Foodie Friday - Orange Chicken

Hi all, I have a recipe after a long hiatus!

Melissa d'Arabian of the Food Network may have her fancy schmancy 4-step chicken, but I have my own!

I actually found this coated chicken recipe in a Taste of Home cookbook several years ago, where the chicken was dressed up with cheese, ham and mushrooms, sorta cordon bleu style.  I loved the taste of the base of this chicken dish so well, that it has become my staple recipe for chicken parmesan and several other chicken dishes.

Awhile back I wanted orange chicken, but Asian recipes are not my forte and always leave me with a big fail at the end, so I thought, What if I use my base chicken recipe for the crunch and add an orange glaze to it?  It wouldn't be Asian per se, but would have the crunch and tang I was after.


And so it came to pass that the following recipe was born:

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (pounded thin and trimmed of fat)
1 egg lightly beaten
1 cub crushed Ritz crackers (Ritz is the key here as Townhouse crackers do not provide the same effect despite being similar products!)
3/4 tsp lemon pepper seasoning*
2 tbs oil (EVOO or canola depending on taste preferences)

1/4C orange juice CONCENTRATE
1/4 C honey
2tbs soy sauce
2tbs lemon juice
2tbs brown sugar
ginger, garlic, to taste **

1. Dip chicken in egg
2. Combine lemon pepper and crackers; coat chicken in mixture while oil heats in skillet
3.  Over medium-high heat, fry chicken, 4-5 minutes on each side or until done
4.  Combine all glaze ingredients in saucepan and heat, stirring well, until just boiling, remove from heat.
5.  Serve chicken with glaze spooned on top

* this is the variable for different recipes - the basic seasoning is salt here, but when I do parm chicken, I eliminate salt and add grated parmesan cheese and add italian seasonings, when I do herbed chicken, I use 1 tsp ranch dressing powder, etc.


** I realize this is kind of a cop out, but the ginger and garlic were powdered and I didn't measure them out!

I served it with couscous, broccoli (which tasted great with the glaze too, btw!) and cranberry sauce with mandarin oranges.  YUM!  Yes, there is a stray cheerio, ahem, kids!, on the table.  Pay no attention to it.

Best thing about this recipe?  It disappears just about as quickly as it is prepared!  That's what I'm talking about!

Now, what have YOU been cooking?

© 2006-present Ramblings of a Red-Headed Step-Child. All Rights Reserved