Orange Chicken Meatballs w/ Ramen & Roasted Asparagus
Once upon a time, I was gluten-free (maybe we’ll go back some day… who knows!) But I was craving orange chicken. Only problem is, finding gluten-free orange chicken is next to impossible, SO, naturally I created my own.
Meatballs are quickly becoming a Shortcut Kitchen staple cuz they reheat well, feel comfy cozy, and believe it or not, they’re really not that hard to make.
& while I do love orange chicken, I try to cut out hidden sugars where ever I can cuz I have no problem eating that food group :) So I wanted to make my own recipe with a little less sugar, but no less flavor.
You can for sure pair these with rice, but I’ve been on a ramen kick so these are getting paired with ramen.
Usually it takes me a handful of tries to finalize a recipe, but this one was a home run from day one (not to toot my own horn), so I just KNOW you are going to love this recipe as much as I do.
So let’s get cookin’!
Orange Chicken Meatballs
Servings: 4
Meatball Ingredients
1T avocado oil
1lb lean ground chicken
1 egg, beaten
1/3c gf breadcrumbs
1/2tsp garlic powder
1/2tsp onion powder
1/4tsp ground ginger
1tsp orange juice
Orange Sauce Ingredients
1/4c orange juice
1/4c coconut aminos
2T pure maple syrup
1T distilled vinegar
1/2tsp garlic powder
1/8th tsp ginger powder
1tsp sesame oil
Ramen Ingredients
2 packs of brown rice ramen (no seasoning)
Asparagus Ingredients
1 bundle asparagus, woody ends snapped off
1T olive oil
pinch sea salt
1/4tsp garlic powder
Directions
Heat your oven to 425 degrees farenheit and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Wash and dry your asparagus and lay flat on the parchment paper. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and garlic powder.
Mix with your hands and lay flat. Set pan to the side and move onto the meatballs :)
Grab a large mixing bowl and add the ground chicken, egg, bread crumbs, garlic powder, onion powder, ginger, salt, pepper, and orange juice.
Using your hands, mix everything until evenly combined.
Using a tablespoon scoop, scoop out 12 equal-sized meatballs, set on a plate, and roll into balls.
Heat a large sauce pan over medium heat and add olive oil.
While oil heats, place the asparagus in the oven and set your timer for 15 minutes. If after 15 minutes they aren’t quite browned enough, place back in the oven for another 5 minutes or so.
Once oil is hot, add the meatballs and brown on each side, about 3-5 minutes per side.
While your meatballs brown, fill a medium-sized sauce pan with water and bring to a boil. While we wait, let’s get back to the meatballs.
Once each side of your meatballs is browned, pour the sauce over the meatballs. Ensure each meatball is covered with sauce.
Lower heat to a simmer and cover. Allow to simmer for 5 minutes, flip, and allow to simmer for another 5 minutes on the other side.
In the last 5 minutes of the meatballs cooking, add your ramen to the water and cook until done, should take about 5 minutes.
Grab a plate, place your ramen on it, top the ramen with 3 meatballs per plate, and add the asparagus.
If you are meal prepping this, plate one meal and out the rest in air-tight containers and place in the fridge.
Enjoy!
