Orange Ginger Chicken Stir-Fry

Day 3 of cooking this week -- it's been a while since this happened! The blog is getting some love this week, which is great! I found this recipe in a magazine that I picked up at the airport. Once I searched for it online, I saw that the reviews didn't show up that great -- however, we enjoyed this meal. I did make a couple of modifications, but nothing major. The recipe below is my adaptation. This made enough for about 4 people, so we'll have some leftovers! Feel free to swap out the veggies for whatever you'd prefer, but give this a try. It's a great week night meal! Enjoy!

Ingredients:

3 tb olive oil

~1 cup carrots, baby carrots sliced into thin strips

~1 cup fresh asparagus, cut into 1-inch pieces

~3/4 cup red bell pepper, sliced into thin strips and in half

1 pound chicken tenders, cut into 1-inch chunks

1 tb ginger (I use the refrigerated, pureed ginger)

3 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 tsp crushed red pepper (optional)

1 1/2 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth

1/4 cup orange juice

2 tb reduced-sodium soy sauce (I used gluten-free)

2 tb water

2 tb cornstarch

~ 1 tsp grated orange zest

2 boil-in-a-bags brown rice (could get away with 1 if you don't want leftovers)

1 tsp toasted sesame seeds, for garnish (optional)

Directions:

In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over medium heat. Add carrots, asparagus, and red bell pepper. Cook and stir for approximately 5-7 minutes or until tender. Transfer to a medium bowl. In the same skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over medium-high heat. Add chicken; cook and stir for 4 to 5 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink. Transfer to the bowl with carrot mixture.

In the same skillet, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon oil over medium heat. Add ginger, garlic, and, if desired, crushed red pepper; cook and stir for 30 seconds. Stir in broth, orange juice, and soy sauce. Bring to a boil.

In a small bowl combine cornstarch and the water; stir into broth mixture. Simmer, uncovered, for 2 minutes. Stir in chicken mixture and the orange zest. Cook and stir until heated through.

Serve chicken mixture over brown rice. Sprinkle with sesame seeds.