Joey's Easy Orange Chicken

 This is an easy and quick recipe to make for a mid week dinner. It only took me about a half hour to throw it all together, and it's REALLY flavorful! Actually, I must confess that the entire recipe isn't exactly mine. I found a recipe online and used it as a base, then I made a few additions and changed the amounts of a few things (as I often do!) and now here we are! So, I guess I can still call it mine, right? Kinda? Anyway, the most important thing is that you'll LOVE it! It has such a refreshing burst of orange flavor and the vinegar and soy sauce just balance everything out. I couldn't stop eating it!!  And Chris and Claire gave me the official "thumbs up" when I asked them to try it. Actually, "Slammin" was the word they used. Come to think of it, they say that for everything.... And btw,....Terri.... NO this is not too many ingredients.... it's just a couple things that you probably already have on hand.
So try it!!!

3-4 boneless chicken breasts, cut into small chunks
flour for dredging
olive oil
salt and pepper
6 oz frozen orange juice concentrate (thawed, not diluted)
1/2 cup ketchup
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tbs balsamic vinegar
1 tbs soy sauce
1 onion
1 red bell pepper
1 green bell pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp fresh ginger, peeled and grated or minced
1 cup chicken broth (or water)

 In a small bowl, mix the orange juice concentrate, ketchup, brown sugar, vinegar, and soy sauce. Set aside.
Dredge the chicken pieces in flour and shake off the excess. Add a few glugs of olive oil to a skillet and lightly brown the chicken on the outside, but don't cook it all the way through. Do this in batches so as not to overcrowd the pan, adding more oil as needed. Transfer the chicken to a bowl and set aside.While the chicken is cooking, roughly chop the onion and peppers. After browning the last batch of chicken, add the onions and peppers to the pan. Saute until softened. Add the garlic and ginger and saute for a minute or two longer. Add the chicken broth (or water) to deglaze the pan. Scrape up any remaining brown bits. Add the chicken back to the pan along with the sauce mixture. Give it a good stir. Reduce heat and let it simmer for about 20 minutes. Adjust seasoning if needed. Serve over rice.

Tips:
I could only find a 12oz container of frozen concentrated orange juice, so I just used half of it. It should be about 3/4 cup. If you're not sure what to do with the rest of the concentrated juice, just store it in the freezer, or make a double batch of the recipe......and of course you can still mix it up to make orange juice. Just simply use half as much water!
I didn't add anything spicy to the dish because I prefer things mild, but Chris thought it needed a little something hot. So, if heat is your thing, go ahead and add a few chopped red chilis, or sprinkle a few red pepper flakes. Add as much as you dare!