Slow Cooker Orange Chicken for Chinese New Year

Chinese New Year and the Year of the Ox begin on January 26^th of 2009. Many people celebrate this holiday at home. My family enjoys observing the holiday as a time to gather with our friends and family and think about the new year. Many of the foods that are served at Chinese New Year are symbolic of something hopeful and positive. For example, in this recipe there is both chicken and oranges. Noodles are also optional. Chicken symbolize happiness and prosperity, dishes made with oranges represent wealth and good fortune and noodles represent longevity! This dish is a great one for any Chinese New Year celebration and it is also quick, easy and delicious! Slow cooker orange chicken over noodles can be eaten as a celebratory dish or served any day as a great meal.

6 boneless skinless chicken breast halves

OR

4 chicken drumsticks and 4 chicken thighs

1 cup of green and red bell pepper strips

½ cup chicken broth

½ cup orange juice

½ cup ketchup

2 Tablespoons soy sauce

1 Tablespoon light molasses

1 Tablespoon mustard

½ teaspoon garlic salt

1 11 oz can of mandarin oranges

2 teaspoons of cornstarch

1 cup frozen peas

2 green onions, sliced

Place the chicken pieces in your slow cooker. Top with the pepper strips. Combine the broth, juice, ketchup, soy sauce, molasses, mustard and garlic salt in a bowl. Pour over the chicken pieces. Cover the slow cooker and cook on Low heat for 6 - 7 hours for dark meat or 7 - 9 hours for breasts.Remove the chicken and vegetables from the slow cooker and keep warm.

Measure out 1 cup of the cooking sauce and put it in a saucepan over medium high heat. Bring it to a boil. Drain the oranges, reserving 1 Tablespoon of the juice. Stir cornstarch into the reserved juice and add it to the boiling sauces in the pan. Add the peas to the sauce and cook, stirring, for 2 - 3 minutes until the sauce thickens and the peas are warm. Stir in the oranges.

Arrange the chicken pieces and peppers on top of a platter of white rice or noodles. Pour the orange sauce over the chicken. Top with the green onions.