Easy Chicken Stir-Fry

Recipe modified. Original recipe by Canadian Living.

I have a few different go to stir-fry recipes because I find when you have a bunch of vegetables that you don't know what to do with, it's always the easiest thing. Like usual, I didn't follow the recipe exactly. The original recipe called for carrots, a green pepper, mushrooms and bean sprouts. I just used what I had on hand. That's the wonderful thing about stir-fry's!

Here is a handy tip. If you're like me and you never end up using all the ginger you buy, here's a great way to keep it longer and always have some on hand when you're in a bind. Peel the ginger and wrap it tightly in plastic wrap. Keep it in the freezer and when you need some, simply remove the plastic wrap and grate off (from frozen) the amount you need. This has come in very handy and I'm no longer throwing out dried out ginger!

What you'll need

4 skinless, boneless chicken thighs 

2 tbsp vegetable oil

1 tsp minced fresh ginger

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 a red pepper, seeded and chopped into bite size pieces

1/2 a yellow pepper, seeded and chopped into bite size pieces

15 sprigs of asparagus, ends removed and chopped into thirds

1/4 tsp pepper

2 green onions, thinly sliced

1 tsp toasted sesame seeds

Sauce:

1/2 cup chicken broth

2 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp rice wine vinegar

2 tsp corn starch

2 tsp sesame oil

1/4 tsp hot pepper sauce

How to

1.  Trim any excess fat from the chicken and cut into bite size pieces. In a wok or large skillet, heat half the oil over high heat; stir-fry the chicken until no longer pink inside. Transfer to plate.

2.  Add remaining oil to wok; stir-fry ginger and garlic for 1 minute. Add the red and yellow peppers, asparagus and pepper; stir-fry for 1 minute. Add 1/4 cup water; cover and steam until vegetables are tender-crisp, about 4 minutes. 

3.  Meanwhile, to make the sauce, whisk together chicken broth, soy sauce, vinegar, cornstarch, sesame oil and hot pepper sauce; pour into centre of wok and boil, stirring until thickened, about 2 minutes. 

4.  Return chicken to pan; stir-fry until sauce is thickened and glossy. Sprinkle with green onions and sesame seeds and serve with rice or quinoa. 

Chicken, Green Bean and Mushroom Stir-Fry

Recipe modified, original recipe form Fine Cooking Magazine.

This stir-fry is nice and fresh and it doesn't have any heavy sauces that can be overpowering at times. Don't worry though, there is still a ton of flavour in this dish and the perfect amount of spice.

What you'll need

4 oz Wide rice noodles (pad thai)

4 oz Green beans, cut into 1/4 inch slices (to yield 1 cup)

1 tbsp Vegetable oil

1 tbsp Minced garlic

4 Chicken thighs, boneless, skinless and cut into 1/4 inch slices

2 tbsp Fish sauce

1 tbsp Minced fresh ginger

1 tbsp Sugar

1 Red or green serrano chile, seeded and minced

2 oz Cremini mushrooms, thinly sliced (to yield 1 cup)

1 tbsp Chicken broth or water

A small handful of fresh cilantro (or fresh basil), roughly chopped

1 Lime cut into wedges for serving

How to

1.  Soak or cook the rice noodles according to package directions. Drain.

2.  Meanwhile, bring a pot of well-salted water to a boil. Add the green beans and blanch until crisp-tender, 30-60 seconds. Drain in a colander and run under cold water to stop the cooking.

3.  Heat oil in a large skillet or stir-fry pan over high heat until very hot. Add the garlic, stir and immediately add the chicken. Season with 1/2 tsp salt and stir-fry until the chicken is partially cooked, 1-2 minutes.

4.  Add the fish sauce, ginger, sugar, and chile and stir to combine. Add the mushrooms and stir-fry until they're limp, 1-2 minutes. 

5.  Add the blanched green beans and noodles and stir-fry until the noodles are tender, about 1 minute. If they are too firm, add 1 tbsp broth or water and stir-fry until the liquid is absorbed and the noodles are tender, about 1 minute.

6.  Transfer to a platter or plates, and garnish with the cilantro or basil. Serve immediately with lime wedges on the side.

Chicken Noodle Stir-Fry

Recipe modified. Original recipe by Canadian Living.

This recipe calls for baby bok choy, but I made it with kale instead. It's supposed to be so good for you and I certainly don't eat enough of it, so I thought I'd try it here. It turned out great. Even the leftovers were delicious!

