I always forget what a cinch it is to pull together a stir-fry: some hot oil, a lean protein, an array of brightly colored veggies, maybe a carb or 40, and some quick garnishes. Bam! Dinner’s done. We’ve got two quick chicken stir-fry methods here: one crazy-speedy, stripped-down recipe for the kiddie kids, and one right behind it with more goods in it. More flavor. More sauce. More errrthang. You’re gonna dig it.
| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 40 min |
| Prep: | 15 min |
| Inactive: | 5 min |
| Cook: | 20 min |
| Yield: | 4 servings (2 kids, 2 adults) |
Ingredients
- 4 to 5 tablespoons sesame oil
- 1 pound chicken breast, thinly sliced
- Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
- 1 cup frozen mixed veggies, thawed
- 1 box (14 ounces) stir-fry rice noodles
- 3 scallions, finely sliced
- Sesame seeds, for garnish
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon freshly minced ginger root
- 1 tablespoon lemongrass paste
- 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
- 1 bag (6 ounces) snow peas, sliced on the diagonal
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- Juice of 1 lime
Instructions
- Heat 2 tablespoons of the sesame oil in a large saute pan. Add the chicken to the pan, and sprinkle with salt and pepper; sear on one side for 3 minutes. Flip and sear until you see nice browning all over, another minute or two. Remove the chicken and set aside.
- Add the thawed veggies to the pan to simply warm through.
- In the meantime, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the rice noodles and boil for about 1 minute. Remove from the heat and let stand for about 5 minutes. Drain the noodles.
- At this point you’re ready to serve the kids! Using tongs, grab a small mound of noodles and plate them. Top with the warm veggies and a few slices of chicken. If your kids can dig a little scallion, by all means, garnish away! Sesame seeds are fun, too.
- Now let’s continue on for our adult mouth holes.
- Back in the saute pan, bring another tablespoon or two of sesame oil to a medium-high heat. Add the garlic, ginger and lemongrass. Let bloom and saute for about 30 seconds, then add the red bell pepper and snow peas. Sprinkle with a small pinch of salt and pepper. Toss and saute a couple of minutes, until the veggies slightly soften and pop in color.
- Add the chicken to the pan, along with as many noodles as you can fit. Add the soy sauce, lime juice and maybe 1 more tablespoon of sesame oil. Toss everything together to coat.
- Serve on a huge platter (or individual plates) garnished with scallions and sesame seeds!
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 4 servings |
| Calories | 684 |
| Total Fat | 19 g |
| Saturated Fat | 3 g |
| Carbohydrates | 90 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 5 g |
| Sugar | 4 g |
| Protein | 35 g |
| Cholesterol | 83 mg |
| Sodium | 897 mg |