Stir-fried Chicken and Vegetables

by Susan Hanna

Serves 4.

Stir-fries are a great way to get dinner on the table in a hurry. This chicken stir-fry from Bonnie Stern’s Simply HeartSmart Cooking is not only quick and tasty, it contains only 278 calories per serving. This is a very adaptable recipe – you could use pork or seafood instead of chicken and any vegetables you have on hand. I omitted the carrot and used sliced red onions instead.

Avoiding Additives and Preservatives

I use tamari instead of soy sauce because it uses alcohol as a preservative instead of MSG, sulfites or sodium benzoate. I use Imagine organic chicken stock, Spectrum sesame oil and original flavour Tabasco sauce (instead of the hot chili paste). A recipe for homemade hoisin sauce is below. For more recipes using all-natural ingredients, visit Eye For A Recipe.

Ingredients:

Chicken

• 1 lb (500 g) skinless, boneless chicken breasts
• 1 tbsp (15 ml) soy sauce
• 1 tbsp (15 ml) cornstarch

Sauce

• 2/3 cup (150 ml) chicken stock or water
• 2 tbsp (30 ml) hoisin sauce (see recipe below)
• 2 tsp (10 ml) sesame oil
• 1 tbsp (15 ml) rice wine or sake
• 1 tbsp (15 ml) cornstarch

Hoisin sauce

•  1 tablespoon (15 ml) tahini
• 1 teaspoon (5 ml) five-spice powder
• 2 tablespoons (30 ml) light soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons (30 ml) rice vinegar
• ½ cup (125 ml) miso paste
• ¼ cup (60 ml) water
• 1/3 cup (75 ml) honey
• 1 clove garlic, microplaned

Vegetables and seasoning

•  1 tbsp (15 ml) vegetable oil
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp (15 ml) finely chopped ginger root
• 3 green onions, chopped
• 1 tsp hot chili paste or Tabasco sauce
• 1 sweet red pepper, cut in strips
• 1 carrot, thinly sliced
• 1 bunch broccoli, cut in 1-inch (2.5 cm) pieces
• 2 tbsp (30 ml) chopped fresh cilantro

Steamed rice for serving

Preparation:

Hoisin

1. Add all hoisin ingredients to a small pot. Whisk together and heat over medium low, stirring often, until thickened (approximately 5 to 10 minutes). Bubbles will gently start to rise to the surface and the colour of the mixture will start to darken slightly.
2. Set aside to cool.

For stir-fry

1. Cut chicken into 1-inch (2.5 cm) chunks. In large bowl, combine 1 tbsp (15 ml) soy sauce with1 tbsp (15 ml) cornstarch. Add chicken and toss to coat well.
2. For sauce, combine stock, hoisin sauce, sesame oil, rice wine and 1 tbsp (15 ml) cornstarch. Set aside.
3. To cook, heat vegetable oil in wok or large non-stick skillet. Add garlic, ginger, green onions and hot chile paste or hot sauce. Cook for 30 seconds
4. Add chicken to skillet and cook until lightly browned. Add red pepper, carrot, broccoli and ¼ cup (50 ml) water. Cover and cook for 3 to 5 minutes, or until chicken is just cooked through and broccoli is bright green.
5. Stir sauce well and add to the chicken and vegetable mixture. Bring to boil, stirring constantly. Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary. Serve over steamed rice and sprinkle with cilantro.

From Bonnie Stern’s Simply HeartSmart Cooking