour together and mix to combine. Add the chicken into the flour mix and coat each piece generously.

Pour about a 1/2 inch of oil into a heavy skillet and set it over high heat. Fry chicken pieces in small batches cook for 3 to 4 minutes or until it’s lightly brown and crispy. Remove the chicken from the oil with a slotted spoon and drain it on paper towels. Set it aside.

Stir Fry Vegetables: In another skillet, add oil  and remaining vegetables and cook until vegetables are cooked thru but still slightly crisp.

Prepare Glaze,  Add 2 tbsp. of oil and put it over medium heat. Saute the minced garlic for a minute. Add the rest of the ingredient in and bring the mixture to a boil. Make sure to stir this for 3 minutes and reduce the heat and simmer for  5 minutes or until sauce is thickened. Pour the glaze over vegetable mixture add in chicken and stir heat thru over high for 2 minutes. Serve over a bed of rice and garnish with slivered almonds, and slice of fresh orange.