Low-Fat Chicken Dish Bursting With Flavor

A high-quality nonstick wok allows you to make terrific, full-flavored Asian stir-fry meals using a minimum of oil.

For example, this light, delicious Chicken and Orange Stir-Fry is made with just 2 tablespoons of oil. As a result, the entire meal, including the rice, has less than 8 grams of fat per serving.

The dish is high in nourishing carbohydrates but low in rib-sticking fat. Yet it bursts with flavor from the lively combination of lean chicken, sweet red peppers, fresh oranges, ginger, garlic and snow peas.

A few whole dried red peppers give the recipe just a slight tingle of spiciness.

Chicken and Orange Stir-Fry Rice:

2 cups water

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup long-grain white rice, such as Thai jasmine Sauce:

1/4 cup orange juice

1 tablespoon cider vinegar

3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce

1 teaspoon brown sugar

2 teaspoons cornstarch

1 tablespoon dry sherry Stir-fry:

1/2 pound chicken breast meat, cut into 1/4-inch pieces (about 2 boneless, skinless breasts)

1 tablespoon dry sherry

2 teaspoons cornstarch

2 tablespoons canola oil

4 whole small dried hot red chilies

2 teaspoons chopped fresh ginger

4 ounces snow peas, stems and strings removed

1 red or green bell pepper, cut into 1/2-inch pieces (about 1-1/2 cups)

2 green onions, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

2 cloves garlic, crushed through a press (about 1 teaspoon)

5 mushrooms, sliced (about 3/4 cup)

2 navel oranges, peeled and sectioned

To make the rice, bring the water and salt to a boil in a medium-size saucepan. Stir in the rice and return to a boil. Cover tightly and reduce heat to low. Cook for 20 minutes then turn off heat and allow to steam covered for 5-10 minutes longer, or until the stir-fry is done.

To make the sauce, combine the orange juice, cider vinegar, soy sauce and brown sugar in a small dish. Stir well to dissolve the sugar. In a separate dish or ramekin, stir together 2 teaspoons of cornstarch and 1 tablespoon of sherry to make a smooth paste. Set aside.

To make the stir-fry, combine the chicken pieces and the remaining 1 tablespoon of dry sherry and 2 teaspoons of cornstarch in a small bowl. Set this aside to marinate while assembling other ingredients.

When ready to cook, heat the oil in a wok over medium-high heat. Add the dried chilies and cook in the oil until they begin to char, about 2 minutes. Remove from the oil with a slotted spoon and discard. Add the chicken pieces to the hot wok, stirring constantly until the chicken is white. Remove the chicken with a slotted spoon and set it aside on a clean plate.

Add the ginger to the wok and stir-fry for 1 minute until fragrant. Add the red pepper and snow peas and stir-fry for 2 to 3 minutes longer, until the peas are bright green. Add the garlic, green onions and mushrooms and stir-fry for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the cooked chicken to the wok, along with the orange sections, and stir-fry 1 minute until the meat is heated through.

Stir the sauce and add it to the wok. Bring the sauce to a boil, then stir the cornstarch mixture and add it to the wok. Bring the sauce back to a boil and stir until the cornstarch thickens, about 30 seconds. Remove from heat and serve immediately over warm rice.

Yield: 5 servings.

Nutrition information per serving including rice: 327 calories, 19 grams protein, 45 grams carbohydrate, 7.6 grams fat (21 percent fat calories), 35 milligrams cholesterol, 625 milligrams sodium.

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