I love healthy dinner recipes that make a freezer meals for later. It’s worth the extra time cutting veggies on one day in order to have a night off at a later date. There are too many nights when busy schedules collide and without meals like this Orange Chicken Stir-fry in my freezer, dinner nutrition might shall we say… slack. This recipe makes about 8 servings so it could be considered a great one night meal for a big family. If you’re a small family or single this recipe is still for you because it makes frozen lunches. I froze 1 1/2 cup servings of the recipe for my husband to take to work this time. It’s a easy healthier (no preservatives) substitute for the Lean Cuisine lunches he use to take all the time. You can also freeze small containers of rice to take with or if you ran out of small containers like I did, just take left over rice each time you have it.
Adjust the heat to your preference with the red pepper flakes. I used very minimal since I have kids at my table. Then my husband and I just add sriracha sauce to kick it up to our level. Did you want to know a little tip & trick to slicing for slicing meat to stir-fry? Make sure the meat is slightly frozen. This recipe’s chicken needs to be 1/4 inch thick, but if you ever have a recipe that needs even thinner it’s very key to have slightly frozen meat.
1/2 cup cornstarch
2 cups orange juice
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup rice vinegar
1/4 cup honey
5 garlic cloves, minced
1/2-2 teaspoons red-pepper flakes
course salt
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
3 pounds of boneless chicken breasts, cut cross-wise in to strips about 2″ long and 1/4″ thick
1 extra large head of broccoli, cut into florets, stalks peeled and thinly sliced
1 pound of carrots (about 5), peeled and thinly sliced on the diagonal
cooked rice, for serving
1) Place cornstarch in a medium bowl. Gradually whisk in orange juice until smooth. Whisk in soy sauce, vinegar, honey, garlic, and red-pepper flakes; season with salt. Set mixture aside.
2) In a 5-quart nonstick Dutch oven or pot, heat oil over medium-high. Working in batches, cook chicken on one side until slightly browned, 2 to 4 minutes; transfer to a plate, and set aside (chicken will cook more later).
3) Add broccoli, carrots and a 1/2 cup water to the pot. Cook, partially covered until water has evaporated and broccoli is bright green, 3 minutes. Add reserved chicken and corn starch mixture; bring to a boil. Cook until chicken is opaque throughout and sauce has thickened 2 to 3 minutes. Serce stir-fry over rice.
To Freeze Prepare: Prepare through step 3, omitting rice; cool to room temperature. Freeze 1/2-cup servings in airtight containers.
To Cook From Frozen: Run container(s) under hot water to release frozen stir-fry. Place in a medium saucepan with 1/2 cup water per serving. Cover and heat over medium-high, stirring occasionally until heated through, 10 to 12 minutes.
- ½ cup cornstarch
- 2 cups orange juice
- ½ cup soy sauce
- ½ cup rice vinegar
- ¼ cup honey
- 5 garlic cloves, minced
- ½-2 teaspoons red-pepper flakes
- course salt
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 3 pounds of boneless chicken breasts, cut cross-wise in to strips about 2" long and ¼" thick
- 1 extra large head of broccoli, cut into florets, stalks peeled and thinly sliced
- 1 pound of carrots (about 5), peeled and thinly sliced on the diagonal
- cooked rice, for serving
- Place cornstarch in a medium bowl. Gradually whisk in orange juice until smooth. Whisk in soy sauce, vinegar, honey, garlic, and red-pepper flakes; season with salt. Set mixture aside.
- In a 5-quart nonstick Dutch oven or pot, heat oil over medium-high. Working in batches, cook chicken on one side until slightly browned, 2 to 4 minutes; transfer to a plate, and set aside (chicken will cook more later).
- Add broccoli, carrots and a ½ cup water to the pot. Cook, partially covered until water has evaporated and broccoli is bright green, 3 minutes. Add reserved chicken and corn starch mixture; bring to a boil. Cook until chicken is opaque throughout and sauce has thickened 2 to 3 minutes. Serce stir-fry over rice.
- To Freeze Prepare: Prepare through step 3, omitting rice; cool to room temperature. Freeze ½-cup servings in airtight containers.
- To Cook From Frozen: Run container(s) under hot water to release frozen stir-fry. Place in a medium saucepan with ½ cup water per serving. Cover and heat over medium-high, stirring occasionally until heated through, 10 to 12 minutes.