Orange Chicken with Butternut Squash Rice

You guys...I cooked a delicious meal last week that I am so excited to share with you. I feel like it is sooooo easy to get into a routine of the same few recipes over and over, so I decided to switch things up a bit. As I have mentioned before, our family has been enjoying Blue Apron meals on and off over the course of about the last six months or so. We took a step back over the summer when baby G arrived, but now that we have gotten somewhat settled into life as a family of four, I chose to update our Blue Apron meals to go from three meals a week for two people, to just two meals a week for four people. Leftovers are amazing to be able to pull out of the fridge on nights when a home cooked meal is about the furthest thing from my mind. Anyways...this recipe is a meal I choose not to order, but later decided to cook anyways using ingredients that I mostly had on hand already. I hope you love it as much as we did!

ORANGE CHICKEN WITH BUTTERNUT RICE | Yield: 4 servings | Time: 35-45min.

INGREDIENTS:

1 pkg chicken tenderloins
1 C jasmine rice
4 stalks celery
6 cloves garlic, minced
2 scallions
1 small butternut squash, diced (approx 2 cups)
3 Tbsp low sodium soy sauce
3 Tbsp orange marmalade
2 Tbsp sesame oil
1 Tbsp Sambal Oelek

Suggested side dish: Pagoda Chicken Egg Rolls

DIRECTIONS:

Wash and dry the fresh produce. Peel and mince garlic (if using fresh). Cut off the root end of the scallion; thinly slice on an angle, separating the white bottom and green top. Peel and medium dice the squash. Cut the celery on an angle into 1/2 inch wide slices.

In a medium pot, heat 2 tsp olive oil until hot. Add 3 cloves minced garlic and half the white bottom of scallion. Season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring often, 1-2 minutes, or until softened. Add rice, a pinch of salt, and 1 1/2 C water. Bring to a boil, cover, and reduce heat to low for 14-16 minutes, or until the water has been absorbed. Remove from heat and fluff with a fork.

Meanwhile, in a large pan, heat 1 Tbsp olive oil over medium-high heat. Add diced squash, season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 6-7 minutes, or until softened. Add 1/2 the soy sauce; stir to coat, cook 2-3 minutes. Transfer to a plate.

While the rice is still cooking, in the same pan, heat 1/2 the sesame oil on medium-high heat. Add the celery, remaining garlic, season with salt and pepper. Cook 2-3 minutes, or until softened. Add 1/4 C water, stirring occasionally until water cooks off, 2-4 minutes. Transfer to a plate.

Pat the chicken tenders dry with a paper towel, and season both sides with salt and pepper. In the same pan, heat 1 Tbsp olive oil on medium-high heat. Add the chicken, cooking 3-4 minutes on each side until lightly browned. Add the orange marmalade, remaining white bottom of scallion, remaining soy sauce and sesame oil, 1/4 C water, and sambal oelek (adjust for how spicy you want your dish). Cook, stirring occasionally 2-3 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through. Add the celery, and continue cooking 1-2 minutes until sauce thickens.

Finish the rice by adding the cooking butternut squash to the rice. Stir to combine and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve orange chicken over butternut rice. Garnish with green scallions. Enjoy!