Last updated on January 6th, 2018
Don’t be jealous, but Aretha Franklin joined me in the kitchen yesterday. Yes, THAT Aretha Franklin. We had a great time together! While The Queen of Soul belted out some of her best-known hits, I put together a healthy and delicious Stir Fry of Chicken and Veggies.
Aretha will gladly spend time in your kitchen, too. Just get yourself an Amazon “Dot” and a small but powerful bluetooth speaker, and perch them on your counter top. Then utter the following command:
“Alexa — play Aretha Franklin.”
This method has never failed me.
Here’s Ms. Franklin right now!
Alrighty then. Let’s make our stir fry of crisp, colorful veggies and moist morsels of marinated chicken!
For the marinade, tip 1 tablespoon cornstarch into a medium bowl.
Add 2 tablespoons dry white wine…
2 tablespoons soy sauce…
2 tablespoons oyster sauce…
And a big pinch — about 1/2 teaspoon — of kosher salt.
Show this marinade a little R-E-S-P-E-C-T by blending it, until perfectly smooth, with a wire whisk.
Next, take 4 skinless, boneless chicken thighs (about 1 pound total)…
And cut them into bite-size pieces.
Stir the chicken into the marinade to coat. Then set the marinade aside for a moment, while you prepare the veggies.
For the veggies, you’ll need 2 bell peppers (orange and yellow for me), a small head of broccoli, 3 cloves of garlic, and a couple of scallions.
Cut the peppers into 1/4-inch strips…
Cut the broccoli into small florets…
Mince the garlic…
And finely-slice the scallions.
Then heat a large skillet (you won’t need a wok) over medium-high heat until the skillet begins to smoke a little. (If you are using a non-stick skillet, just heat it until it’s very hot, but not smoking- hot.)
Add a little peanut oil to the hot skillet, and swirl the skillet so its entire bottom is slick.
Then add the peppers, and saute them until they begin to blister but remain crisp — about 2 minutes.
Transfer the peppers to a bowl.
Add a little more oil to the skillet, then add the broccoli. Saute until the florets are tender-crisp — about 2 minutes.
Transfer the broccoli to the bowl of peppers.
Drizzle a little more oil into the skillet, then add the chicken and all of its marvelous marinade. Cook for 5-6 minutes, turning the chicken after 3 minutes.
Action shot: Return the peppers and broccoli to the skillet…
Then add the garlic and scallion.
Toss the works with a spatula to combine.
Oh. You’ll probably want to serve this stir fry on a bed of brown rice. If you’re in a hurry, grab a bag of frozen brown rice, and cook it in the microwave for 4 minutes. I nuked my rice while the chicken was cooking.
Now put some rice on a plate…
Add a big spoonful of the chicken and veggies…
Shake some pure sesame oil over the chicken and veggies…
And enjoy this deliciousness by fork or by chopsticks!
This sock-it-to-me stir fry takes less than 30 minutes to prep and cook. I hope you’ll make it for yourself some day.
And please stay tuned for another yummy recipe. Perhaps The Partridge Family will be my featured guests.
xKevin
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A fast and fabulous stir fry of crisp, colorful veggies and marinated chicken. Delicious on a bed of brown rice.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons dry white wine (i.e., Pinot Grigio)
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons oyster sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 4 medium-small), cut into bite-size pieces
- Peanut oil for sauteing
- 2 medium bell peppers (any color except green), thinly sliced
- 1 small head broccoli, cut into small florets
- 3 cloves of garlic, minced
- 2 scallions, finely sliced
- Optional: Pure sesame oil
- For serving: hot cooked brown rice
Instructions
- To make the marinade, put the cornstarch, wine, soy sauce, oyster sauce, and salt in a medium size bowl. Whisk until smooth. Add the chicken to the marinade, and toss to coat.
- Set a large, non-stick skillet over medium-high heat until the skillet begins to smoke a little. Add a teaspoon of the peanut oil, and swirl the skillet to coat its bottom. Add the peppers, and saute until they begin to blister -- about 2 minutes. Transfer the peppers to a bowl. Tip another teaspoon of oil into the skillet, then add the broccoli, and saute until the florets are tender-crisp -- about 2 minutes. Pour another teaspoon of oil into the skillet, add the chicken and all of its marinade, and cook for 5-6 minutes, turning the chicken after 3 minutes. Return the peppers and broccoli to the skillet, plus the garlic and scallion, and toss to combine. Remove skillet from heat.
