April 8-Orange Chicken

Everyone loves orange chicken. When I found this recipe for a healthified, yet yummy, Orange Chicken on Gimme Some Oven I had to try it! It was quick, easy, and did a great job satisfying those takeout cravings. 

(I made a few slight tweaks to match the ingredients I had on hand.) 

Skinny Orange Chicken

2lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into bite-sized pieces

salt and pepper

2 tbsp olive oil

orange chicken sauce (see below)

toasted sesame seeds

thinly-sliced green onions

Orange Chicken Sauce

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 cup orange juice

1/2 cup honey

1/3 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup rice vinegar

3 tbsp cornstarch (I ran out of cornstarch and substituted flour)

1/2tsp ground ginger

pinch of red pepper flakes

1. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken and sauté until chicken is browned and nearly cooked through, about 4-6 minutes. 

2. Meanwhile, whisk together orange chicken sauce ingredients. 

3. Pour orange chicken sauce into the skillet and stir to combine. Let the sauce come to a boil for a few minutes until thickened. Remove from heat and serve immediately. Garnish with green onions and sesame seeds. (I forgot that I had bought green onions until I was washing the dishes. Oops!)

April 7- Lemon Chicken Piccata w/Parmesan Buttered Noodles

I love chicken piccata. It's my go-to dinner of choice at any Italian restaurant. I came across this recipe for Lemon Chicken Piccata in the latest issue of Allrecipes magazine. I whipped up some noodles, steamed some broccoli, and voila. A delicious weeknight meal worthy to be found in a restaurant menu. 

Enjoy!

Lemon Chicken Piccata
1.5-2 lb chicken breast halves, cut horizontally into 1/2 inch cutlets
Salt and pepper
1/2 cup flour
2 tbsp oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 lemon, sliced into thin pieces
lemon juice (from 1/2 lemon)
2 tbsp capers, drained and rinsed
3 tbsp butter

1. Heat oil in a large skillet. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Coat in flour and shake off any excess flour. Add chicken to skillet and pan fry until golden on both sides and cooked through. Remove chicken from pan and keep warm.
2. Add garlic to the pan and sauté about 30 seconds. Pour in broth. Stir in lemon slices and bring to a boil. Allow sauce to reduce to about 2/3 cup, about 5 minutes. Add lemon juice and caper; simmer until sauce is reduced and slightly thickened. Add butter and swirl it into the skillet until butter is melted and incorporated. Remove from heat and set aside.
3. Arrange chicken on serving plates and spoon sauce over each portion.

Parmesan Buttered Noodes
(Measurements are to taste. I improvised this as I went, and it turned out 
spaghetti noodles (the tasty compromise in our house is 1/2 white and 1/2 wheat)
butter
parmesan cheese
garlic salt (or garlic and salt)
1. Cook noodles as directed. Drain and return to pot.
2. Add butter, parmesan, and garlic salt to the bot and stir thoroughly until butter is melted and noodles are completed coated.

April 1- Salsa Steaks

This is probably the easiest dinner I've ever made. It was on the table in less than 20 minutes and we both really enjoyed it. A great choice for a hectic week!

Salsa Steaks

1.5-2 lb boneless steaks

1-2 tbsp olive oil

16 oz jar salsa

1. Heat oil in a large skillet. Add steaks and brown on all sides.

2. Add salsa to the skillet and bring to a boil. Cook until steaks are cooked to desired doneness.

3. Serve over rice.

The next day, I tossed a salad with spinach, tomatoes, edamame beans, guacamole, and diced leftover salsa steak. Mmm, it was incredible.