Work Week Lunch

Preheat your oven to 375 F. Grease a baking sheet with cooking spray.

Prepare the chicken: Process or blend the panko breadcrumbs to make them finer (I just used my food processor). Add the flour to a bowl and mix it with the salt. Place the processed panko breadcrumbs and whisked eggs in their own bowls.

Dip the chicken in the flour, then eggs, then panko and onto the baking sheet. This is easiest to do with tongs. Make sure to tap off excess flour and panko as you go and give the chicken as much space as possible. When all the chicken is coated and on the sheet pan, bake for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook the rice: add the rice, water and a generous pinch of salt to a pot. Bring the pot to a boil, then cover and reduce to a simmer for 10 minutes. Turn off the heat and let the rice steam for an additional 10 minutes (or longer). No peeking! Then fluff with a fork and set aside.

Cook the broccoli: Add the oil to a skillet over medium heat, followed by the broccoli and salt and pepper to taste. Toss the broccoli to coat it in the oil, then add 1/4 cup water to the pan. Cover and let the broccoli steam until bright green - about 6-8 minutes. Uncover the pan and let the broccoli cook for an additional 2-3 minutes. Remove it from the pan and give it a quick wipe with a clean towel.

Prepare the sauce: Mix the cornstarch, rice vinegar, soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil, ginger, garlic, ketchup and water in a measuring glass. Squeeze the juice from the orange into the glass and add about 1/2 tsp of zest.

Cook the sauce: Pour the mixture into the same pan you used for the broccoli over medium-high heat and bring it to a low boil. Stir frequently and keep cooking until the sauce thickens, about 3-5 minutes. Taste and adjust flavors as necessary. If you want it to be sweeter, add more sugar or ketchup.  If the sauce is not thickening, turn up the heat a bit and stir less often.

When the sauce is thick, add the cooked chicken to the pan and toss to coat.

Assemble: Divide the rice, broccoli and coated orange chicken to your meal prep containers. That's it!