I love 30 minute “all in one bowl” dinners for weeknights, especially ones that lack arbitrary ingredients. Sesame seeds are the most random here and they’re easy to throw on the grocery list. This one is light and healthy PLUS my 2 year old daughter devoured it. Even when noodles taste Asian she gobbles them down. Kid’s aren’t dummies, noodles are the best.
Since pictures look better taken in natural light, when I want to blog a dinner recipe I need to make it during naptime and tupperware the lot until we are ready to eat. It’s for this reason that I can often attest to the “leftovers” option of a meal; high praise for this one! We enjoyed it several hours after I’d taken my initial testing bites and I noticed no difference. Even cold it’d be great – not unlike those deliciously greasy sesame noodles we all love (except WAY healthier).
This meal could take you less than 30 minutes but you have to work appropriately – this is the way a good recipe should be written. Ingredients are listed in the order that you use them. Get the water boiling for the pasta and chop your veggies. When your pasta is cooking, whisk your liquids and saute the veggies and chicken. If your minutes are nonstop (aka, you’re not stopping every three seconds to fake-eat your child’s fake cupcake creation) it could be done in 20!
Orange Sesame Chicken and Noodles
Serves 4
8 oz. (half a package) whole wheat spaghetti
3/4 c. fresh orange juice (about 2 oranges)
3 tbsp. low sodium soy sauce or tamari
1 tbsp. cornstarch
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper
1/2 tsp. brown sugar
2 tbsp. sesame seeds
1 large red bell pepper, seeded and diced
1 red onion, diced
16 oz. chicken (about 2 large breasts), cut into large chunks and sprinkled with salt and pepper
2 scallions, thinly sliced
1. Bring water to boil for noodles in large saucepan filled 2/3 of the way. Add 1 tsp salt to water. Add pasta once boiling and cook until al dente (about 10 minutes). Before draining, reserve 1/3 c. pasta cooking water.
2. Meanwhile, whisk orange juice, soy sauce, cornstarch, garlic powder, crushed red pepper and brown sugar in a small bowl. Add reserved cooking water from step 1 to mixture.
3. Set a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add sesame seeds and cook, stirring occasionally, until fragrant and light brown (should take just a few minutes- watch carefully). Remove from pan to small bowl.
4. Add oil to now empty skillet. Add pepper and onion and saute briefly, 2-3 minutes. Add chicken and saute until golden brown and cooked through.
5. Add cooked pasta and orange juice mixture to veggies/chicken and use tongs to combine.
6. Plate and top with scallions and sesame seeds.
