Repurposing Leftover Orange Chicken and Rice to Create a Stir Fry: Real Food, Real Fast!

This evening I shared a recipe for Orange Sesame Chicken at $5 Dinners. The recipe calls for 1 1/2 – 2 pounds of chicken which is more than my family of 5 eats at one meal. Instead of reheating the leftovers at a later date, I use them to create an “encore meal”.

When I refrigerate leftover meat, I try to keep as much of the juices and glaze as possible. This creates a flavorful base for the next meal. I skim a tablespoon or two of fat from the top of the leftover liquids from the Orange Sesame Chicken and use it to sauté the onions, however, you may use oil instead. 🙂

I can never use up ginger before it goes bad, so I store it in the freezer. It is easier to grate ginger when frozen. Just peel the outer skin and grate – it will produce a  fine grate, without any stringiness when frozen.

Ingredients:

1 –2 tablespoons fat or oil
3 – 4 green onions diced, including the green tops
2 cups thinly sliced carrots
2 cups fresh or frozen green beans
2 tablespoons orange juice
1 tablespoon honey
2 teaspoons grated ginger
1 – 2 cups leftover orange sesame chicken, diced
Leftover rice

Directions:

Heat fat (or oil) in a large skillet. Add onions and sauté until the onions are softened.

Add remaining juices from leftover Orange Sesame Chicken, orange juice, honey, and ginger and stir until mixed.

Add carrots and green beans and simmer over a medium heat until much of the liquid has been reduced and the carrots are just fork tender (about 7 – 10 minutes).

Add chicken and continue to cook over a medium heat until the meat has been heated through.

Serve over reheated rice:

Do you have a favorite “encore meal”?

For more real food recipes, visit Real Food Wednesday.