My Stir Fry

I often cook following a recipe...the first time I make something. I usually do this because I have no clue when it comes to proportions of ingredients. But after the first time, I will generally mix things up and make a dish my own. This stir fry has evolved over the last few years and everyone in our house loves it. So, that being said, I am estimating the amounts of things. Feel free to follow it or mix it up yourself!

My Stir Fry:

2 chicken breasts cut into bite sized pieces
1 teaspoon grated ginger (buy one piece and you can keep it in the freezer for 3 months!)
8 ounces sliced mushrooms
1 small yellow onion diced
1 bell pepper chopped (any color, I usually use red)
1/2 c of snap peas whole
1/2 can of water chestnuts
1 cup bean sprouts
4 scallions sliced
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tbs soy sauce (I use low sodium)
2 tbs vegetable oil
1/2 tsp chili paste (optional: if you like it spicy! You can always add it at the end after removing the kid's portion. That's how I do it.)
pepper

For the sauce:
3 tbs soy sauce
2 tbs Hoisin sauce
2 tbs brown sugar

Ok, so I know it looks like a lot of ingredients, but what makes this dish so easy is that you can substitute or leave out any of the veggies and use what you like. That is just what I like to put in it. If you are in a pinch and don't feel like all of the hoopla of chopping (really only takes 10 mins all together to prep) then grab a bag of stir fry veggies from the produce section. It will probably be near the bagged salads.

First cut the chicken into cubes and put it in a bowl with sesame oil, 1 tbs soy sauce, a few grinds of pepper and grated ginger. (You really don't need to measure the ginger.) Let that marinate while you chop your veggies up.

Chop all veggies. Add vegetable oil to the pan (You can use a wok, but I don't have one. I have a pan that sorta looks like a wok, so I use that.) and heat on medium high until you see the oil start to glisten. (The key to this is a hot pan and hot oil) Toss in the chicken and cook for 3-4 minutes. Remove chicken and set aside.

Add 1 tbs vegetable oil to your pan and put in the yellow onion & pepper. Cook for 2 minutes and then add in the mushrooms and cook for another 2-3 minutes until they soften. Add the water chestnuts, snap peas and 1 tbs soy sauce and cook for 2 more minutes.

Add chicken back in (make sure to pour the juices in too) and make a hole in the middle of the chicken and veggies by pushing the contents to the edges of the pan. In the hole add remaining 2 tbs soy sauce, hoisin sauce and brown sugar (add the chili paste now if you are putting it in). Stir the sauce frequently and let it bubble up until it starts to thicken. Stir the veggies and chicken into the sauce and turn off the heat. Mix in the bean sprouts and scallions and you're done!

This usually takes me 30 minutes or less from start to finish. It is the perfect week night meal for me to make when I get home from work.

I serve it over white rice. The trick to getting your picky eaters to eat this dish is to cut their pieces up really small and mix it all in with the rice! Nate has no idea he is eating peppers and pea pods because I do this. Now I'm hungry and going to make this for dinner tonight.