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This delicious, Asian-inspired, Sweet and Citrus Garlic Sauce is great to mix up ahead of time, then pop into the refrigerator until the night you want to cook. You’ll have dinner on the table in no time!
Sweet and Citrus Garlic Sauce lets you create a tasty dinner based on what you have on hand. Use any protein you want - chicken, pork, steak, shrimp, tofu - it all works. Choose whatever veggies you have and serve it over white rice, brown rice, rice noodles, or udon noodles. Any combination is delicious when cooked together in this sauce.
With a surprising amount of produce on the ingredients list, fresh win for this dish. Squeeze an orange instead of using bottled juice. Grate an onion instead of using onion powder. And while you may not keep fresh ginger on hand, go buy some for this recipe! (Tip: Store leftover ginger root in the freezer.)
What You Need
For the Sauce:
- A large orange
- Brown sugar
- Soy sauce
- Sesame oil
- Rice wine vinegar
- Garlic
- Fresh ginger
- Onion
For Cooking:
- Protein of choice - chicken, steak, shrimp, extra firm tofu
- Yellow or white onion
- Veggies - broccoli, carrots, pea pods, etc.
- Green onions
- Cornstarch
- Water
- Cooked rice, rice noodles or udon noodles
How to Make Sweet and Citrus Garlic Sauce
Mix up the Sauce:
Juice the orange into a medium bowl. Add brown sugar, soy sauce, sesame oil, rice wine vinegar, minced garlic, grated ginger, and grated onion. Whisk everything together until well combined.
Cook with the Sauce:
Prepare your protein of choice - Thinly slice chicken or steak OR peel and devein shrimp OR pat tofu dry and cut into 1” cubes. Set aside.
Place a large skillet over medium heat. Pour the sauce into the pan. Bring to a bubble.
Add onions, veggies, and protein. Cook for 4-6 minutes until veggies are crisp-tender and protein is cooked through.
Whisk together the cornstarch and water. Slowly mix into the sauce, stirring until incorporated. Cook for another 1-2 minutes until the sauce thickens.
Serve over cooked rice, rice noodles, or udon noodles. Enjoy!
Tips for Sweet and Citrus Garlic Sauce
Freshly grated ginger makes a big difference in flavor, so make the effort to buy fresh ginger. If all you have in the house is ground ginger, use 1 teaspoon in place of the fresh ginger.
This meal comes together quickly once you start cooking. If you’re using chicken, beef or pork for your protein, make sure you’ve thinly sliced the meat. Don’t cut it into cubes. You’re looking for thin strips of meat so it can cook quickly with the veggies.
During your weekend meal prep time, mix up the sauce, chop your veggies, and make the rice (if using). Store everything in separate containers in the refrigerator until the night you want to make this recipe.
This Citrus Garlic Sauce is great as a dip for potstickers or egg rolls. Heat the sauce in a small pan over medium heat and cook until the sauce reduces in volume by half. Cool to room temperature or chill before serving.
Yes! Feel free to skip the protein in this recipe if you want a vegetarian dish.
Cocktail Pairings
Print the Recipe
PrintSweet and Citrus Garlic Sauce
This delicious, Asian-inspired, Sweet and Citrus Garlic Sauce is great to mix up ahead of time, then pop into the refrigerator until the night you want to cook.
- Prep Time: 20 min
- Cook Time: 10 min
- Total Time: 30 min
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Stove Top
- Cuisine: Asian
Ingredients
For the Sauce:
- ½ of a large orange
- ⅓ cup brown sugar
- ⅓ cup low sodium soy sauce
- 2 tsp sesame oil
- ¼ cup rice wine vinegar
- 6-7 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tsp fresh grated ginger
- 2-3 tablespoon grated onion (about ½ a small onion)
For Cooking:
- 1 lb protein of choice - chicken, steak, shrimp, extra firm tofu
- 1 small yellow or white onion, peeled and thinly sliced
- 1 cup thinly sliced veggies - broccoli, carrots, pea pods, etc.
- 3 green onions, sliced - white and green parts
- 2 tsp cornstarch
- 2 tsp water
- Cooked rice or udon noodles
Instructions
Make the Sauce:
Juice the orange into a medium bowl. Add brown sugar, soy sauce, sesame oil, rice wine vinegar, minced garlic, grated ginger, and grated onion. Whisk everything together until well combined.
Cook with the Sauce:
Prepare your protein of choice - Thinly slice chicken or steak OR peel and devein shrimp OR pat tofu dry and cut into 1” cubes. Set aside.
Place a large skillet over medium heat. Pour the sauce into the pan. Bring to a bubble.
Add onions, veggies, and protein. Cook for 4-6 minutes until veggies are crisp-tender and protein is cooked through.
Whisk together the cornstarch and water. Slowly pour the cornstarch mixture into the sauce, stirring until incorporated. Cook for another 1-2 minutes while the sauce thickens.
Serve over cooked rice, rice noodles, or udon noodles. Enjoy!
Keywords: sweet garlic sauce, citrus sauce, asian sauce, stir fry, meal prep, fast meals, fast dinner, weekday dinner
Heather
This worked great with pan fried tofu and veggies (carrots, broccoli, bell pepper and kale, because that's what I had on hand in the fridge).
★★★★★
Katy McAvoy
So glad you enjoyed it!