Stir frys will always be one of my favorite quick, weeknight meals. They’re healthy and so easy to throw together.
You can switch up this chicken stir fry so many ways, but I just decided to go with a mix of seasonal produce that looked best from my local market. Colors were definitely part of the decision-making process, too. I love the combination of green beans, red bell peppers and purple eggplant.
There’s a couple keys to making this really good. Number one, marinade the chicken so it’s extra tender and delicious. Number two, cook the vegetables in the proper order so they’re all perfectly cooked. And three, taste your sauce before cooking it. Maybe you’ll prefer a slightly sweeter sauce than me and add extra sugar, for example.
Ingredients
- 1lb boneless, skinless chicken breast, sliced very thinly against the grain
- 1 tsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp cornstarch
- ½ tsp sugar
- ¼ C plus 2T canola or vegetable oil, divided
- 1 medium Japanese eggplant, cut into ½ inch rounds (half-moons if large)
- 1/3 lb green beans
- 1 large or 2 small red bell peppers, sliced into 1 ½ inch pieces
- 2 scallions, sliced, white and green parts divided
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 inch ginger, minced
- ¼ C soy sauce
- 1 tsp sugar, heaping
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 1T water
- 2 tsp cornstarch
Directions
- 1Mix together soy sauce, cornstarch and sugar. Marinade chicken in soy sauce mixture for at least 15 minutes, while prepping remaining ingredients.
- 2Bring a medium pot to a boil. Season generously with salt. Add string beans and blanch about 1-1 ½ minutes. Drain and shock in an ice water bath or rinse with cold water until cool.
- 3Warm a large sauté pan or wok over medium-high heat. Add 2T of oil, followed by the chicken. Sauté 2 ½-3 minutes total, or until lightly golden. The chicken does not need to be completely cooked through. Remove from pan and set aside.
- 4Reduce heat to medium. Add remaining ¼ C of oil to the pan. Add eggplant to the pan, season lightly with salt, and cook about 2 minutes per side or until browned and softened, but still with a slight bite. Add peppers, toss to combine and sauté 2 minutes. While vegetables cook, whisk together soy sauce through water in a small bowl.
- 5Stir in whites of scallions, garlic and ginger. Sauté 30 seconds. Return chicken to the pan and toss to combine. Whisk cornstarch into soy sauce mixture and add to pan. Increase heat to high and allow to thicken for 2 minutes or until desired consistency. Serve over rice and garnish with scallion greens. Enjoy.
