Orange Chicken with Honeynut Squash & Rice
Orange Chicken with Honeynut Squash & Rice – a delicious spin on the Chinese-American takeout dish is packed with layers of flavor and texture.
I hope that you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving week and you’re ready to grind on through the rest of the holiday festivities. This time of year sure does get crazy busy and it seems to go by in a flash. It’s times like these, that I look to my friends at Blue Apron for a little help in the meal planning department.
I love to cook and come up with new recipes, but with lists a mile long of other things to be done, some days I don’t have the brainpower for dinner creation too. Enter Blue Apron, the pre-portioned, ready to cook meal delivery service to make life easier. It sure is nice to have an easy-to-follow recipe, along with all of the ingredients for one of my favorite meals delivered straight to my front door.
All of the Blue Apron meals, I have previously tried have had so much great flavor and totally taken the guess work out of menu planning. With Christmas just a few weeks away, you may want to consider gifting a food-loving friend with a Blue Apron subscription. Blue Apron would also make a fabulous gift for housewarming and for new parents.
This is the perfect entrée to make when you’re craving takeout but want to stay in and make it a little healthier! This version packs all of the amazing sweet and savory orange flavor of the restaurant-style version, but with only a fraction of the calories and fat. The main key to lightening up this restaurant classic is that we simply sauté the chicken instead of fry it. I guarantee you won’t even miss the frying!
I love everything about this meal, especially the added honeynut squash for a lovely seasonal twist. I think you guys are going to LOVE this fake-out takeout dish too. It’s:
Extremely flavorful
Perfectly spiced
Not too sweet
Satisfying
Comforting
& Dang delicious
Very tasty, very citrusy, very good! If you’re a fan of orange chicken, give this recipe a try. It does not disappoint!
If you do try this meal, let me know! Leave a comment and take a picture and tag it #kimscravings on Instagram. I’d love to see what you come up with. Enjoy, friends!
Orange Chicken with Honeynut Squash & Rice
Ingredients
- 12 Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs
- ¾ Cup Basmati Rice
- 3 Stalks Celery, sliced
- 3 Cloves Garlic, finely chopped
- 1 Scallion, thinly sliced at an angle
- 1 Honeynut Squash, peeled, seeded and diced
- 3 Tablespoons Soy Sauce
- 2 Tablespoons Sesame Oil
- 2 Tablespoons Orange Marmalade
- 1 Tablespoon Sambal Oelek, optional
Instructions
- In a medium pot, heat 2 teaspoons of olive oil on medium-high until hot. Add half the garlic and half the white bottom of the scallion; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, 1 to 2 minutes, or until softened. Add the rice, a big pinch of salt and 1½ cups of water; heat to boiling on high, then cover and reduce the heat to low. Cook 14 to 16 minutes, or until the water has been absorbed and the rice is tender. Remove from heat; fluff with a fork.
- While the rice cooks, in a large pan (nonstick, if you have one), heat 2 teaspoons of olive oil on medium-high until hot. Add the squash; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, 6 to 7 minutes, or until softened. Add half the soy sauce; cook, stirring occasionally, 2 to 3 minutes, or until well coated. Transfer to a plate; season with salt and pepper to taste. Wipe out the pan.
- While the rice continues to cook, in the same pan, heat half the sesame oil on medium-high until hot. Add the celery and remaining garlic; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, 2 to 3 minutes, or until softened. Add ¼ cup of water; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, 2 to 4 minutes, or until cooked off. Transfer to a plate. Wipe out the pan.
- Pat the chicken dry with paper towels; season both sides with salt and pepper. In the same pan, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil on medium-high until hot. Add the chicken; cook 3 to 4 minutes per side, or until lightly browned. Add the marmalade, remaining white bottom of the scallion, remaining soy sauce and sesame oil, ¼ cup of water and as much of the sambal oelek as you’d like, depending on how spicy you’d like the dish to be. Cook, stirring occasionally, 2 to 3 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through. Add the cooked celery. Cook, stirring occasionally, 1 to 2 minutes, or until the sauce has thickened. Remove from heat.
- Add the cooked squash to the pot of cooked rice; stir to combine and season with salt and pepper to taste. Transfer to a serving dish. Season the orange chicken with salt and pepper to taste. Transfer to the serving dish of finished rice. Garnish with the green top of the scallion. Enjoy!
Notes
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I have been thinking about trying Blue Apron – I think I might have to give it a shot now!
Healthier Chinese that doesn’t require a delivery fee and all the guess work’s taken out of it for me? I’m gonna need some Blue Apron in my life STAT!
This dish is so colorful, and I love that they sent a little jar of Bonne Maman!
I’ve wanted to try Blue Apron, and this recipe may have convinced me to finally take the leap.
This looks absolutely delicious. I am going to have to give this a try when I make chicken next.
I have heard so much about Blue Apron, I have to say your Orange Chicken with Honeynut Squash & Rice looks scrumptious! I may have to give it a try soon.
I really want to try Blue Apron, this looks absolutely fantastic! Such great flavors.
I’ve heard such great things about Blue Apron!! This looks like a great meal!! I’m thinking this would be great for the busy family members for christmas!!
This is a great idea to give as a gift. Healthy meals with simple directions. Useful for anyone, really!
I’ve tried Blue Apron and really like the meals! They seem healthy, are easy to make, and I enjoyed them.
I love hearing your experience with Blue Apron. And the food looks delicious!
I’ve always been curious to try Blue Apron. It looks like delicious. I may have to finally sign up!
This looks delicious! I admit I get in a dinner funk a lot, and come up with the same ideas all the time. It gets so boring. This is a new one for me to try at home, thank you!
How have I not tried Blue Apron yet??!!! I keep hearing such good things about them! The chicken looks divine! I LOVE the tiny sauce bottles too!
I haven’t tired Blue Apron, but I have tried other services. This one looks great! Thanks for the info.
We love orange chicken & I love the idea of the squash with the rice.