Orange Chicken Meatballs with Roasted Broccolini
I really, really try to take my family’s tastes in account when planning our family menu. I ask myself: what are the desserts they drool over, what are the dishes they order every time we eat out, what do they crave when they need a bit of comfort food? Well, my darling, wonderful, amazing husband has a soft spot for Chinese food. Not the authentic kind you find on the backstreets of Chinatown, the kind you get at Top China #1 in the strip mall. The fried chicken coated in a sweet, sticky sauce on a mountain of steamed white rice with the tiny scoop of steamed veg on the side. So, I brainstormed a way to recreate those flavors without frying chicken or using a bottle of corn syrup that my whole family will love. Here’s my delightful result and I’m chuffed to say, it’s a hit!
Ingredients:
Makes 8 servings
Meatballs:
2 pounds ground chicken
1 cup bread crumbs
2 eggs
zest of 1 orange
2 teaspoons onion powder
2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 teaspoons salt
Sauce:
juice and zest of 4 oranges
enough orange juice to combine with the fresh orange juice to fill 4 cups (you’ll probably need about 2 cups)
1/3 cup coconut aminos
2 tablespoons honey
4 garlic cloves, finely grated
2 teaspoons sesame oil
2 teaspoons arrowroot powder
Roasted Broccolini:
2 bunches broccolini, ends trimmed
1 tablespoon olive oil
½ teaspoon flaky salt
Directions:
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. In a large bowl, whisk the 2 eggs for the meatballs. Add the orange zest, onion powder, garlic powder, and salt and stir to combine. Add the breadcrumbs and stir. Finally, add the ground meat and use a fork to stir through. It may take a few minutes, but continue stirring until the breadcrumb mixture is fully mixed with the meat. Use a scoop or spoon to make tablespoon sized meatballs and pop them on the tray. They can be quite close as long as they aren’t touching. Pop those in the oven for about 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, let’s make our sauce. In a wide skillet or saucepan (large enough to hold all of the meatballs!) add all of the sauce ingredients except the arrowroot powder. Use a whisk to combine. Set it to simmer and let it reduce for about 10 minutes. Mix the arrowroot powder with a splash of water in a small bowl and pour it into the sauce. Keep it simmering, stirring every so often as it thickens. When the meatballs are done, pop those in the sauce and stir to coat. Keep it on low heat with a lid. On the same sheet tray, toss the broccolini with olive oil and salt and bump the heat up to 425. Cook for about 20 minutes while the rice cooks and the meatballs stay warm. Enjoy!
