Recipe in the works… Faux Orange Chicken

I got the idea from one of my Facebook friends on Atkins Diet Videos fan page.  She said she was couldn’t find Diet Cola with Splenda for my buffalo wings recipe, so she used diet orange soda instead.  That got me thinking that one could make one of my Chinese favorite foods, Orange Chicken , in a similar fashion.  I went to a few different grocery stores to try to find a sucralose-sweetened orange soda, but I found one in a house brand.  I found other recipes for Orange Soda chicken, but they didn’t seem quite right (not breaded chicken) and the sauce seemed watery.   I took the basic recipe from those sites and tweaked it low carb style.  My first attempt tonight was good but could have been a bit better.  Here’s the recipe as it exists today:

• 4 large breasts sliced into small strips
• 1 cup Parmesan Cheese, grated
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup Cream / Water
• 1 can Diet Orange Soda, sweetened with sucralose
• 1/2 cup Soy Sauce
• 1/2 tsp Ground Ginger
• 1/4 tsp Garlic
• 1/2 tsp Crushed Red Pepper
• 1/4 tsp Xanthan Gum

I cooked the Orange sauce down and reduced it, but not enough this time.  I also did not use enough Xanthan gum for the sauce to stick like it should.   I liked the recipe and the flavor, but it could have been slightly more orange and sauce more sticky.  Stay tuned, I am sure this one will make the videos soon enough.