Crispy Orange Chicken Quinoa Bowls
Dinnerrrrrrr is served.
I think I mentioned last week that I have been sort of terrible about feeding my family dinner. I'm trying to do better - really I am. But Snowmageddon here in the south is really not helping my mealtime resolve. They are calling for 8 - 12 inches here starting tomorrow which means that since Monday everyone has been in a state of panic.
Like no more carts at the store panic. Bottled water hoarding panic. Lines upon lines at the gas station panic. It's outta control. Doesn't everyone know that the southern snow rule of thumb is that it will melt by Saturday? Because it will. By Saturday we will be washing our cars and stepping onto the porch to feed the neighbors cat in our bare feet... okay that's probably just me. But really really - in 30 days it will feel like summer and snow will go back to being something that we marvel at on TV and you might just realize that 6 months worth of bottled water was a tiny bit excessive.
I am always the person that leaves here to buy normal person things like it's a normal person day and then realizes that the sky is preparing to fall when it's just a tad bit too late. Wah.
The up side of my endless trips to the grocery store though is that I had everything I needed to make this meal. Bite size little bits of oven fried chicken tossed in a honey orange sriracha sauce that is like the PERFECT consistency - you will seriously be so proud of yourself! AND it's ready in 40 minutes. AND it's all light and healthy with lots of protein and lean good calories. AND are you sick of me using ALL CAPS yet?
Sorry. I was a little excited.
- For the Chicken:
- 1½ pounds boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into bite size pieces
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 tablespoon sriracha
- 2 cups panko bread crumbs (plain is great - I used lemon pepper panko breadcrumbs in one trial and they were fantastic!)
- For the Sauce:
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic, very finely minced
- ¼ cup honey
- 1 tablespoon orange zest ( about 1 medium orange, zested and juiced)
- ¼ cup fresh orange juice (from the orange listed above)
- 2 teaspoons sriracha (see note)
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- red pepper flakes to taste
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- ½ cup cold low sodium chicken broth
- For the Bowls:
- 1 cup uncooked quinoa
- 1 large head of broccoli, florets cut into 2" pieces
- green onions to garnish
- Preheat the oven to 375 and grease a large baking sheet or line with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl mix together the chicken,honey, and sriracha until evenly coated.
- Pour the panko breadcrumbs onto a plate or shallow dish. Coat the chicken pieces with the breadcrumbs and place them in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet.
- Bake for 30 minutes.
- While the chicken bakes,heat the oil over medium in a small saucepan. Add the garlic and cook for just a minute. Then add the honey, orange zest, orange juice, sriracha, kosher salt, and red pepper flakes. Stir, simmer, and then reduce the heat.
- Stir together the cornstarch and chicken broth and then slowly pour it into the honey and orange mixture on the stove, stirring while you pour. Cook over medium low heat, stirring occasionally - sauce will thicken as it cooks.
- Prepare the quinoa according to package instructions.
- Place the broccoli in a medium sauce pan. Add about an inch of water. Bring it to a boil, cover, and steam for only a minute. (I like my broccoli crisp and bright green). Remove it from the heat and pour out any excess water.
- When the chicken is cooked through toss it with the sauce.
- Divide the quinoa between 4 bowls. Top with chicken, broccoli, and green onions. I like to reserve a little sauce to spoon over each bowl before serving.
Love this recipe but I think the prep time is very misleading. I don't know anyone who can measure out 12 different dry/liquid ingredients, chop/cut 4-5 others, and juice/zest and orange in 10 minutes or less. When I make this recipe, the PREP time alone is closer to 30 minutes.
Wow! Came across this recipe in an email for quick meals. Needed one for tonight and this didn't disappoint! So, I am not a fan of Sirachi and reading through the comments I saw you could substitute with Sweet Chili Sauce. When I went to the grocery store, I hit the international aisle and picked up a bottle of Thai Style Sweet Chili Sauce. Didn't notice until I was getting the ingredients together that it said Thai Style *SPICY* Sweet Chili Sauce! LOL. But I finger tasted and while it did have a tad bit heat, it wasn't unbearable! My grocery store didn't have any oranges (Like Seriously!) So I subbed out with 1/4 c Orange Juice I had in the fridge. I cheated and used a bag of frozen broccoli that you steam in the microwave, then mixed it in with the quinoa. Coated the chicken in half the sauce, then topped the quinoa/broccoli with the rest of the sauce. I'm sure the sauce would have been better with the real juice and zest. But it was still a fantastic dish and had just enough leftover for hubby to take to work for lunch tomorrow.
This was so delicious! Just made it tonight. I used my rice cooker + chicken broth for the quinoa. Husband loved it. I buy Trader Joes orange chicken—but this recipe is so much better. I might make extra sauce next time.
Thank you so much Sarah! So glad you guys enjoyed it!
U. R. Awesome! (As usual.) We love Trader Joe's frozen orange chicken at our house, but this is so much better!!!
Awwww thank you so much AJ! I'm so glad you enjoyed this!
Looks absolutely delish...making it tonight 😉
Awesome! Thanks Rosemary! Let me know how you like it!
Wow this does look amazing!!! Sadly though I've been keeping our dinners to 500 calories or less and I've done the homework on this recipe and it comes in at 638 calories a serving. So I won't be trying this recipe, but I'll keep looking on your blog for some more delicious recipes that fall within my calorie budget!!
Hi Patty! Thanks! There are a few things you could do to reduce the number of calories - more broccoli, less quinoa or chicken per serving, reduce the amount of breadcrumbs, or just reduce the portion size. I am feeding a houseful of boys and a great big man with a very physical job, so my portion sizes often reflect that. I also like to keep in mind with recipes like this that if I actually ordered orange chicken take-out, those calories would easily double. Thanks for you quick calorie count and good on you for watching your family meals! I hope you find some things that will work for you!
This looks really good, but I am still struggling with the whole Quinoa thing! Cooking it, finding good ways to eat it...
Anyway, this recipe looks yummy, so maybe I'll try it again! You have some delicious looking recipes! Stopping by (late) from #SITSBlogging!
this dish looks and sounds delicious! (your photographs are beautiful) happy to have found your blog.
best,
diane
Dropping by from SITS girls today.
#SITSBlogging
Aww thanks Diane! Have a great weekend!