Orange Chicken, Homemade Eggrolls and Green Bean Stir Fry: New Year's Day Chinese Feast (a day later)

So we normally have a big Chinese food feast on New Year's Day, but Saturday was pizza day and you just can't break tradition. Oh, and we were sledding all day and super duper tired when we got home. Okay, I was being lazy. We have church early in the morning this year (yay!) so now I can take my beloved afternoon nap and make my weekly big meal on Sundays.

We love Chinese food at our house and we especially love these recipes. My egg roll recipe is made up and is pretty much different every time. Feel free to make it your own.

Tonight we called up our neighbors at the last minute and invited them over. They're moving in a few months (so rude!) and we'll miss having them around. They have two kids the same age as our eldest two and it has been so nice for them having buddies around the block. I'm sad that they won't grow up together because they are really great kids.

Orange Chicken
recipe courtesy of annie’s eats

Ingredients:

For the marinade and sauce:
1 ½ lbs. boneless skinless chicken thighs or breasts, cut into 1 ½” pieces
¾ cup low sodium chicken broth
¾ cup fresh squeezed orange juice
1 ½ tsp. grated orange zest
8 thin strips orange peel (optional)
6 tbsp. distilled white vinegar
¼ cup soy sauce
½ cup dark brown sugar
3 medium garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp. fresh grated ginger
¼ tsp. cayenne pepper
1 tbsp. plus 2 tsp. cornstarch
2 tbsp. cold water

For coating and frying:
3 large egg whites
1 cup cornstarch
½ tsp. baking soda
¼ tsp. cayenne pepper
3 cups peanut oil (or canola oil)

Directions:

For the marinade and sauce, place the chicken in a Ziploc bag; set aside. In a large saucepan, combine the chicken broth, orange juice, zest, vinegar, soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic, ginger and cayenne pepper; whisk until the sugar is fully dissolved. Measure out ¾ cup of the mixture and pour it into the bag with the chicken; press out as much air as possible and seal the bag, making sure that all pieces are coated with the marinade. Refrigerate 30-60 minutes, but no longer. Bring the remaining mixture in the saucepan to a boil over high heat. In a small bowl, stir together the cornstarch and cold water; whisk the cornstarch mixture into the sauce. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until thick and translucent, about 1 minute. Off the heat, stir in the orange peel (if using); set the sauce aside.

For the coating, place the egg whites in a pie plate and beat with a fork until frothy. In a second pie plate, whisk together the cornstarch, baking soda and cayenne until combined. Drain the chicken in a colander or large mesh strainer; thoroughly pat the chicken dry with paper towels. Place half of the chicken pieces in the egg whites and turn to coat. Transfer the pieces to cornstarch mixture and coat thoroughly. Place the dredged chicken pieces on another plate or a baking sheet.

To fry the chicken, heat the oil in an 11- to 12-inch dutch oven or straight sided sauté pan with at least 3 qt. capacity over high heat until the oil reaches 350° on an instant read or deep fry thermometer. Carefully place half of the chicken in the oil; fry to golden brown, about 5 minutes, turning each piece with tongs halfway through cooking. Transfer to a paper towel lined plate. Return the oil to 350° and repeat with the remaining chicken.

To serve, reheat the sauce over medium heat until simmering, about 2 minutes. Add the chicken and gently toss until evenly coated and heated through. Serve immediately.

Source: adapted from Joelen’s Culinary Adventures, originally from Cooking at Home with America’s Test Kitchen

Note: I double the sauce...yum!

Carrie's Egg Rolls

1 lb. Hot ground sausage OR cooked shredded chicken
1 pkg. shredded cabbage
1 red pepper, chopped
2 green onions, sliced thin
1 cup bean sprouts
1 garlic clove, minced
2 dashes ground ginger
2 Tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp. sesame oil
1 pkg. egg roll wrappers
peanut oil

In a large skillet cook sausage until it loses its color OR put chicken in a small amount of olive oil on med. heat. Add peppers, onions, slaw and sprouts; sprinkle soy sauce and sesame oil over top and cook for a few minutes. cool. Put 2 tbsp. of mixture in the middle of each wrapper, fold and seal with a little water. Heat peanut oil in a deep skillet, drop egg rolls in and fry until golden brown. Take out and drain on paper towel.

Green Bean Stir-Fry
recipe courtesy of Allrecipes

1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon sesame seeds, toasted
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon peanut butter
3/4 pound fresh green beans, trimmed
4 1/2 teaspoons vegetable oil
Directions
1.In a bowl, combine the soy sauce, garlic, sesame seeds, brown sugar and peanut butter; set aside. In a large skillet, stir-fry the green beans in oil until crisp