Honey-Orange Chicken with Sesame Sauce

Hello. It's Not So Fat Fridays. May I take your order? You pickup in 20 minutes.

I kid. And this is definitely healthier than takeout. So light & tasty, it surpassed both mine & Terry's expectations. While I love citrus including oranges, I am not one to jump on citrus-y dishes yet I really enjoyed this. The bonus is I had everything in the house to make it. And just a recommendation - it just wouldn't be the same without the jasmine rice! 

315 calories per serving. Yields 4 servings. 

3/4 cup fresh orange juice
1/3 cup orange blossom or clover honey
1 tsp grated ginger (or ground works fine)
1 tsp garlic
1 tsp orange zest
1 tsp salt
1/8 tsp ground black pepper
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 tsp vegetable oil
1 tsp toasted sesame oil
1 tsp toasted sesame seeds

Combine juice, honey, ginger, garlic, orange zest, salt & pepper in a bowl. Add chicken; stir to coat. Cover; refrigerate 30 minutes. Heat a large skillet over medium heat until hot; add vegetable oil & swirl to coat. Lift chicken from marinade & let excess drip back into bowl. When oil is hot, add chicken & cook over medium heat 3 minutes per side, or until golden brown.

Add reserved marinade to skillet & boil over medium-high heat, turning chicken once or twice, 3 to 5 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through & sauce is reduced by half. Transfer chicken to a cutting board, cut into diagonal slices & arrange on a platter. Stir sesame oil into thickened sauce & spoon it over chicken. Sprinkle with sesame seeds. Serve with jasmine rice if desired.

{My Thoughts}

To toast the sesame seeds, just place in a saucepan over medium high heat for 4-5 minutes, moving around frequently so they don't burn. I also used ground ginger rather than fresh & would again. Just use 1/3 the amount when using dried as opposed to fresh.

If you're worried about using the marinade from the chicken as the sauce, just start boiling it in a separate pan while the chicken cooks. I did this for a few minutes prior to adding it to the chicken cooking, just to be safe.

{Click Here to Print Recipe}

So if I asked to take your order, what would you ask me to make?