Squeeze Me! – Blood Orange Chicken
Written February 8th, 2012 by go lb. salt
Categories: Black Truffle Salt, Booze, Dressing Up!, Gilbert Farmer's Market, Recipes, Sea Salt
Knock! Knock!
Who’s there?
Banana
Knock! Knock!
Who’s there?
Banana
Knock Knock!
Who’s there?
Orange you glad I didn’t say banana again?
(Yes, we know… it’s a terrible joke. But it got your attention, and that was the idea!)
Arizona is home to more types of oranges than you can count on both hands. Really! So, why is it that some funny jokester gave the orange a bad rap by making it the follow up to Senor Banana in the joke above? Who knows.
What we do know is that when citrus is in season there are all kinds of great dishes to be had. This week was no exception when we made use of some blood oranges we picked up at the Gilbert Farmer’s Market.
We juiced the oranges and zested the the peel for the sauce and stir fried everything else. Simple, light and quite tasty, but you can judge for yourself. After all, citrus is still in season for a few more weeks!
Enjoy all the fresh citrus you can…Don’t like Orange Chicken? Try Orange Beef… or diversify…Try Lemon Chicken. Want to get crazy? Try Grapefruit Chicken…ok, that might be a little too crazy…maybe we’ll tell you about it!
Other options include the juice and zest of lemons, limes or oranges in your favorite vinaigrette made with our Dressing Up! salad dressings of course! Who needs Valentine’s day as an excuse to show some love? Not us!
So without further ado, here’s the recipe.
Orange Chicken w/ Vegetables
2 lbs. boneless skinless chicken thighs
1 large white onion
1 bunch celery
3 orange or red bell peppers
1 bunch scallions
4 blood oranges
1 c. sake – or if you prefer – 2 c. sake – one for you, one for the recipe! 
3 Tbsp. sesame oil
3 Tbsp. raw organic cane sugar
1/4 c. corn starch
Directions
Cut thighs into 3/8” strips – set aside.
Cut peppers and onions lengthwise into 1” strips, then crossways into 1” squares – set aside.
Slice celery 1/4” thick from tip of bunch to 1” above root – set aside.
Slice scallions 1/4” thick – set aside.
Zest the peel of two oranges, then juice all four. Place zest and juice in small mixing bowl and add sake, sugar and two pinches of Black Truffle Salt. Completely whisk in corn starch – set aside.
Option #1: Feel free to add some crushed red pepper or fresh Serrano or Jalapeno pepper slices for a bit of heat.
Option #2: Mince 4 cloves of garlic to be cooked with the chicken below.
Place 2 Tbsp. sesame oil in wok (high heat). Once oil begins to smoke, place chicken in wok and stir fry with 3-4 pinches of Black Truffle Salt.
When chicken is cooked, remove and hold in a bowl while placing onion, pepper & celery into wok. Cook for approximately 3-4 minutes; just enough to soften vegetables, but not fully cook them. Add chicken back in and pour orange – sake – cornstarch mixture in. Stir all together until sauce is fully thickened.
Stir in scallions.
Serve over rice.
