I love takeout Chinese food. My hips unfortunately do not.
Because of this, I’m always trying to recreate my favorite naughty, to-go foods at home for a less guilt and less gut. One of my favorites to make at home is orange chicken. I can use all the freshest ingredients and avoid overly processed nonsense without sacrificing any of the flavor. it always turns out delicious.
Since I love my homemade orange sauce so much, I decided to throw it over some meatballs and the result was even better than I could have ever imagined (and even quicker than the chicken)! These beauties are the perfect appetizer at your next party or serve them over rice for a more hearty meal.
Sticky Mandarin Orange Meatballs
Ingredients
- 1 bag Frozen Meatballs I prefer SIMEK’S
- 3 tbsp Tamari
- 3/4 cup Orange Juice freshly squeezed
- 1/2 cup Brown Sugar
- Zest of One Orange
- 1 tbsp Peanut Oil
- 2 tbsp Ginger minced
- 2 tbsp Garlic minced
- 1 tsp Red Chili Pepper Flakes
- 1/2 cup Green Onions chopped with whites and greens separate
- 1 tbsp Rice Cooking Wine
- 1/2 cup Water
- 1 tbsp Red Wine Vinegar
- 2 tbsp Cornstarch
- Sesame Seeds for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Place frozen meatballs onto a cookie sheet and bake for 20-25 minutes, until heated thoroughly.
- While meatballs are baking, whisk together tamari, orange juice, brown sugar, and orange zest in a bowl. Set aside.
- In a large pan, or wok if you have one, add peanut oil, minced garlic, crushed red chili peppers, and whites of green onions. Stir- fry for a few seconds until fragrant.
- Combine the rice wine and rice vinegar with the orange tamari mixture, add to pan/wok, followed by cooked meatballs and stir all together.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the water and cornstarch to make a slurry, add it to the pan and stir until it has thickened.
- Top meatballs with sesame seeds and green part of onion before serving.
With only 7, easy steps, this couldn’t be easier! Let me know what you think once you make them!
Love always,
Erica
