Chicken and Rapini Skillet with Mandarin Orange Sauce

Rapini, or broccoli rabe (“rob”), is an earthy, slightly pungent leafy green vegetable similar to turnip greens, and especially popular in Italian cuisine. Its small buds resemble tiny heads of broccoli—therefore, its alternate name.

Rapini 

Broccoli-like buds

Rapini is mostly about the leaves, but all parts are edible except for the thickest parts of the stems. For this recipe, I coarsely chopped the trimmed stems, leaves, and buds for quicker cooking. And like other leafy greens, rapini cooks quickly and shrinks considerably. Don’t be shy with quantity.

To complement the earthy flavor of the vegetable, I added a little fruitiness with mandarin oranges and the juice they were canned in. If you can’t find mandarins packed in their own juice, use those canned in light syrup, which may make the sauce a bit sweeter.

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 1 11-oz can mandarin oranges in mandarin orange juice
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp rice vinegar
• 2 tsp chile garlic sauce
• 3 tbsp olive oil, divided
• 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast or thighs (or a mixture), cut into 2-inch pieces
• sea salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 3/4-inch piece of ginger, peeled and finely chopped
• 5-6 packed cups coarsely chopped rapini leaves, buds, and small stems (1 large bunch)
• 2 cups cooked white basmati rice, warm

Chopped Rapini

Preparation

1. Strain the oranges, reserving the juice in a medium bowl. Set the oranges aside.
2. Add the soy sauce, vinegar, and chile sauce to the juice, whisking well to combine. Set aside.

Strained Mandarin Oranges 

Orange Slices and Juice Mixture

1. Heat a large, deep skillet over medium heat and add 1 tablespoon of oil. Add the chicken and season with salt and pepper. Stir-fry until golden brown and just cooked through, 9-10 minutes, depending on thickness. Transfer the chicken to a bowl. Do not wipe out the skillet.

Chicken Beginning to Cook 

Cooked Chicken

1. Re-heat the skillet over medium heat and add the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil. Add the garlic and ginger and stir-fry 1 minute.
2. Add the rapini and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, until the rapini begins to wilt and absorbs some of the oil, 2 minutes.
3. Return the chicken to the pan and stir in the rice. Add the reserved juice mixture and cook until some of the liquid is absorbed, 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and gently stir in the reserved mandarin oranges.

Garlic and Ginger

Rapini Beginning to Cook 

Wilted Rapini

Divide the skillet mixture among 4 plates and serve right away.

Chicken and Rapini Skillet with Mandarin Orange Sauce