Orange Chicken Stir-Fry

This is another recipe straight from Chef Britta. It was more involved than the other recipes I've tried of hers. It turned out pretty good, and we'll probably make it again with a few adjustments.

Orange Chicken Stir-Fry
Ingredients:
1/3 cup cornstarch
2 cups orange juice
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup rice vinegar
1/4 cup honey
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 to 2 teaspoons red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 to 3 boneless chicken breasts, cut crosswise into 1/2 inch wide strips
1 head broccoli, cut into florets
1 pound carrots (about 5), peeled and thinly sliced on the diagonal
cooked rice

Directions:
Place cornstarch in a medium bowl. Gradually whisk in orange juice until smooth. Whisk soy sauce, vinegar, honey, garlic, and red-pepper flakes; season with salt.

In a 5-quart nonstick pot, heat oil over medium-high. Working in batches, cook chicken on one side until slightly browned, 2 to 4 minutes; transfer to a plate, and set aside (chicken will cook more later).

Add broccoli, carrots, and 1/2 cup water to pot. Cook partially covered, until water evaporates and broccoli is bright green, 3 minutes. Add reserved chicken and cornstarch mixture (it may need to be whisked again to reincorporate); bring to a boil. Cook until chicken is done and sauce has thickened, 2 to 3 minutes. Serve over rice.


Here's a link directly to this recipe on Chef Britta's site: Orange Chicken Stir-Fry.

Things got a little crazy as Paul and I were making this meal. He chopped up the chicken and carrots for me and did the first part of cooking the chicken. I was taking a shower while he did this part, so I didn't get to mix the sauce part until the vegetables were already cooking. I think it would have been less stressful if we had stuck to the order of the directions Chef Britta gave. ;)

Anyway, it was quite yummy. It was on the spicy side (Paul and I are a bit wimpy when it comes to that), so we'll put in fewer red pepper flakes next time (I put in a heaping teaspoonful this time). Also, I'm not a fan of rice vinegar, so I'll probably leave it out or find some kind of substitute ingredient next time. The recipe is quite saucy as well. I might even halve the ingredients in the sauce next time.