Stir fry vegetables with chicken and rice
Ingredients, for 4 servings:
1 bag Fresh Express "stir fry" (broccoli, snap peas, carrots) or any vegetable mix, frozen or fresh*
1 can water chestnuts
1 can baby corn
8-12 oz. frozen chicken (tenderloins, about 5 pieces; thighs, about 4)
1 tsp. parsley garlic salt
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter or olive oil
3 T. low sodium soy sauce
1 T. hot wing sauce, or other cayenne-based hot sauce
2 t. yellow mustard
1 t. pickled minced garlic
1 1/2 cups brown or white minute rice
3 cups hot water
Pinch of celery salt
Instructions:
1. Place frozen chicken in microwave-safe glass dish, with the parsley garlic salt and the butter or oil. Cook for 2 minutes. Turn the pieces over, coating them well in the butter/oil sauce. Cook for 2 more minutes. Place chicken on cutting board and cut into pieces about 2” long and 1” wide. Pour remaining butter/oil sauce into a large skillet.
2. Pour vegetables into the skillet, toss to coat with sauce. Add water chestnuts and corn, do not drain liquid from cans entirely, pour about 1/3 cup of it into the skillet. Turn heat on to medium-high. Fry vegetables for 3 minutes until they begin to shrink and soften, stirring frequently.
3. Pour the 3 cups hot water into a saucepan, add pinch of celery salt, turn heat on to high, watch pan while stirring vegetables. When water is boiling, add the rice. Stir then put the lid on the pan, once it starts boiling again, turn the heat down to medium-low. Stir frequently to keep rice from sticking to bottom of pan. Test hardness of rice grains after about 3 minutes, once it gets a bit soft, turn heat down to low. Cook 2-3 minutes longer, stirring often and adding 1-2 Tbsp. more hot water if it gets too dry or sticky.
4. Add the chicken to the vegetables in the skillet, then the soy sauce, hot wing sauce, mustard, and minced garlic. Mix all ingredients together well; turn heat down to medium-low. Fry and stir until vegetables absorb sauce and none of the chicken pieces are pink in the middle, about 3-5 minutes.
Spread a scoop of rice on a plate, ladle stir-fry over the top. Serve with a glass of buttery Chardonnay or a light fruity Pinot.
Other options: You can add sliced fresh mushrooms, onions, or bell pepper; canned pineapple chunks, bean sprouts, or bamboo shoots. *If frozen stir-fry vegetables are substituted for fresh, they will get softer and cook more quickly, and there will be more liquid cooking out of the vegetables: so drain any canned ingredients well.