- For each serving, put a big spoonful of brown rice on a plate, top with a big spoonful or the stir fry. For an added layer of flavor, shake several drops of sesame seed oil over the chicken and veggies.
NOTE: If using a non-stick skillet, heat it only until very hot, but not smoking.
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Deborah says
I don’t really care for oysters. Could this be made without the oyster sauce? Either way it looks good. I like the fresh veggies!
Janis says
Kevin, you are so endearing. Recipe looks wonderful and so are you.
Danella Farrell says
Love stir fry! This one looks so easy and yummy.
Carey Mason Perkins says
The chicken stir fry looks great but those gorgeous blue and white plates are what really got my attention (blue and white is my thing). Are they available commercially?
Judy Hines says
Besides the wonderful recipe, your loving personality beams through!
Ardelle says
Kevin thanks for nudging me back to stir fry which is always so simple, quick and typically healthy with a bit of forethought. I will have this this evening as I have everything in my refrigerator – except the oyster sauce. Good substitute or just eliminate?
Enjoy your sub-zero weather, it won’t last forever. We’ve been having as low as -20 degrees – so as you can imagine it’s a mad dash from the house to the garage/car, the car to the store or wherever one dares to venture. Today, leaden skies, strong winds and sub-zero temps call for curling up with a ‘toddy’ and Great Expectations by Charles Dickens which I’m reading for our book club – nice to throw in a classic here and there. Have a snugly day!
Doreen says
Happy New Year, Kevin! I LOVE that you are reminding all of us how to eat HEALTHY during this ICE AGE REMAKE!!! I’ll be stirring this beautiful recipe up in the near future. Here’s a question for you (and hopefully a topic for a future posting of yours). I received an “Instant Pot” for Christmas from my wonderful children and have been having a blast with it. Do you own one – and if so – what’s your favorite thing to make in it? I can’t decide yet but the Coconut Curry Pork was DELECTABLE! Happy cooking from Dutchess County!
Barbara says
Happy New Year Kevin..Yum!! Will try this..Thanks..
Joanne says
As soon as I use up a few more Christmas leftovers, this stir fry will be my first to prepare.
After spending Christmas in Brooks, Alberta ( the middle of nowhere) I drove south to Montana, then west through the southern end of beautiful Glacier National Park, and on to delightful Whitefish, Montana. The temperature for the first 4 hours was -37 centigrade. That is about 35 below zero in Farenheight! And the wind was howling! Plus desolate country and no cell phone coverage. Stressful.
SharonSharonSharon Gilnack says
I will be trying this – thanks Kevin!
Linda A says
Sock it to me, sock it to me, sock it to me!
I’ll try this one. Thanks, Kevin.
Kip Morrissette says
Congratulations on the Guest of Guests dining with you! What a memory, what fun and how delightful!!!
Oh yeah, and your stir fry looks and sounds delicious. 😉
Dolores Curbis says
Thanks for a great recipe and a little bopping to go with,dancing always make things better.
Lynn says
Not that dissimilar from stirfries in our house, except I prefer to use Xiao Xing wine or Japanese rice vinegar rather than white wine. Also for those above who don’t care for oyster sauce/oysters, either use the vegetarian oyster sauce, kecap manis (Indonesian sweet soy sauce), or just good old soy sauce. It’s also tasty to use a mix of soy sauce and mirin (sweet Japanese wine vinegar).
Sunni says
Aretha Franklin can stir you no wrong!
Kara says
It’s gonna be a GREAT YEAR, just you wait and see! Thanks for lovely stir-fry and fresh veggies in the weirdly cold of a GA winter!
Love me that Aretha! ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
Thanks for being Kevin!
k
Janet Carter says
I just made up a bunch of Minnesota wild rice in my new Instant Pot, and wondered what I was going to do with it. Now I know. Thanks,Kevin!
Joy says
This is a GREAT recipe! Has anyone worked out how many calories per serving? I know there are apps that do that so I will take recommendations on that one too. The plates are gorgeous.
mary m says
happy New Year Kevin!…
‘love stir-fry!… bet this would be great with strips of pork tenderloin too.. maybe a splash of sherry instead of the wine..!
m