Chicken Satay Stir-fry with Orange Rice

I adapted this recipe from foodnetwork.com with only some minor changes. 

Ingredients

• 3 3/4 cups water
• 2 oranges, zested
• 2 cups jasmine rice, rinsed
• 2 tablespoons canola, 2 turns of the pan
• 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 pounds chicken breast tenders, 2 packages, sliced on an angle into bite-size pieces
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 medium yellow skinned onion, roughly chopped
• 1 red bell pepper and 1 yellow bell pepper, seeded, quartered and sliced
• 1 cup shredded carrots, store bought
• 1 cup snow peas, a couple of handfuls

Satay sauce:

• 4 rounded tablespoonfuls chunky peanut butter
• 5 tablespoons dark soy, Tamari
• 5 tablespoons honey
• 1-inch ginger root, peeled and minced
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/2 orange, juiced

Garnish:

• 2 ounces (1/4 cup) chopped peanuts or nut topping, available on the baking aisle
• 2 to 3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil leaves

Cooking Directions: 

I used a rice cooker so I just added the water, rice, and orange zest to the cooker.  Let rice sit in cooker 10-15min after it is done and then fluff with a fork. If cooking rice on stove, add orange zest to water while being brought to a boil.  

For stir-fry, heat a large nonstick skillet over high heat with vegitable oil. Add chicken, garlic and onion, stir-fry 3 minutes.  Season to your liking with salt and pepper.  Add remaining veggies and stir-fry 5 minutes more.  I added soy sauce to the stif-fry for some extra depth in flavor.  

For sauce, heat all ingredients for sauce together in a small pot over low heat, stirring the sauce until all ingredients are combined.  Slowly add water (a couple tablespoons spaced out) to thin out the sauce.  You may prefer it thick, if so do not add water.  

Transfer stir-fry to a large platter and pour sauce evenly over the chicken and vegetables. I mixed the sauce in but you do not need to.  I also had a tiny wait before serving so I placed the dish in a warmed oven.  This helped meld the flavors together.  When ready to serve, sprinkle the platter with chopped nuts, cilantro, and basil. 

Serve jasmine rice with the stir-fry and bon appetite!  P.s. Makes GREAT leftovers!