Chicken Stir Fry Wraps

This is a perfect light and healthy meal for the upcoming summer months!  I've heard several friends raving about a similar dish that can be ordered at a local Chinese restaurant, so I jumped at making these once I saw the recipe.  The flavor of these wraps was incredible and the crispness of the lettuce leaves gave just the right amount of crunch to each bite.  My one recommendation would be to make these one at a time as you are ready to eat them.  The heat from the stir fry will otherwise wilt the lettuce some.  The entire meal was ready in under 30 minutes, so it is a great weekday option!  The filling heats up really well, so I would even recommend making enough to save some for lunch the following day.

The only change I made was to substitute green peppers for the red.  Red peppers have been really high around us lately and I wanted to keep the dish affordable.

Chicken Stir Fry Wraps
1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast halves; halved horizontally and thinly sliced
Coarse salt and fresh ground pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, halved and thinly sliced
1 large red bell pepper, ribs and seeds removed and thinly sliced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 teaspoons grated, peeled fresh ginger
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (depending on how much heat you prefer)
3 tablespoons soy sauce
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch mixed with 1 tablespoon water
12 to 16 Boston lettuce leaves (about 2 heads)

Season the chicken with salt and pepper.  In a large nonstick skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over high heat.  Add half of the chicken and cook, stirring constantly, until opaque throughout (about 2-4 minutes).  Transfer to a plate and repeat with the remaining chicken.  Add the remaining tablespoon oil to the pan, along with the onion and the bell pepper.  Cook, stirring constantly, until the onion is tender and golden.  If the onion is browning too quickly, reduce the heat.

Reduce the heat to medium.  Add the garlic, ginger, and red pepper flakes to the pan.  Cook, stirring, until fragrant.  Stir in the soy sauce, vinegar, and cornstarch mixture.  Remove from the heat.  Add teh chicken and any accumulated juices; toss to coat.  Serve in the lettuce cups.

Source: Great Food Fast, Everyday Food

Sugar Snap and Beef Stir Fry

This is another great "Chinese Food at Home" recipe! Pam, over at For the Love of Cooking, has not disappointed me yet. I always know I'm going to love her recipes. This dish had an incredible flavor and was really easy to make. My one suggestion wold be to let your meat sit in the marinade for as long as possible. A very busy day (and a scattered mind) resulted in mine marinating for only about an hour and a half. It was wonderful, but would be so much better if allowed to sit longer, as Pam suggests.

Hope everyone is doing well! I haven't had as much time to post comments as I would like, but I am still checking out your blogs to get wonderful dinner ideas for my family! I promise to be better about checking in on your sites once I grow more accustomed to the new schedule!

Sugar Snap and Beef Stir Fry
For the beef marinade:
1 lb flank steak, thinly sliced against the grain
1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1/2 tablespoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon chili sauce
1/4 teaspoon white sugar
1 clove of garlic, minced

(Combine all ingredients in a large zip lock bag and place in refrigerator for 1-6 hours.)

For the stir fry veggies:
Sugar snap peas, trimmed
Broccoli florets, steamed until tender
1/4 cup of shredded carrots
2-3 baby bell peppers, sliced
1/4 red onion, sliced
2-3 green onions, sliced (divided)
1 clove of garlic, minced
1-2 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated

(Steam broccoli florets. Clean and chop all vegetables then set aside until ready to cook.)

For the sauce:
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 teaspoons white sugar
2 teaspoons hoisin sauce
1 teaspoon chili sauce

(Combine all ingredients and whisk until mixed thoroughly. Set aside.)

Remaining ingredients:
Sesame oil (to cook meat and vegetables)
Sesame seeds (garnish)
Brown rice, prepare according to the directions (I used white rice to keep my husband happy!)

Heat 1 teaspoon of sesame oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add beef to the pan; stir fry for 2 minutes or until done. Place beef in a bowl and set aside. Add the last remaining teaspoon of sesame oil to the pan. Add onion and sauté 1 minute. Add the remaining vegetables along with half of the green onions, and sauté for 2-3 minutes. Add minced garlic and freshly grated ginger, cook stirring continuously for 45 seconds. Add beef and stir fry sauce then cook for an additional minute or until thoroughly heated. Serve over brown rice and garnish with green onions and sesame seeds.

