How I Make Orange Chicken

Two of my sons love Panda Express.  I don't love it.  When we were at Costco one day, #1 begged me to buy the Panda Express orange chicken sauce and I had no idea what I would do with it.  I combined ideas from a couple recipes to produce a pretty yummy dish and my son was happy with it even though it didn't taste like Panda Express exactly.

Orange Chicken

3-4 chicken breasts, cut into cubes (1-2 inches)
1/2 cup corn starch
1 cup flour
3 eggs, beaten
1/4-1/2 tsp. salt
4 cups stir fry vegetables (or a couple heads of broccoli cut up)
3 tbsp. vegetable oil
Panda Express orange sauce, 1/2 to 1 cup

In one bowl, mix the eggs and salt together.  In another, mix the flour and cornstarch.  First coat the chicken pieces in the egg and then in the flour mixture.  Heat oil in pan on medium heat, making sure it's plenty hot before you add the chicken.  Cook until browned well on both sides.  Set it aside and keep warm in the oven while you fry the vegetables.  Add a little more oil to the pan and cook the vegetables until tender.  Put chicken back in the pan, stir it all together, and add the orange sauce.

One of these days I'll learn how to make an orange sauce from scratch and I'm sure my kids will think it's disgusting. 

Day 5: Making Orange Chicken

This kitchen ain't big enough for the both of us!  I went to teach piano and asked #1 to thaw his chicken in some cold water.  Then I would come home, help him cook his orange chicken, then make a meal for the rest of us. 

As I walked through the door when I came home, he had an instant realization that he had forgotten to do so, so we all ended up eating random things like cereal and sandwiches.  I almost made this.

Hubby says, "You're showing our messy countertop?" 

Martha Stewart should show her messy countertop.

Green enchilada sauce.  It's the most delicious thing I almost made.  Now let's see if #1 switched the laundry over like I asked him to. 

Um, yeah.  Not only did he not switch over the laundry, I found every single one of our dryer sheets in the washer, sitting on top of the washed clothes.  Thank goodness they're still usable!  A certain three-year-old must be very pleased with herself.

#1 loved his dinner and laughed a little because he didn't have to share it with anyone.  Oh yeah?  Enjoy not eating our nachos tomorrow, saboteur of my dinner!  If I had known how ridiculously long it was going to take, I would have made him eat some more of his leftover spaghetti.