Dinner for Two

I am starting to get a bit better at making dinner for two. I used to make dinner for 6 for two and just have left overs for lunch every day, but making a new dinner every night for 6 eventually led to left overs over looked...and then trashed.

I used to make orange chicken all the time and haven't in a while. But last night, I made a new version using all these ingredients that needed to be used or they would parish in my fridge. And I made just enough for two! So, this one can be for my Auntie's!

Mandarin Orange Chicken

3 Mandarin Oranges, juiced (about 4 oz.)
1/4 Cup of Dry white wine or Vermouth
The zest of one whole Mandarin Orange
1 large boneless skinless chicken breast cut into 2 thin breast pieces
2 cloves of garlic minced
1 medium leak halved and sliced
1/2 teaspoon coarse sea salt
1/2 teaspoon whole pepper corn
1/2 teaspoon whole coriander seed
Couple dashes of Nutmeg (or 1/4 teaspoon)
1 teaspoon of Olive Oil
Cooking Spray

1. Zest one whole mandarin orange. Mince the garlic. Put the orange zest, garlic, pepper corn, coriander seed, nutmeg, and sea salt in a mortar and pestle and...for lack of a better term...smash the ingredients together. Drizzle 1 teaspoon of olive oil into the mixture and create a paste.

2. Juice the 3 oranges, then add the 1/4 cup of booze to the juice. Cut the leak down the middle and cut each half in slices. Set aside one half.

3. Fillet the chicken breast so that you have 2 thin cut pieces of chicken breast fillets. Rub both sides of the chicken breast with the paste.

4. Coat a frying pan with cooking spray and fry the the chicken breasts on medium high heat. About 3 minutes each side. Remove chicken breasts from pan and set aside. Add another teaspoon of olive oil to the pan and quickly saute 1/2 of the sliced leaks, about 1 minute. Add the orange juice and booze, scraping all the brown bits up. Turn the heat down to medium and simmer for about 2 minutes until the sauce starts to thicken. Add the chicken back to the pan and spoon the sauce over the chicken. Turn the heat down and continue to spoon the sauce over the chicken for about 2-3 minutes or until sauce is reduced.

Serve with steamed broccoli and potatoes mashed with other 1/2 of the leaks sauteed with butter. Yum.

Enjoy!