Ever wish you had a maid, robot, husband, significant other, or a “Stepford Wife” of sorts that cleaned your house, folded your laundry, and cooked your dinner?
Well, I hate to brag, but I kinda have one of those.
His name is Lloyd, he’s 5’11”, easy on the eyes and has the best set of calves the state of Massachusetts has ever seen.
He mows the lawn, shovels snow, cleans my messes, and folds my laundry. He even hangs my “delicates.” Ahem.
Although I didn’t make any new year’s resolutions, I have been making a conscience effort to be better about emptying the dishwasher, not letting my laundry sit, unfolded, in the basket for a week, and putting things away, instead of letting them pile on the stairs.
And I’m getting there.
Slowly.
One of the few many pet peeves of Lloyd’s about me is that I always start a chore but don’t finish it.
“’A’ for effort,” I say. Translation: “easily distracted by anything and everything,”
He knows damn well that he wins “cleanest partner” in this relationship. Lloyd likes to give me a hard time about how much neater he is than me. It’s all fun and games.
But the other day, he took it to a new level.
After joking that “wouldn’t it be nice if you cooked?” he retorted with, “you’re lucky I don’t cook.”
Why? I looked at him, puzzled.
His answer? “Because then why would I need you?”
Oh no he didn’t!
Orange Chicken
Slightly adapted from Handle the Heat
Serves 4
Ingredients
For the sauce
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1 1/2 C water
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2 tbsp fresh orange juice
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2 1/2 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
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1/4 C fresh lemon juice
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1/3 C rice vinegar
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1 C packed brown sugar
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2 tbsp orange zest
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1/2 tsp minced ginger
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1/2 tsp minced garlic
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half bunch of green onions, chopped
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1 tbsp cornstarch
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1-2 tbsp water
For the chicken:
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1 lb. boneless chicken tenderloins, cut into small bites
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1/4-1/2 C cornstarch
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2-3 tbsp cooking oil
Directions
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Combine water, orange juice, soy sauce, lemon juice, vinegar, brown sugar, orange zest, ginger, garlic, and green onion in a saucepan over medium-high heat and bring mixture to a boil. In a separate bowl, dissolve 1 tbsp cornstarch in 1-2 tbsp of water, and then slowly pour into sauce. Reduce heat to low and stir until sauce thickens into a syrup-like consistency. Remove from heat and allow to cool a bit.
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Meanwhile, prepare chicken. Coat chicken in cornstarch, adding more cornstarch as needed and then heat oil in another skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken pieces to skillet and brown on all sides, letting chicken cook through (work in batches if necessary).
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Drain any excess oil before adding sauce mixture to chicken. Try to “coat” both sides of chicken in the sauce and simmer on low for 5 minutes.
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Serve with rice or noodles if desired.
And just like that, Lloyd was reminded that although he may fold the pants in this relationship, I still wear them.
This chicken? Amazing.
Traditionally deep fried and served in an infamous box, this beloved dish gets a makeover that may have you never dialing your local Imperial Garden again. Chicken breast tenderloins replace the darker, calorie-dense meat. With less grease, fat, and sodium, this orange chicken is guilt-free.
Cornstarch coats the chicken before it gets pan-fried so it maintains the texture of your standard take out. For me, this is key to “faking” Asian take-out! I’m telling you to put that flour away- it’s cornstarch you want here, folks! The citrusy sauce is tangy and sweet, but not overly so. It coats the chicken beautifully. While we aren’t huge on rice on this house, it soaked up the extra sauce wonderfully.
After just a few bites, Lloyd (quite literally) ate his words. 
And much like Lloyd says he’s lucky I cook, he’s lucky he cleans.
The laundry needs folding.
