Today was one of those interesting food days. I was hungry for a meal packed with fresh vegetables. And my favorite way to satisfy that hunger?  With a stir fry of course! A stir fry is so incredibly easy to make and so open to different ingredients (and amounts!), this recipe will give you the basics for a veggie packed stir fry with a light glaze. Now I’m hungry, so let’s get cooking!

Garlic Chicken Stir Fry

Ingredients:

• 8 – 12 oz chicken breast or chicken tenders, cut into 1 inch cubes
• 1 1/2 cups broccoli flowerets
• 1 carrot, sliced diagonally
• 1/2 onion, sliced
• 1 red pepper, julienned
• 2 large cloves garlic, slivered
• 2 tbsp cornstarch
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp rice vinegar
• 1 tbsp sambal
• 2 tbsp peanut oil
• 1/3 – 1/2 cup of water
• sesame seeds (optional)
• sesame oil (optional)

Preparation:

Create a slurry by combining the cornstarch, soy sauce, rice vinegar, and sambal.

Add the chicken and toss to coat.  Allow to rest for 15 – 20 minutes before draining chicken in a large strainer, capturing the excess for later use.

Heat a large wok or skillet over high/medium  high heat, adding the peanut oil. Add the drained chicken and allow to slightly brown before moving the meat.  Once the initial size is brown, flip or stir to lightly brown the other sides.

As the chicken is almost done cooking, add the onions and carrot. Stir fry with the chicken, carrots, and onion 2 – 3 minutes before adding the broccoli. Stir fry for another 2-3 minutes before adding the red pepper.

Stir fry for 2 minutes before adding the garlic. Stir fry until the garlic is fragrant. Add the water to the reserved cornstarch mixture and add to the wok/skillet.

The sauce will quickly boil and thicken, stir/toss to coat the meat and vegetables then plate. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and a drizzle of sesame oil, serving with rice.