Orange Ground Chicken

A couple years ago, Mallory sent me this Orange Ground Chicken recipe from Frugal Nutrition. Its become a staple weeknight dinner for Ryan and I. The recipe has only a few ingredients; it takes only a few minutes to cook after getting home form work; and, most importantly, its really good! 

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 1 pound ground chicken or turkey
• 2 tablespoons freshly grated or minced ginger
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tablespoon Asian spice sauce (try chili-garlic sauce, sambal oelek, or sriracha)
• 1/2 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce 
• 2 small heads fresh broccoli – about 6–7 cups florets & some stems
• Sesame seeds for garnish
• Approximately 3 cups cooked rice, quinoa, or cauliflower rice

Instructions:

1. Cook rice, quinoa, or cauliflower rice according to your preference.
2. In a large nonstick pan, warm sesame oil over low-medium heat. Add chicken and brown on all sides. (Doesn’t have to be fully cooked yet.)
3. Add the ginger, garlic, spice sauce, orange juice, and soy sauce. Stir well and bring to a simmer. Simmer on low heat for 3-5 minutes, or until sauce has reduced and thickened. Stir well and remove from heat.
4. Meanwhile, fill a pot with 1 inch of water. Add steamer basket and add chopped broccoli florets & stems. Cover and steam for 4 minutes.
5. Make the bowls by either dividing the brown rice among four bowls and topping with chicken and broccoli, or by mixing it all together in the nonstick pan. Top with sesame seeds and enjoy!

Notes: I have found that the Asian spice sauce makes this recipe a little too spicy for kids. If you are wanting to serve this recipe to children, I would suggest decreasing the amount to avoid this. I always add whatever additional vegetables I have in my refrigerator to this recipe – carrots, pea pods, bok choy, etc.

Time-Saving Tips: Use pre-cooked frozen rice – I buy Trader Joe’s frozen organic brown rice several boxes at a time. Mallory uses Trader Joe’s Cauliflower Fried Rice. Use frozen broccoli to reduce chopping time. Buy orange juice at the store. Use bottled minced ginger and minced garlic from a jar – Costco’s large jug of minced garlic is a staple in my refrigerator.

Add this recipe to your meal plan for next week! If you try it, let us know what you think!