Orange Mandarin Chicken

While browsing recipes online I came across this dish. It sounded tasty and I thought it would add a little variety to our dinners. This recipe comes courtesy of Cooking Light.

Orange Mandarin Chicken

Ingredients
2 teaspoons olive oil
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch cubes
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 (11 oz) mandarin oranges in light syrup
1/2 cup chopped green onions
1 small can chopped seeded jalapeno pepper
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 teaspoons cornstarch

Directions
Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper and add to pan; cook until completely cooked through, about 8 minutes.

While chicken cooks, drain oranges while reserve 2 tablespoons liquid. Add oranges, 2 tablespoons liquid, onions, jalapeno pepper and garlic to pan. Reduce heat; simmer 2 minutes.

Combine broth, soy sauce and cornstarch and add to pan. Bring to a boil; cook until slightly thickened, about 1 minute.

Serve with white rice or Asian noodles.

Amanda's Analysis:
This was a pretty good dish. The orange flavor was nice, but not too overpowering. I think I would like to try this dish with some sort of noodles instead of rice. I can't think of anything I would change about this dish. I don't think this will be one of my most favorite dishes but I can see myself making this again. I give this dish 5 spoons.

John's Jibba-Jabba:
This entree was easy to make and relatively healthy although it did not pack the flavor punch I was hoping for. The can of jalapenos did not come through as much as I would have liked. Next time I think I would try fresh ones. Another change I would make is adding the mandarin oranges later. The syrup is good to go in early for flavor but the actual oranges should go in later so they do not break down in the heat and lose their shape. Overall this dish gets 5 spoons.