Source: For the Love of Cooking

Chicken Fried Rice

This fried rice is unlike any I have ever made before. Mine is always heavy on the soy sauce (more for color than anything) and this one has a much more delicate flavor. I made it as a main dish, but it could easily be served on the side for a Chinese food spread as well. I got this recipe from my friend, Becca, and she has yet to disappoint me on any that she offers. Becca is an amazing cook-- and every recipe she has given me has been an instant hit. (Which makes me think of her Paris Chicken... so good! I'll definitely have to make and post that one soon!)

This dinner is really a healthy one and is very affordable as well. There was a little extra cost the first time it was made as the sauces used are more of a specialty variety that I didn't have on hand, but they do go far and I will definitely be making this again so they are a good investment! The sauces weren't expensive, by any means, but the next time I make it I will only need to veggies, chicken, and rice.

Chicken Fried Rice
Serves 4

1 cup uncooked rice (white or brown)
3 tablespoons vegetable oil (Becca usually tosses in a splash of sesame oil for flavor-- I didn't have any so I omitted)
1 tablespoon chopped peeled fresh garlic or 1/8 tsp. dried (both taste equally good)
3 garlic cloves minced
6 ounces chicken breast- sliced thin/or cubed
½ cup shelled edamame
½ cup shredded carrot
½ cup finely diced onion
½ cup sliced bell pepper (any color will do, but red/yellow/orange make it brighter)
2 tablespoons soy sauce
½ cup chicken broth
1 ½ teaspoons seasoned rice vinegar
1 tablespoon Chili garlic hot sauce (you also can use liquid hot sauce, but this garlic sauce really made the dish, in my opinion)- add less for less heat. This can be found in the asian food section of your local grocery.

Cook rice according to package directions. (This can be a great use of leftover rice, or you can cook it the day before to eliminate extra step while cooking. You also could just pick up a quart from Chinese take out.) Add ½ teaspoon of the oil in skillet over medium heat. Add ginger ( if using fresh) and garlic – sauté 1 minute. If using dried ginger, wait until you add chicken to pan and sprinkle on top. Add your chicken to the garlic in the skillet and cook for 5-6 minutes (until there is no pink when you cut into the chicken). Set aside and keep warm

Add another teaspoon of oil to pan. Add your shelled edamame and shredded carrot, sautéing for 2 minutes. Add onions and bell pepper, sauté for another 2 minutes. Return chicken to pan- stir in broth , hot sauce and rice vinegar. Add rice and soy sauce to pan and stir until combined, cooking for an additional 3-4 minutes.

(Becca noted that she finds her edamame at Trader Joes and shells it herself after steaming, making it much more affordable. I found mine in the frozen foods section at my local grocery store. I steamed them quickly and they popped right out!)

Source: Becca Cattell

Beijing Beef

I was craving Chinese food the other day and figured it would be a great opportunity to try a recipe off of a new blog that my sister found. She called me as soon as she found the Blog Chef site as she knew I would love the types of recipes that were posted. This is the first one I tried and I am thrilled that I did. The beef had a really nice texture after being fried (although not the healthiest option!) and the vegetables were nice and crisp. The sauce had a great flavor but I would probably go ahead and double it (the sauce only) the next time I make it. My husband and I both are big 'sauce' people and when I served it, I wished I had extra to spoon over the rice. One other change-- I was out of green peppers when making it, so I went ahead and used only red. It still tasted just as good, but wasn't quite as colorful! :)

Beijing Beef
1lb steak (sliced into thin strips)
6 tablespoons cornstarch (for dusting)
oil (for frying)

Marinade:
1 egg
¼ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon cornstarch

Sauce:
4 tablespoons water
4 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons ketchup
2 tablespoons vinegar
¼ teaspoon crush chili pepper
2 teaspoons cornstarch

