Chicken and Asparagus Stir-Fry
Chicken and Asparagus Stir-Fry
When in spring, do as the rabbits do . . . eat asparagus! I’m loving this quick and easy, oh-so-delicious, stir-fry which nourishes and pleases everyone at the table. It’s loaded with high protein chicken, anti-inflammatory vegetables, heart-healthy fats and wholesome carbohydrates. It’s a meal-in-one dish and that makes life much easier.
Start by cooking chicken breast or thighs which you’ve cut up into bite-size pieces in peanut, canola or unrefined coconut oil. Remove it from the pan. Add a little more oil to the pan and add all the fresh vegetables and any others not listed that you might have in your refrigerator that you need to use. I’m using asparagus, mushrooms, green onion, zucchini, garlic, ginger and water chestnuts. But if you have sugar snap peas or carrots or broccoli, these will work nicely too.
Stir fry the wholesome veggies until they’re tender and then add the chicken back into the pot. Pour in the flavorful, super-yummy sauce (chicken broth, low-sodium soy sauce, honey, hoisin, chili garlic sauce and cornstarch) and heat until thickened.
I love this stir-fry over soba noodles as shown here, but feel free to use brown rice, quinoa or none at all if you don’t feel like dirtying another pot. By the way I am a fan of the 90 second brown rice packets which makes serving rice a snap.
- Chicken and Asparagus Stir-Fry
- 2 Tbsp peanut, canola or unrefined coconut oil, divided
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs, cut into bite-size pieces
- 1 pound asparagus, tough ends trimmed, cut into 2-inch pieces
- 2 medium summer squash, zucchini and/or yellow, sliced
- 8 ounces sliced mushrooms
- 1/4 cup sliced green onions
- 1 (8-ounce) can sliced water chestnuts, drained
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 Tbsp grated fresh ginger or ginger paste or 1 tsp ground ginger
- 6 ounces soba noodles, cooked and drained
- 3/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth
- 1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
- 2 Tbsp honey
- 1 Tbsp chili garlic sauce
- 1 Tbsp hoisin sauce
- 2 tsp cornstarch
- Heat one tablespoon of oil in a large skillet placed over medium heat. Add chicken pieces and cook until no longer pink and juices run clear, about 5 to 7 minutes, turning as needed to cook on all sides. Remove the chicken to a plate and set aside.
- Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon oil in the skillet placed over medium-high heat and add the asparagus, squash, mushrooms, green onions, water chestnuts, garlic and ginger. Cook, stirring frequently, for about 5 to 7 minutes until the asparagus is bright green and the mushrooms have started to brown and soften. Add the chicken and cook for another 1 to 2 minutes.
- Combine all the sauce ingredients in a small bowl and whisk to blend. Pour sauce into the skillet, scraping the bottom of the skillet to deglaze. Bring the mixture to a simmer for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring often, until the sauce is slightly thickened.
- Season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste and serve over cooked soba noodles.