February 1, 2013

Chicken stir fry

I've now been married for almost 3 years and have used my wok a whopping 2 times! I love stir fry, but I always default to my frying pan so I can cook everything at once and just get it over with. This time around, I decided to give the wok another try and I loved it. Even with smaller batches, everything cooks so quickly, you don't even notice the difference. My veggies and chicken cooked perfectly! I searched the food network for some good recipes and this one from the The Neelys caught my eye. I doubled the sauce, changed a few things, and used chicken breast instead of thighs for a healthier alternative. Added some red peppers that were lying around and created something I will definitely make again. 



Ingredients:
2 T vegetable oil
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, sliced into strips
3 T ginger, peeled and chopped
1/2 bunch green onions, sliced on an angle
1 red pepper, sliced
1 bunch broccoli florets
red pepper flakes to taste

sauce:
4 T soy sauce
2 T lemon juice
2 T rice wine vinegar
2 T brown sugar
1 T corn starch

Directions:
whisk together soy sauce, lemon juice, rice wine vinegar, brown sugar, and corn starch in a separate bowl.
turn heat to medium-high and add 1 T oil to wok. 
when oil is hot, add half the chicken. 
cook for around 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until chicken is cooked through.
transfer to plate.
cook remaining chicken and transfer to plate.
add remaining 1 T oil to wok.
add broccoli to wok and cook for 5 minutes. transfer to plate.
add red pepper to wok, cook for a few minutes, transfer to plate.
add garlic, ginger, green onions, red peppers, and red pepper flakes to wok and stir-fry for a few minutes.
add chicken and brocolli back to wok. 
add sauce, stir, and cook for about a minute until it starts to bubble and thicken. 
serve over rice or on its own.

Tips & Extras

Rice - If you live near Trader Joe's, they sell boxes of frozen rice (brown & jasmine) that you can microwave in 3 minutes. They are a life saver for quick weeknight meals. 

Brown sugar storage - Feel like you are always buying brown sugar because it turns into a rock? Put the box or bag of brown sugar in a ziplock back and place in the refrigerator - it will last forever! If it's too late, you can grate the brown sugar (in rock form) with a standard cheese grater. 










Red pepper flakes - I add a dash for flavor and then let my husband add as much as he likes! I can't really take heat, so a few flakes does the trick for me. If you like heat, add about 1 tsp to the stir-fry. 

Ginger - If you can't find fresh ginger, leave it out. There isn't a really good substitute for fresh ginger. 

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