Editor’s Note: Ian first posted this at his site.
The other Sunday, I did the whole “cook for my bros” thing as has been a weekly thing of late. I took an old recipe and we upgraded it a bit. This isn’t a traditional Chinese restaurant style orange chicken, it’s a basic fire and forget recipe without frying or any of those extra steps. Scale as needed and as always adjust to taste–we each got 2 meals out of this. Best meal of your life? Not likely. But it’s cheap, easy, and tasty.
In a large pot:
4 lbs chicken breast, whole or cut into tenderloins
2 cans frozen orange juice concentrate + enough water to cover chicken
1/4 stick butter
1 1/2 TBSP black pepper
2 TBSP salt
2 TSP Ginger powder
1 TSP Coriander
1 TSP Cardamom
1 TSP Dry Chicken Bullion
Optional but recommended: several dashes Asian chili oil. Substitutes are: chili powder, Sriracha, or whatever capsaicin delivery method you prefer
Combine all ingredients and bring to a rolling boil at med-high heat, then reduce heat to a simmer. Cook until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees in Freedom Units. Time will depend on whether you use tenderloins or full breasts.
Now, you can take this one of two ways: reduce the sauce by simmering either with or without the chicken. We left the chicken in and cooked it low and slow a bit too long because we were just hanging out, so the sauce reduced that way. The chicken was a little dry but not insanely so. An alternative is to remove the chicken at 165 degrees, increase heat back to a full boil, and rapidly reduce the sauce by 1/3 to 1/2. Reducing the sauce is important either way.
Serve in a bowl of your preferred rice with a generous amount of sauce poured over. Broccoli, cauliflower, and carrots are good accompaniments.
