Recipes

Zesty Orange Chicken

When cooking poultry, safe handling is the order of the day. If you are preparing chicken from the frozen state, never let it thaw on the counter, in the sink, or on the drain board - or anywhere at room temperature. It should always be thawed in the refrigerator even though this may take a day or so. Rinse with very cold water before preparing and remove any loose pieces and discard. If the chicken comes in contact with any surfaces such as a cutting board or counter, thoroughly clean the surface with hot soapy water (including your hands and utensils) before anything else touches the surface. Cross-contamination must be avoided and cleaning the surfaces will go a long way to preventing this. In the kitchen always think "health and safety."

Poultry must never be served medium-well: well-done is the only way to go. By well-done, I don't mean it has to be dried out like that old sponge under the counter - just completely cooked. The best way to tell is with a meat thermometer. 170 to 180 degrees in the thickest part will do it - and the juice should be clear, not pinkish.

You'll enjoy this zesty orange chicken, especially if you double up on the ginger to give the chicken a little more 'snap.'  If there is any chicken left, refrigerate it, then chop it up into bite-sized pieces the next day, spread it over a lettuce salad and add a mixture of olive oil and balsamic vinaigrette dressing (just a 'hint' of dressing will do) and enjoy a healthy chicken salad for lunch.

If you like chicken, read some chicken gossip here!

Ingredients:

3/4 cup orange juice, preferably with pulp.
1/2 cup (or slightly less) soy sauce.
1/2 tsp. onion powder.
1 tsp. ground ginger or more, to taste.
1 tbsp. orange zest.
4 - 6 chicken breasts, skinless, not too large and equal in size.
1/2 cup all purpose flour.
3 tbsp. olive oil.

Method:

Make the marinade by combining orange juice, soy sauce, ginger, onion powder, and orange zest. Mix well. Place the chicken in a flat dish, and pour the marinade over the chicken. Refrigerate for at least 8 hours. Turn chicken over once. OK to refrigerate overnight.

Preheat your oven to 350F or 175C (take your choice). Remove the chicken but keep the marinade. Coat chicken with flour (shake in a plastic shopping bag). In a large frying pan, heat and brown the chicken over medium to high heat, turning once. Place browned chicken in a baking dish and pour the marinade that is left over the chicken. Cover and bake in the now-hot oven for about 30 minutes. Remove the cover and then bake an additional 15 minutes. Let cool slightly and serve with rice (healthy) or with creamy mashed potatoes (less healthy but so good) and a touch of cranberry sauce!

Enjoy.

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