I’ve never been a huge fan of Chinese food.
In fact, we just had this discussion the other day.
Why is it that we LOVE Vietnamese, Thai, and Japanese cuisine, but that darn old “American” Chinese food leaves us feeling so incredibly awful?

Battered. Fried. Sickly sweet. Heavy.

Yuck.

But, who doesn’t love the taste of sesame chicken?
It is and was for me a childhood favorite.
Only for a special occasion.

Thus, treat yourself to this “special occasion” but with a twist ~ a “healthy” twist.

Nothing battered; nothing fried; nothing sweet; and nothing heavy.

It’s simply absolute perfection.

Orange Sesame Chicken and Carrots

1 1/2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
juice and zest of 1 large orange, divided
sea salt
4 Tbs. butter, divided
2 tsp. arrowroot starch
2 tsp. toasted Japanese sesame oil
4 large carrots, chopped
2 tsp. white or black sesame seeds

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Season the chicken with salt and the juice of 1/3 of the orange, as well as 1/3 of the zest.
Bake, covered, for 45 minutes or so – unit the juices run clear.
Remove from heat and set aside.

Meanwhile, cover carrots with water in a medium saucepot and boil until fork-tender. Drain. Transfer to a high speed blender or food processor, along with a touch of salt, another 1/3 of orange juice and zest, and 2 Tbs. butter. Puree until smooth.

Finally, in another small saucepot, heat the remaining 2 Tbs. butter, orange juice and zest, with another touch of salt, until simmering. Continuously stirring, reduce the sauce by 2/3, until nice and thick. Add the arrowroot and whisk until well combined. Finally, remove from heat and stir in sesame oil.

Serve the chicken, sliced, atop the oranged-carrots, and top with the orange sesame sauce and sesame seeds.

Gorgeous and great.