What you'll need

6 Chicken thighs, boneless, skinless and cubed

1 tbsp Soy sauce

1 tbsp Sesame oil

1/4 tsp pepper

2 Garlic cloves, minced

1 lb Baby bok choy, cut in half lengthwise (or kale, torn into bite size pieces)

2 tbsp Vegetable oil

1 Red or yellow pepper, chopped into bite size pieces

1 thumb-sized piece of fresh ginger, minced

2 pkg (100g each) Dried ramen noodles

1/4 cup Hoisin sauce

1 Green onion, thinly sliced

How to

1.  Toss together chicken, soy sauce, sesame oil, pepper and half of the garlic; marinate for 10 minutes. 

2.  In wok or large skillet, heat 1 tbsp of the vegetable oil over high heat; stir-fry chicken mixture until chicken is cooked through, about 3 minutes.

3.  Add bok choy (or kale if using), red or yellow pepper, ginger and remaining garlic; stir-fry until tender-crisp, about 2 minutes. Transfer to plate

4.  Add 1 1/2 cups water and remaining oil to wok; bring to boil. Discard spice packet in packages and add noodles to wok; cover and steam until softened and loose, about 3 minutes. Break noodles apart.

5.  Return chicken mixture to wok. Add hoisin sauce and green onion; toss until hot and combined. If mixture is too sticky rather than saucy, stir in 1/4 cup of water. Serve.

Black Bean Beef and Vegetable Stir-fry

Recipe by Canadian Living, slightly modified.

Can you tell I love stir-fry's? I love all the vegetables and yummy flavours.  There are so many different ways to do a stir-fry that it's hard to get tired of them. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do! This one is a little different for me. I generally use chicken or shrimp, but thought I'd mix it up a bit for my red-meat loving husband. Enjoy!

What you'll need

340g Beef flank marinating steak, thinly sliced across the grain

1/2 tsp Pepper

1 cup Beef broth

3 tbsp Black bean sauce

1 tbsp Cornstarch

2 tbsp Vegetable oil

2 Garlic cloves, minced

1 tbsp Fresh ginger, minced

2 cups Broccoli florets

2 Sweet orange peppers, cut in chunks

1 White onion, cut in chunks

1 tsp Sesame seeds, toasted

1.  Sprinkle beef with pepper. Whisk together broth, black bean sauce and cornstarch. Set aside.

2.  In wok or large skillet, heat half of the oil over medium-high heat; stir-fry beef until browned but still pink inside, about 3 minutes. Transfer to plate.

3.  Add remaining oil to wok; stir-fry garlic and ginger for 30 seconds.

4.  Add broccoli, peppers and onion; stir-fry for 2 minutes. Cover and steam for 2 minutes.

5.  Return beef and any accumulated juices to wok. Add black bean mixture; stir-fry until slightly thickened, about 3 minutes. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve with white or wild rice.

Sweet Chili Chicken

Recipe by Canadian Living.

I'm in exam time now, so finding ways to make a quick and easy dinner is crucial.  This dish has so much flavour and it's so easy to make. 

What you'll need

675g Chicken thighs, boneless, skinless and cut into bite size pieces

1/4 tsp Salt

1 tbsp Vegetable oil

1 Garlic clove

2 tsp Fresh ginger, finely chopped

1 Onion, chopped

1 Sweet red pepper, cut into bite size pieces

1 Green Pepper, cut into bite size pieces (I used a yellow and an orange pepper, use whatever you prefer)

1 Jalapeno, seeded and finely chopped

1/2 cup Sweet chili sauce

1 tbsp Rice wine vinegar

2 Green onions, thinly sliced

How to

1.  Sprinkle chicken with salt. In wok or large skillet, heat oil over high heat; stir-fry chicken until starting to brown and juices run clear when chicken is pierced, about 6 minutes.

2.  Add garlic and ginger; stir-fry until fragrant, about 1 minute.

3.  Add onion, red and green peppers and the jalapeno pepper; stir-fry for 3 minutes, gradually adding up to 4 tbsp water (if needed) to prevent sticking to pan.

4.  Mix chili sauce with vinegar; add to wok and cook over medium-high heat, stirring often, until reduced and vegetables are tender-crisp. Sprinkle with green onions and serve with rice or quinoa. 

Beef Stir-fry with Udon Noodles

I apologize for the brief hiatus.  These last two weeks have been so busy that we never found time to go grocery shopping.  Dinner has consisted of whatever food we could find at the back of our freezer. On my way home from the hospital yesterday I picked up some ground beef and a red pepper.  I had no plans, but managed to come up with something delicious!  I added the sesame seeds at the end as an afterthought, but this dish would not have been the same without them.  So whatever you do, don't leave out the sesame seeds!

