Orange Chicken Stir Fry

Hello Sunday! I must admit that I've always loved this day of the week. I know many people who can never seem to fully enjoy Sundays because of the specter of the work week that is "looming over us" with Monday just hours away. But isn't Sunday just a repeat of Saturday?? All the more reason to soak in some extra sleep, enjoy some coffee cake, French toast, or granola muffins, go for a hike, and read a new book (I just read The Boston Girl). Oh and of course watch Game of Thrones. Naturally.

Sunday is also a great day for testing out new dinner recipes. Since I am typically not rushing home from work, the gym, or other obligations on Sunday evenings, I find it's the perfect time to make something that A) I have never made before, or B) might be a little more time intensive. I recently opted to go with option A and made a version of this Orange Chicken Stir Fry. It was healthy, tasty, and best of all quick - which means it can safely be added to my weekday repertoire now that I know how fast it is!

Note that I also kind of winged this sauce a bit, and you can too if needed. I didn't have oyster sauce or rice vinegar in my pantry, so I just substituted them for a dash of fish sauce, sesame oil, and red wine vinegar. Same profile flavors, just a different way of getting there.

Ingredients:

Sauce:
1/2 cup orange juice
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
1 tablespoon orange zest
2 large cloves garlic
1 teaspoon minced ginger
Optional sweetener like sugar, honey, agave, etc.

Stir-fry:
1 pound boneless skinless chicken, cut into strips/cubes
Salt and pepper
3 tablespoons corn starch
4 cups chopped vegetables such as broccoli, carrots, green beans, snap peas, etc.
1/2 cup medium yellow onion, chopped
Vegetable or coconut oil

Directions:

1. Blend all the ingredients for the sauce in a blender or food processor for 10 seconds. Taste the sauce and add your choice of sweetener to your liking. Blend again for a few more seconds.
2. Heat the sauce in a large skillet on medium-high heat for 5 minutes. Carefully transfer the sauce to a heatproof bowl. Rinse the skillet clean and prepare to re-use.
3. If cooking rice, begin making it now.
4. If using fresh broccoli or green beans, boil in a steamer basket for 3-5 minutes until soft enough to pierce with a fork yet still firm.
5. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Add the corn starch and massage the chicken with your hands.
6. Heat approximately 1 tablespoon of oil in the skillet on medium-high heat. Cook the onion and chicken until the chicken is cooked through, approximately 5 minutes.
7. Add the remaining vegetables and stir-fry them together for 2 minutes.
8. Slowly add a few tablespoons of sauce while stirring the vegetables and chicken. Continue to add the sauce a few tablespoons at a time, allowing about 15 seconds between each addition to allow sauce to slightly cook down.
9. Spoon the stir-fry over a bowl of hot rice. Serve immediately.