Trader Joe’s Orange Chicken

Here’s a dinner “recipe” for when you simply can’t be bothered to do anything but dump stuff into a pan on the stove and hope for the best. Last week I came down with some kind of cold/sinus infection/general malaise that knocked me on my ass for a few days then disappeared as quick as it came on (#blessed). As such, I didn’t feel like cooking something that required any planning or thought aside from making my way to Trader Joe’s frozen food aisle and having at it.

Trader Joe’s Orange Chicken is widely regarded as being (1) delicious and (2) easy to make, so it’s worth keeping a bag or two on hand for a quick “oh shit” meal. I paired the entree with a heaping helping of white rice, Trader Joe’s Cilantro Chicken Wontons (another fabulous frozen find and surprisingly low in calories!) and a bag of mixed Asian veggies. Putting the meal together is simple and should only take you around 30 minutes, depending on how quick your rice cooker is.

First step is obviously to get your rice going. Rinse a few times and put into the rice cooker or on the stove.

Next, start the wontons. Add a little vegetable oil to the pan and brown according to package directions. Then you’ll add water and steam, covered until soft. Put them off to the side.

In the same pan, add frozen veggies and a little water to steam. Cover until soft and season as you wish. Set aside and cover to keep warm.

More vegetable oil! Heat oil in the pan and add frozen chicken pieces from the bag. Take care to put the sauce packets off to the side. You may need to work in batches depending on the size of your frying pan. Once chicken is browned on all sides and cooked through, warm up the sauce packets and either add to the pan or in a bowl and combine with chicken.

Layer rice, veggies, chicken and wontons in a bowl and dig in, you deserve it.