Today I bring you a wonderful chicken and vegetable stir fry with peanut sauce. I think we can all agree that peanut butter is great. Add peanut butter to anything and it automatically becomes even more delicious.
Chocolate + peanut butter = bliss
Apples + peanut butter = best snack ever
Vegetables + peanut butter = sounds weird, but always delicious
So that is why I have been on the hunt for a perfect peanut sauce for stir fry dishes. I love my veggies and all, but adding peanut butter just makes them that much better. When I started searching for peanut sauce recipes though, I was surprised to find that many of them were fairly complicated and called for ingredients that I do not typically have in my kitchen. That is why I have pared it down to the essentials. So easy, in fact, that after the first time making it I had the recipe memorized.
This dish has become my go-to for when I have extra vegetables in the fridge that need to be eaten up…like the broccoli and cauliflower left over from the creamy soup from earlier this week!
I made the batch that is photographed in this post within two hours of when I needed to leave for the airport for spring break. I also needed to finish packing, clean up the apartment, and run to school to print something. And when I say run to school, I mean that I actually had to put on my running shoes and jog there. Timing is not my strength. Regardless, this dish is quick and easy. Using up the vegetables in your fridge that might spoil while you are away is an important pre-vacation task as well, which is why I whipped this up in the time crunch and was still able to catch my flight on time.
I eat this dish either on its own or served over brown rice. It is excellent either way. The recipe below could be two servings if served over rice, or eaten as a single serving on its own. I needed to eat everything up before I left, so I skipped the rice this time. It sure filled me up for a long flight, and fueled me up for the trek from my apartment to the airport: three trains, many stairs, and heavy luggage. Thank goodness for that peanut butter!
- 1 boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into 1 inch cubes
- 2 tsp soy sauce
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1/2 tsp ginger, minced
- Drizzle of oil
- 1 cup broccoli, divided into florets
- 1/4 cup red pepper, chopped
- 1 large carrot, sliced into rounds
- 1/4 of a medium onion, diced
- 2 Tbsp. water
- 1 Tbsp. peanut butter
- 1 Tbsp. soy sauce
- 2 Tbsp. water
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1 tsp. ginger, minced
- 1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
- Chicken marinade - Place chicken in a bowl or bag and combine with soy sauce, garlic, ginger, and oil. Set aside and let marinade while prepping the vegetables and peanut sauce (or longer if you plan ahead!).
- Peanut sauce - Combine all ingredients in a cup. Stir with a fork until combined.
- Chicken - Heat oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken to the skillet and cook for 5-6 minutes. Cut the largest chunk of chicken in half to make sure it is cooked through.
- Vegetables - Heat 1 tsp oil in a second skillet (large skillet) over medium-high heat. Sauté bell peppers, onions, and carrots for 2 minutes. Add broccoli and 2 Tbsp. water. Cover and let simmer for 3-4 minutes.
- Combine - add cooked chicken and peanut sauce to the vegetable skillet. Stir well and simmer for 1 minute longer.
- Serve - either on its own, or over a bed of brown rice. Sprinkle more red pepper flakes on top for extra heat.
- Be creative with vegetable combinations. I have made this with just broccoli and mushrooms, or with broccoli, cauliflower, red peppers, mushrooms, onions, kale, and more! Depends on what you have in your fridge.