7 Days of Oranges - Day 1

Orange and Sesame Glazed Chicken Skewers

Dave came home with a huge red box. The boys ran to greet him and said "Daddy, WHAT's in the box?" He set the box on the ground and encouraged them to open it. I think they were hoping it was a cool electronic gadget. Nope, no electronics.... it was a box of fruit! 15 pounds of valencia oranges, ortanique oranges and ruby red grapefruit to be exact! A client of Dave's sent him the oranges from Florida as a gift of appreciation. It was very thoughtful of his client but what in the world will I do with 15 pounds of citrus fruit? I know, cook with it. My mission: finding 7 sweet and savory orange and grapefruit recipes! I can't let this box of premium juicy fruit go to waste, so my plan is to incorporate them into this week's recipes. Plus, it's orange season in Florida so these orange beauties are bursting with sweet flavor. They taste like they were freshly picked right from the grove. I'm going make a course each day, so in the end it will be like serving a 7 course meal. I can't wait! So today I am am serving an appetizer as the first course. The appetizer recipe I chose to make is Orange and Sesame Glazed Chicken Skewers. It turned out amazing! The orange added a nice sweetness while the red pepper added a hint of spice. Salute to 7 days of oranges and 6 more to go!

Our oranges and grapefruit from Hale Grove,
Vero Beach, FL

Pan searing the chicken tenders until golden

Squeezing the orange juice in the sesame soy glaze,
smells so good

What a sweet appetizer!

Orange and Sesame Glazed Chicken Skewers (Click to print recipe)

Preparation and cook time: 40 minutes

Serves: 6

Ingredients:

• 12 fresh chicken tenders
• 1/4 cup flour
• salt n pepper
• 1/4 cup peanut oil
• 1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice, approximately 1 orange
• 1 tb orange zest
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 3 tb rice vinegar
• 1 tb sesame oil
• 1/4 t ground ginger
• 1/8 t crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 t minced garlic
• 1 tb cornstarch, mixed with 2 tb water
• 1 tb sesame seeds
• 2 tb sliced scallions
• 12 large wooden skewers - soaked in water for 15 minutes

Place wooden skewers through chicken tenders. Dip tenders in flour to coat and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Heat peanut oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook on each side for 7-10 minutes until golden and crisp and cooked through. Meanwhile for glaze: in a small sauce pan add orange juice, orange zest, soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, ginger, red pepper flakes and garlic, stir and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes. Reduce heat to low and add cornstarch and stir well. Let simmer for 10 minutes. Brush chicken with orange glaze and sprinkle with sesame seeds and scallions. Serve on a platter warm or at room temperature.

Food Impressions:

Dave: "Superb!"

Andrea: Sweet with a hint spice. Great appetizer but would also make a great dinner over white rice!