Orange Chicken

Tangy and sweet this orange chicken is the perfect way to capture your favorite flavors at home in a healthier way.

Ingredients

• 3 lb Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs
• 1/4 cup fresh orange juice (about 1 orange or 2 Mandarin oranges)
• 1/3 cup Agave Nectar
• 1/4 cup ketchup
• 1/3 cup low sodium soy sauce
• 1 1/2 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1/5 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch

Makes 10

Directions

1. Place chicken in the bottom of your slow cooker.
2. In a medium bowl combine orange juice, Agave nectar, ketchup, soy sauce, and sesame oil. Whisk to combine.
3. Add in ground ginger, garlic powder and red pepper flakes and again whisk well to combine. Pour mixture over the chicken and turn to coat.
4. Cook on HIGH for 4-5 hours or on LOW for 6-8 hours.
5. When chicken is done, remove chicken from slow cooker and cut into cubes or pull apart into bite-sized pieces and set aside. Cover to keep warm.
6. Transfer the cooking liquid to a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a simmer.
7. Slowly sprinkle cornstarch into cooking liquid while whisking constantly to avoid clumps. Continue whisking 1-2 minutes until sauce thickens.
8. Serve chicken with sauce drizzled on top and steamed broccoli on the side. Brown rice is another good side dish and it has about 15 grams of carbohydrate per 1/3 cup (30 grams of carbohydrate per 2/3 cup).

Notes: Boneless, skinless chicken thighs are dark meat and add depth of flavor to this dish but you can opt to use chicken breasts as well.