What you'll need
1 cup Beef stock
1/3 cup Hoisin sauce
2 tbsp Soy sauce
2 tbsp Rice vinegar
1 tbsp Cornstarch
1 tbsp Sesame oil
1/2 Yellow onion, chopped
1 lb Extra-lean ground beef
1 tbsp Fresh ginger, grated
2 Garlic cloves, minced
1 Red onion, sliced
2 Green onions, finely sliced
1 small bunch Fresh cilantro
400 grams Udon noodles
2 tbsp Sesame seeds, toasted

How to
1.  Heat the sesame oil in a large pan over medium heat.  Add the yellow onion and cook for about 4 minutes until the   onion is soft.  Add the ground beef.  Stir up every couple minutes, making sure to break up the beef as you go.

2.  When the beef is nearly cooked through, add the garlic and ginger to the pan.  Stir and cook until beef is no longer pink.

3.  Meanwhile, combine the stock, hoisin sauce, soy sauce, vinegar and cornstarch in a bowl and mix until combined.  Add to the pan, along with the red pepper.

4.  Cook for about 3 minutes.  If it's too thick, add some extra stock until the desired consistency is reached.

5.  Finely chop half of the cilantro leaves.  Add to the pan along with the green onion and udon noodles.  Cook for about 5 minutes, or until the pepper is soft and the noodles are heated through.

6.  Plate and top with the remainder of the cilantro leaves and the toasted sesame seeds.

Chicken and Vegetable Stir-fry

Recipe modified.  Original recipe by Family Circle.

Who doesn't love a good stir-fry?  Use whatever vegetables you have on hand and if you have some cashew's, throw some on top with the cilantro.  You can really mix this recipe up in so many ways.

What you'll need

1 tbsp Soy sauce

2 Garlic cloves, crushed

1 tsp Fresh ginger, grated

1 1/2 tsp Sesame oil

2 large Chicken breasts, cut into strips

2 tbsp Peanut oil

1 small Onion, halved and thinly sliced

1 handful Green beans (or snowpeas), trimmed and cut in half

1 Red pepper, thinly sliced

1 small handful Cilantro, roughly chopped

2 Spring onions, thinly sliced

Sauce:

3 tbsp Oyster sauce

3 tbsp Chicken stock

2 tsp Soy sauce

1 tsp Cornstarch

How to

1.  Mix together the soy sauce, garlic, ginger and 1/2 tsp sesame oil in a non-metallic bowl.  Add the chicken and mix well.  Cover and marinate in the fridge for 2 hours.

2.  In a separate bowl, mix all the stir-fry sauce ingredients together until the cornstarch is incorporated.

3.  Heat a wok over high heat and add 1 tbsp peanut oil and the remaining sesame oil.  When hot, add the chicken and stir-fry until just cooked through.  Add a little more oil if required.  Remove from wok.

4.  Heat the remaining peanut oil in the wok.  Add the onion and fry for 2-3 minutes.  Add the green beans and red pepper and stir fry for about 5 minutes.  Add the stir-fry sauce and chicken with any juices.  Stir well and cook for about 3 minutes, or until the sauce has thickened to lightly coat the chicken and vegetables. 

5.  Remove from heat, and stir in the cilantro and spring onion.  Serve with rice.

Salmon Stir-fry

Recipe from Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution.

What can I say?  Jamie's my hero.  Here is a super easy and delicious meal.

What you'll need
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup wild rice
3/4 lb Salmon fillet, skin off and bones removed
A handful of raw shelled peanuts
1 Garlic clove, finely chopped
A thumb-sized piece of fresh ginger, finely chopped
1 Fresh red chile, seeded and finely sliced
A small bunch of fresh cilantro
Peanut oil
1 heaping tbsp Mild curry paste
A handful of snow peas
1/2 a 14-oz can of coconut milk
A handful of beansprouts
1 lime

How to
1.  Cook your rice according to the packages instructions.

2.  Chop the salmon into 1-inch chunks.  Crush the peanuts.  Pick the cilantro leaves from the stalks, finely chop the stalks, and put the leaves to one side.

3.  Heat a wok over high heat and add 2 lugs of peanut oil.  Add the garlic, ginger, most of the chile and the cilantro stalks.  Stir for 30 seconds, then add the curry paste and stir for another 30 seconds.

4.  Add the salmon, cook for a minute, then add the snow peas and coconut milk.  Let everything cook for another minute.  Taste and season with salt and pepper.

5.  Spoon cooked rice into serving bowls.  Spoon over the salmon and sprinkle with the beansprouts and peanuts.  Halve your lime and squeeze over the juice.  Sprinkle with the remaining chile and the cilantro leaves.