Restaurant Style Orange Chicken

I can never go to a Chinese Restaurant without ordering Orange Chicken. It's pretty addictive right? Sweet, spicy, fragrant. If you love Orange Chicken like I do, you can try this recipe and have restaurant style orange chicken at home. We can share in the addiction. I believe in spreading the love:-)

 

This is a very easy recipe and every bit as good as any Orange chicken you will get in a restaurant. I don't make this very often, but when I do, I always pull out my special chopsticks. It heightens my orange chicken experience:-)

Fresh orange juice and orange peel add just the right amount of great orange flavor. If you are unable to eat dairy, you can modify this recipe by simply omitting the egg. If you are wanting a healthier version of this dish, you can omit the breading altogether and brown the chicken in a lightly oiled nonstick skillet and then let it finish cooking  in the sauce.

Ginger is a key ingredient for adding the spiciness that makes this dish so flavorful

Red pepper flakes is what brings the heat, I also love to use a little hit of Siracha. It works beautifully on its own and combined with the red pepper flakes

 

 And of course plenty of garlic

Ingredients

 2-3 skinless and boneless chicken breasts cut into 1/2 inch pieces

1 cup plus two tablespoons corn starch

1 egg

1 cup vegetable oil

 

Orange Sauce

1/2 cup freshly squeezed orange juice

1 cup chicken broth

1/2 cup white sugar

1 tablespoon brown sugar 

1/3 cup rice vinegar 

2 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 tablespoon grated orange zest

1/2 teaspoon minced garlic

1/2 teaspoon minced ginger root 

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes 

Directions for sauce

 

Pour orange juice, chicken broth, sugars, vinegar and soy sauce, orange zest, garlic, ginger and red pepper flakes into a medium saucepan. Mix the two tablespoons cornstarch with 2 tablespoons water and set aside. Bring mixture in saucepan to a boil and slowly add the corn starch mixture stirring frequently until thickened. When sauce has cooled, place chicken pieces and 2/3 of the sauce in a gallon ziplock back to marinate.

 

After chicken has marinated in the refrigerator for about 2 hours, drain the marinade and dip chicken pieces into the beaten egg and then dredge in corn starch to coat.

 

Heat remaining sauce until warm and set aside.

 

Heat oil in a large frying pan or wok and work in small batches frying chicken until golden brown and cooked all the way through (about 2 minutes). Drain on paper towels to remove excess oil. Serve hot and cover with the warm sauce. Absolutely delicious!

 

 Bon Appetit!

Sunshine

Happy Monday! How was your weekend? My weekend was so awesome! I enjoyed some time with my friends and laughed more than I have in a long time. Laughter is good for the soul. It is such great medicine. This week is already starting off hectic, but no complaints here. Busy can be a great thing. Today I am wearing stripes and leopard with a nice bold hit of yellow. There is something about yellow that makes me happy. Yellow always makes me think of sunshine:-)

 I love stripes and nautical looks. How about you?

 Can you believe that summer is right around the corner?

 Cardigan: Burlington Coat Factory, Striped tank: H&M, Bag: Handbag Heaven, Shoes: Specialty Boutique, Jeans: New York and Company

 Eyes are the windows to the soul

Have an amazing day!

Mixed Berry Slush

On a hot scorching day, this refreshing berry slush is a great alternative to soda and hits the spot when you want something cold, fruity and a little fizzy. Sparkling water, fruit and sorbet. Simple and delicious!

Ingredients

1 pint of strawberry sorbet

1/2 cup of mixed berries

1/2 to 1 cup sparking water or club soda

Directions

Add the pint of sorbet to your blender along with the mixed berries and sparkling water or club soda. Start with 1/2 cup sparkling water or club soda and a few ice cubes. You can play around with the ingredients until you have your preferred consistency. This is easy to adjust by adding more liquid if the slush is too thick or adding a bit more fruit if you prefer a thicker consistency.

Cheers!

Spring Sizzle

It is springtime in my life and I am loving every minute of it. I had an amazing mothers day with my family:-) How was your Mothers Day? Life is very unpredictable. For everything there is a season. We go through different seasons in our life and right now there is lots of vibrancy in my life and new things. There is nothing more amazing than when God answers your prayers in a very real and tangible way. He is amazing like that.

