Orange chicken obsession

One of my favorite meals of all time is orange chicken from The Cheesecake Factory. I haven't had it in so long and the local Chinese place just doesn't cut it. While Mom is in town I decided to make her a few of my favorite recipes from the best cookbook EVER- Eat what you Love (Marlene Koch). I L.O.V.E. this cookbook...everything that I have made from it is amazing and surprisingly healthy/low cal. I threw this orange chicken recipe on my list of things to cook this week because I haven't made it before. WOW! Talk about a winner! This version is not only heavenly, but it is only 290 calories per serving! Compare that to 1,700 for the The Cheesecake Factory version and it is safe to say that this will be a new staple in our household. So without further introduction, here is the best and healthiest homemade orange chicken you will ever taste:

Sauce:
1/2 cup water
1/3 cup light orange juice
1/2 cup Sweat and Low (you better believe all I had was the packets so I emptied about 50 into a 1/2 cup measuring cup...yup)
2 tablespoons brown sugar
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
3 tablespoons lemon juice (I used the presqueezed stuff and it was still good)
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes (I used just a teeeeeny tiny bit because I hate spicy stuff)
2 tablespoons cornstarch

In medium saucepan, whisk together the first nine ingredients over medium-high heat. Bring to a slow simmer. In a small bowl, mix 2 tablespoons of water and the cornstarch until smooth. Then whisk into the sauce. Bring to a boil and cook until the sauce is thick (took about a minute). Allow to simmer while you cook the chicken.

Chicken:
1 1/2 lbs chicken breast chopped
1 large egg, beaten
1/4+ cup all purpose flour (I used about a cup because I am messy)
2 tablespoons canola oil (but I used sesame oil yum!)
1 small onion
**the recipe calls for a red pepper but YUCK. Next time I will add some peas or pea pods, green pepper, broccoli...really any veggies will do here!

Coat chicken with egg then toss in flour. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil until HOT in a nonstick skillet. Cook chicken until nice and brown on all sides (took about 5 minutes). Transfer chicken in a bowl. Add remaining oil to skillet and cook onion (and/or other veggies) until tender. Add the chicken back to the skillet and then toss all veggies and chicken until heated through. Add the sauce to the pan and wa la! You have your orange chicken. Serve with rice.

Hope everyone enjoys!

PS- As a photographer I am so ashamed that I didn't get a picture with my "real" camera. But this was taken with my Iphone that was right there...so next time I will take a professional quality picture. I am such a loser.