Chicken Stir Fry

Szechuan Chicken Stir-fry

When hubby and I were first married we took a cooking class together at the local adult education facility.  Each week for about 5 weeks we headed off for an evening of preparation, cooking and then....you guessed it Eating!   And if you couldn't of already guessed from this post it was a Chinese

cooking class.  We made some traditional Chinese dishes using spices like wood ear, to-fu or bamboo shoots.  Class was a lot of fun and we had 5 great Chinese dinners along with the recipes to take home.  We have always loved Chinese cooking and have had a few favorite local restaurants around town to go.  Then one of our favorite national restaurants came to town, PFChangs.  Loved the crispy green beans and Mongolian beef.

On rare occasions we pull out the old recipes from our cooking class and prepare the traditional steamed broccoli or cold pork appetizer that we remember.  But more often we find a recipe on the internet with lots of flavor that peaks our interest.  This chicken stir-fry is packed with flavor and pretty easy to prepare when you have all the vegetables ready to roll.

Szechuan Chicken Stir-fry

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon dark sesame oil, divided
• 1/2 cup fat-free, lower-sodium chicken broth 
• 2 tablespoons lower-sodium soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
• 2 teaspoons chile paste 
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons canola oil, divided 
• 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, cut into bite-sized pieces 
• 1 yellow bell pepper, cut into strips 
• 1 red bell pepper, cut into strips 
• 1 cup diagonally cut snow peas
• 1/2 cup vertically sliced onion 
• 1 tablespoon grated peeled fresh ginger
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh garlic
• 2 cups hot cooked long-grain white rice
• 1/4 cup (1-inch) slices green onions
• 1/4 cup chopped unsalted roasted peanuts 

Preparation

1. 1. Combine 2 teaspoons sesame oil and next 6 ingredients (through salt) in a small bowl. Heat a wok or large skillet over medium-high heat. Add remaining 1 teaspoon sesame oil and 1 tablespoon canola oil; swirl. Add chicken; stir-fry 2 minutes. Remove chicken from pan.
2. 2. Add remaining 1 tablespoon canola oil; swirl. Add bell peppers and next 4 ingredients (through garlic); stir-fry 1 minute. Add broth mixture; cook 30 seconds or until thick. Return chicken to pan; cook 4 minutes or until chicken is done. Spoon 1/2 cup rice onto each of 4 plates; top each with 1 cup chicken mixture, green onions, and peanuts.