Lemongrove Avenue: Ginger-Orange Crunchy Chicken

On Sunday night I made dinner for my parents. I found a recipe for crunchy shrimp with a ginger-orange dressing and decided to make that but altering the recipe a bit. The biggest change I made? I made it with chicken, this substitution was due to an allergy but it worked out really well. The recipe makes about 4 servings.

Crunchy Shrimp Chicken with Toasted Couscous & Ginger-Orange Sauce (adapted from Cooking Light)

Ingredients

Sauce:
1 cup orange juice
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons reduced-fat mayo
1 1/2 tablespoons fat-free, vegetable or chicken broth
1 teaspoon grated peeled fresh ginger
1 teaspoon fresh lime juice
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
Couscous:
1 cup uncooked couscous
1 1/2 cups fat-free, vegetable or chicken broth
1/2 cup orange juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup chopped green onions (I substituted for fresh chives from the garden)
2 tablespoons sliced almonds, toasted
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
Chicken:
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into long pieces
1 large egg white, lightly beaten
1/2 cup panko
1 teaspoon chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 teaspoon grated peeled fresh ginger
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon canola oil
2 cups trimmed watercress

Preparation

To prepare sauce, bring 1 cup orange juice to a boil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat; cook until reduced to 1/4 cup (about 10 minutes). Remove from heat; cool completely. Stir in 1 tablespoon cilantro and next 7 ingredients (through cayenne pepper); set aside.

To prepare couscous, place couscous in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat; cook 3 minutes or until toasted, stirring constantly. Add 1 1/2 cups broth, 1/2 cup orange juice, and 1/2 teaspoon salt; bring to a boil. Remove from heat; cover and let stand 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork; add onions, almonds, and butter, stirring until butter melts. Keep warm.

To prepare chicken, combine chicken and egg white in a large bowl, tossing to coat. Combine the panko, 1 teaspoon cilantro, 1/2 teaspoon ginger, and black pepper in a large zip-top plastic bag. Add chicken to the bag, and seal and shake to coat.

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat; arrange chicken in a single layer in pan. Cook for several minutes on each side or until done.

Place 3/4 cup couscous on each of 4 plates; top each with 1/2 cup watercress and several pieces of chicken. Drizzle each with 1 1/2 tablespoons sauce.

You can’t see the cous-cous in this picture but it’s underneath it all! This was SO good, the sauce came out awesome. I definitely plan on making this again and again.