What I have been experiencing lately is joy, which is very different from happiness. Happiness is based on what is happening in your life and joy comes from a place deep in your spirit. I guess you could say, I am experiencing both and it is a great place to be:-)

Shirt: Michael Kors, Purse: Michael Kors, Jeans: Specialty Boutique, Shoes: F-21

The weather in Cali is sizzling, 98 degrees

Joy!

Today I am linking up with: Style Elixir , Lifes A Party Dress Like It, and I would so rock this

Have an amazing day!

Motherhood

It is an awesome responsibility to be a mother and I am so blessed that my mother is still among the living and blesses me in ways that no words could ever describe. Seven years ago I became a mother and my life was forever changed for the better.

There is nothing more amazing than being my sons guardian angel I realize that I am the first person my son will ever love, his first hug, his first kiss. Love at first is what happens when a child sees there mother for the first time. My son has been loving me ever since he opened his eyes. I thank God everyday for blessing me to be the mother of such an amazing little boy.

Happy Mothers Day to you and may it be full of blessings:-)

Faith

Seeing the invisible is what faith is all about. Faith is about what you cannot see with your natural eyes. Faith is not about knowing what the future holds, but knowing who who holds your future. Has your faith ever been tested?

Sunny Days

Happy Monday! How was your weekend? I had a lot of fun and managed to squeeze in some excursions to the beach:-) I also got some Mothers Day shopping done. How about you? I am looking forward to celebrating with my mother and my son. It is so nice to be honored as a mom and to do something nice to honor my own mother. Do you have any special Mothers Day traditions?

Today I am wearing a very bold ensemble with a Citron blazer, animal print and electric purple. I have always loved the way purple looks with green, especially the lime greens like Citron.

I am a little sunkissed from the beach and all that sprinting and jogging that is a part of my daily workout routine. I just love sunny days:-)

Blazer: Chadwicks, T-Shirt: H&M, Scarf: Burlington Coat Factory, Bag: Erica Anenberg, Jeans: Macys, Pumps: Nine West, Jewelry: F-21

I love pastel nail colors. They are so perfect for spring and summer.

Have an amazing day!

Urth Cafe (LV's LA)

The Urth Cafe is one of the most popular casual eateries in Los Angeles. I have known about it for years, but had never tried it. For the past year a friend and I kept making plans to go and we could never sync up our schedules and then serendipitously another friend invited me out for lunch at Urth Cafe and I finally got to see what my other friends were raving about.

I love this place! Now me and my friends are regular fixtures here. Everything is organic and they have the best green tea and Spanish Lattes. This is definitely a hipster joint. Very Los Angeles and a great spot for people watching. One of my favorite locations is the one in the Arts District in downtown Los Angeles. We tend to bounce between this one and the different locations depending on what mood we are in.

The quiche here is absolutely delicious and they also make some pretty yummy pizzas including a breakfast pizza that is pretty tasty. I  love to enjoy it with a honey vanilla latte.

The cilantro pesto chicken sandwich is full of great flavor and comes with a nice side salad of mixed greens in a light balsamic vinaigrette

Doesn't that look delicious?

 Almost everything on the menu is pretty healthy and even a turkey burger gets served with a side salad

 As delicious as the latte's are, this mango smoothie really hits the spot on a hot day. It was cold, refreshing and delicious

Although this is a healthy restaurant, the dessert case will make you want to indulge. There are lots of options including gluten free. I have loved everything I have tried.

Every location gets very crowded and the downtown location seems to be a spot where police officers love to dine. The downtown locations feels a little like New York

I really have a thing for Spanish Lattes and they always hit the spot. If you have never had one, you are truly missing out.

The green tea Tiramisu (matcha) is delicious and a nice change from the traditional version. If you enjoy Tiramisu this is a great dessert to try when you are here. If Tiramisu is not your thing, I promise there is plenty of other treats to satisfy your sugar fix.

This berry tart was scrumptious and the fruit was juicy and sweet, although my favorite part was the filling and the crust. Delicious!

The pastries are always so good with a great cup of coffee or one of their many lattes. Go ahead have anything you want, I promise I won't judge you

It gets crowded very fast, so it is always best to come early when they first open or non peak hours if you want to get a great seat.

Urth Cafe 

451 S. Hewitt Street

Los Angeles, CA

213-797-4534 

8565 Melrose Ave

West Hollywood, CA

310-659-0628