Looking for a delicious, easy Orange Chicken recipe? This Orange Chicken and Romenesco Stir Fry with Clementines is a fast, healthy, stir-fry recipe perfect for weeknights or busy weekends. Done in less than 20 minutes!
Do you ever find yourself in a cooking rut, making the same thing over and over and not able to really think of new things to make? I definitely do, especially on weeknights. Our household is usually buzzing with homework or running kids back and forth from sports, making it extremely hard to prepare a delicious healthy meal that takes much attention due to lack of time.
In the last week I’ve been preparing more Chinese-inspired dishes and a long lost love has come back to me: Stir Fry. When I was in college I got a wok as a gift and used it all the time. It was one of the few things I cooked along with baking Beer Bread (which could not be easier) and a chicken recipe of my Grandmothers that involved Shake-n-Bake and Cream of Celery soup….but we’re not going to talk about that.
What I love about stir frying is the ease of it. No special culinary skills are needed. Only fresh ingredients are used. AND of course the fact that it takes less than 10 minutes to cook is fantastic! The preparation of the ingredients is a bit more time consuming and the mise-en-place (having all the ingredients in place) is critical because the cooking is so fast; there is no time once you start to measure or chop anything since each phase is generally 30 seconds to a few minutes.
After making the Spicy Pineapple Shrimp Fried Rice recently I was craving another fresh, healthy dish and decided to make easy Orange Chicken and Romenesco Stir Fry with Clementines. As I was preparing the ingredients I was so excited by the colors of the dish. I think there is something about colorful food that is so enticing. I for one am always drawn to fresh, colorful dishes and this is no exception. The fragrance while cooking it fantastic with the ginger, garlic, onion and citrus. The thing I marveled at the most was how quickly it was done! In minutes it was done with moist, succulent chicken, crunchy romanesco and the warm citrus flavor of the clementine segments that still hold a natural structure and don’t turn droopy and sad for being tossed for a few minutes in the heat.
Add texture and flavor to your easy Orange Chicken Stirfry with Romesco!
If you aren’t familiar with Romanesco it is a mild-flavored cruciferous vegetable in the broccoli and cauliflower family. It is available in the fall and now through the spring, liking cold weather for growing. Its alien form of prismatic lime-green florets is its most eye-catching feature certainly, but I love the texture and flavor. If it is not available I’d substitute traditional broccoli to this recipe.
In becoming reacquainted with the fresh, healthy, easy stir fry I’ve vowed to make it in some form at least once a week. For those with little time, preparing the ingredients beforehand and storing them in the refrigerator allows a 10 minutes meal. And the easy Orange Chicken and Romenesco Stir Fry with Clementines is one undoubtedly better for us than something you’d slap in the microwave!
Easy Orange Chicken and Romenesco Stir Fry with Clementines Recipe
Recipe
Orange Chicken and Romenesco Stir Fry with Clementines
Ingredients
- ¼ cup Orange Juice
- 2 tablespoons Tamari (soy sauce may be substituted if the dish does not need to be gluten-free)
- 2 teaspoons Cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons Sunflower Oil , divided
- 1 Jalapeno Pepper , seeded and diced
- 2 large Garlic Cloves , diced
- 1 teaspoon Ginger , peeled and diced
- ½ Yellow Onion , chopped
- 1 Orange Bell Pepper , seeded and chopped into bite-size pieces
- 2 cups Romanesco florets (TIP: for larger florets make an X in the bottom of the stem with a knife for better cooking); broccoli may be substituted
- 1 pound boneless skinless Chicken Breasts , cut into ¾-inch pieces
- 2 Clementines , peeled and divided into segments
- 1 teaspoon Lemon Zest
- Garnish: Sliced Scallions , white and light green portions
- Prepared Rice (optional)
Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine the orange juice, Tamari sauce and cornstarch. Whisk to fully combine and set aside.
- Heat a wok or large skillet on medium-high. Add the 1 tablespoon of the oil; when rippling can be observed on the oil’s surface it’s hot (less than 30 seconds).
- Add the garlic, ginger and jalapeno to the wok and stir constantly for 30 seconds.
- Add the onions and the bell pepper; stir-cook for 1 minute. Remove the vegetables from the wok and set aside.
- Add the remaining tablespoon of oil to the wok. Add the chicken and cook until the outside becomes white (a few minutes). Add the Romanesco and cook 3-5 minutes until it begins to turn darker green.
- Add the orange juice mixture to the wok and allow to heat for a few seconds. As it thickens toss the chicken and Romanesco to fully coat.
- Add the vegetables that were set aside and toss to combine. Add the clementine segments and lemon zest and toss a few times to incorporate. Serve immediately garnished with scallions.
Nutrition
Stacy Tompkinss says
Wow, I looks very delicious. Thanks for sharing such an wonderful recipe. I will cook this dishes for my family. I love your blog very much, you often have useful post. I will follow your site everyday to get good recipes
Kristen @ A Mind Full Mom says
I have fresh romensco in my fridge right now and love Orange Chicken–think I know what I am making 🙂
Toni Dash says
I hope you were able to try it Kristen! It’s such a great vegetable isn’t it?
Sue Hill says
We are great stir fry fans and this looks delicious. Definitely one to try in the not too distant future!
Toni Dash says
I hope you will try it Sue; it’s so light and pretty! Do you get Romanesco in England? I’m not sure if I love its taste or bizarre appearance best.
Patricia @ Grab a Plate says
What a great recipe! You’ve elevated a stir fry to something so lovely! The addition of Romanesco florets — so pretty!
Toni Dash says
So glad you like Patricia! I personally love all the colors. Feels happy and healthy….and a bit like spring.