Orange Chinese Chicken Recipe – Weight Watchers

As you know, I’ve been working with my own personal Weight Watchers coach over the past few weeks. At the beginning, my coach was able to give me great tips on how to stay accountable for what I put in my mouth throughout the day and for making sure I was moving enough. 

And now that I’m a few weeks in, I’m finding that she’s also very good at something else – helping bring back my motivation.

It always seems like I start something all gung-ho, do-or-die, never-quit…until I want to quit.  The newness wears off, the excitement wanes, and I can feel myself becoming less and less motivated.

That’s where my coach has been awesome. She’s there to encourage me and cheer me on. And I’ve been feeling a little discouraged, she’s helped me find new ways to motivate myself, offered advice, and given great tips on how to re-energize myself and my daily routines.

I know that making changes in my eating habits will take a little longer for me to get used to, so it’s been really nice to have her rooting for me and helping me during this period.

I’ve started devoting more time to meal preparation for the week ahead, making sure that I always have healthy meals and snacks ready when I need them. This Orange Chinese Chicken Recipe (6 WW Points Plus) is one of our favorite meals these days. I make plenty at once so I can have a small plate for lunch or dinner a few times a week. 

Orange Chinese Chicken Recipe

Ingredients

2 tsp dark sesame oil
2 tsp orange zest, strips
1 pound(s) uncooked boneless skinless chicken breast(s), four 4-oz pieces
1/8 tsp table salt, or to taste
1/8 tsp black pepper, or to taste
15 oz canned mandarin oranges in light syrup
1/2 cup(s) reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 Tbsp low sodium soy sauce
1 Tbsp orange zest, finely grated, or to taste
2 tsp cornstarch

Instructions

•    Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-low heat. Add zest strips and cook, stirring, until fragrant and slightly cooked, about 1 to 2 minutes. Meanwhile, season both sides of chicken with salt and pepper. When zest is finished, increase heat to medium-high; add chicken to skillet and cook until golden, flipping once, about 2 minutes per side.
•    Drain oranges and reserve 1/4 cup liquid. Add oranges with reserved liquid to skillet and simmer 2 minutes. Whisk together broth, soy sauce, finely grated zest and cornstarch in a small bowl; add mixture to pan and simmer until sauce thickens and chicken is cooked through, about 3 minutes more. Yields 1 piece of chicken and about 1/4 cup of sauce per serving.

Enjoy!