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30-Minute Chicken Stir Fry
This recipe—ready in less than half an hour—has so much flavor, it actually makes your eyes pop open a bit. And so few ingredients make it happen!
I literally couldn’t stop thinking of that old phrase, “Pow! Right in the kisser!” which is a highly politically incorrect phrase that was uttered frequently by a character named Ralph Kramden in an ancient show—way, way before my time, people—show called The Honeymooners.
Ralph, who was the sort of sympathetic, sort of repulsive lead character, who has aspirations beyond his station in life, and frankly his intelligence. As he and his wife got on one another nerves (which happened Every Single Show) he would lob empty threats her way, culminates with him raising a chubby fist and yelling, “Pow! Right in the kisser!” after which the laughtrack would soar.
It was clearly not actually going to happen, and even Ralph’s long suffering wife Alice knew no such thing was going to happen. But still, Ralph really should have kept his own kisser shut.
Ok, now that we did a little dive into the pop cultural origins of this intellectual phrase, we can move back to the Right in the Kisser flavors of this peanutty chicken stir fry.
The chicken is coated with a just-the-right-level-of-intense mixture of garlic, scallions and hoisin sauce, and the nutty crunch from the peanuts is so fabulous. I forgot to top the stir fry with sliced scallions for the pic, but I think you should try not to make that same little mistake.
This under 30-minute stir fry is packed with flavor and crunch.
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The chicken could be cut into smaller pieces, if you prefer; these are pretty big chunks. Just keep an eye on them, and shave a minute or two off of the cooking time. I think I will add some broccoli florets next time. Maybe. Get the rice going before you start cooking the stir fry, so it’s all cooked and fluffy by the time your stir fry gets off the stove.
Other Stir Fry Recipes:
- Shrimp and Broccoli Stir Fry with Udon Noodles
- Asian Stir-Fried Chicken and Rice Noodles
- Lemon and Scallion Chicken Stir Fry
- Chicken and Cabbage Stir Fry with Miso Sauce
- Chicken and Spinach Stir-Fry with Ginger and Oyster Sauce
- Spicy Stir Fried Beef and Vegetables
And you may also want to know:
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Chicken Stir Fry with Peanuts
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast , cut into 1 ½-inch cubes
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
- ½ cup lightly salted peanuts
- 2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon vegetable or canola oil divided
- 6 scallions trimmed and chopped (white and green parts)
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
- 3 tablespoons hoisin sauce
- Hot cooked rice to serve
- Sliced scallions for garnish optional
Instructions
- In a medium bowl toss together the chicken and the cornstarch until the chicken is well coated. Toss again with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Set aside.
- Heat a large skillet, preferably nonstick, over medium-high heat. Add the peanuts and toast them in the pan, stirring them frequently, until the smell nice and nutty and are golden brown, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer them to a small bowl.
- Spray the same skillet with nonstick spray if you are not using a nonstick skillet. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in the skillet over high heat, and sauté half of the chicken until it is lightly browned all over, 3 to 4 minutes, but not cooked through. Transfer the chicken to a plate, and repeat with another tablespoon oil and the rest of the chicken. Transfer the chicken to the plate with the first batch of chicken.
- Return the pan to medium high heat, add the remaining teaspoon of oil to the pan, and then add the scallions and garlic and saute for 2 minutes, until they start to become tender. Add the vinegar to the pan and stir to deglaze, scraping up any flavorful bits that have stuck to the bottom of the pan, until the vinegar has pretty much evaporated, just one minute. Return the chicken to the pan, add the hoisin sauce and stir to coat well and cook through, about 2 minutes. Stir in the toasted peanuts and serve over the hot rice.
Notes
- Make sure and start the rice first because the stir fry comes together very quickly once you start cooking.
- You can dice and chop all of the ingredients up to 2 days ahead of time.
- Leftovers can be reheated in a pan over medium heat, stirring frequently, or in the microwave.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