Vegetables:
1 teaspoon garlic (minced)
1 medium red bell pepper (diced)
1 medium green bell pepper (diced)
1 medium white onion (sliced)

Cut beef into thin strips . In a bowl or sealable bag combine all marinade ingredients and mix well. Add beef slices and marinate for 15 minutes. While beef in marinating mix all of the sauce ingredients together in a bowl and refrigerate. When the beef is done marinating coat the beef slices with 6 tablespoons of cornstarch. Remove any access cornstarch and deep fry (either in a deep fryer or wok) beef slices in batches until floating or golden brown. Drain on paper towels. Add a couple tablespoons of oil to the wok and add minced garlic and stir fry for 10 seconds. Add red and green bell peppers and onions and stir fry for 2 minutes. Remove vegetables and set aside. Pour sauce into the wok and heat until boiling. In a serving dish add beef and vegetables and coat with the sauce.

Source: Blog Chef

Sweet and Sour Chicken

As explained in an earlier post, I am a huge Chinese food fan but have yet to find great Chinese food on the west side of Indy. I typically prefer a traditional beef and broccoli dish, but my husband always looks for a good sweet and sour chicken. When I found this recipe on Amber's Delectable Delights, I knew it was one that I would have to play with for him! The flavor of this dish was wonderful and certainly reminiscent of some of our favorite restaurants back up north. Amber recommends making an extra recipe of the sauce to pour over the finished chicken and I was glad that I had followed that advice. The sauce has a great flavor and most of the sauce used to cook the chicken was absorbed into it by the time it finished cooking. It was nice to have the extra sauce to pour over the rice.

Sweet and Sour Chicken

3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

salt and pepper, to taste

1 cup cornstarch

2 eggs, beaten

1/4 cup canola oil

Cut boneless chicken breasts into chunks. Season with salt and pepper. Dip chicken in cornstarch and then in egg. Fry in a little oil until brown but not cooked through. Place in a single layer in a baking dish. Mix sauce ingredients (below) together and pour over chicken.

Sauce ingredients:

3/4 cup sugar

4 tablespoons ketchup

1/2 cup vinegar

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 teaspoon garlic salt

Bake for one hour at 325 degrees. Turn the chicken every 15 minutes. If you like extra sauce, make another batch of sauce and bring it to a boil on the stove top. Stir constantly and let cook over medium heat until thickened and reduced-- about 6-8 minutes.

Source: Amber's Delectable Delights

Garlic Chicken Stir Fry

One of the biggest downfalls of living in central Indiana is the lack of truly authentic, good-quality Chinese food. Other than PF Changs, where the closest location is 30 minutes away, there really aren't any options that I can get too excited about. Due to this, I am always on the lookout for a good Chinese food recipe! When my sister, Rachel, emailed this one-- I knew it was one that I would have to try fairly quickly. She commented that the chicken had a taste and texture that was more like a Chinese restaurant than anything else she had made at home before. I would have to agree with her! The dish was very fresh, had great flavor, and was very easy to throw together. She did mention that mushrooms would be a great addition, but she left them out as her husband is not a fan of them. I wanted to make it her way for the first time, but would definitely add mushrooms with my next attempt.

Garlic Chicken Stir Fry

2.5 pounds boneless skinless chicken breast halves

12 tablespoons cornstarch

8 tablespoons soy sauce

3/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1 teaspoon garlic powder

3 tablespoons cooking oil, divided

4 cups broccoli florets

4 stalks sliced celery

4 thinly sliced carrots

2-3 small onions, cut into wedges

3 cups water

3 bouillon cubes

minced garlic (to taste)

Cut chicken into 1/2-in. strips; place in a resealable plastic bag. Add cornstarch and toss to coat. Combine soy sauce, ginger and garlic powder; add to bag and shake well. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

In a large skillet or wok, heat 2 tablespoons of oil; stir-fry chicken until no longer pink, about 3-5 minutes. Remove and keep warm. Add remaining oil; stir- fry broccoli, celery, carrots, onion, and minced garlic for 4-5 minutes or until crisp-tender. Add water and bouillon. Return chicken to pan. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly.

Source: Rachel Guajardo