This week I tried a chicken stir-fry dish that I thought sounded really good from just reading the list of ingredients. Strips of chicken sautéed in a soy-based sauce with green peppers and walnuts served over hot cooked rice. The dish sounded yummy to me! Well, it sure did smell really good while I was cooking, and it looked delicious as well. My first thought when I was preparing our plates was that it needed more sauce. As we sat down and started eating it, we all had to agree that the walnuts had to go. Now, I love walnuts, and my husband and daughter eat them in cookies and other baked goods; but we decided that we don't particularly care for nuts in a main dish. My husband gave the recipe two-stars; however, it got bumped up to a three-star rating when we removed the walnuts.
So, if you like stir-fry dishes with nuts in it, then you will probably enjoy this dish. Or you could give it a try without the nuts and see how you like it. Either way, this meal wasn't anything spectacular. It was another middle-of-the-road recipe, a mediocre meal at best. Better luck next week, perhaps.
Have a good week and good eating!
Allison
Chicken Stir-Fry with Walnuts
Makes 4 servings
Ingredients:
2 tsp. cornstarch, divided
3 Tbsp. soy sauce, divided
1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips
1 Tbsp. water
1-1/2 tsp. vinegar
1-1/2 tsp. sugar
Dash hot sauce
3 Tbsp. Canola oil
1 large green pepper, cut into strips about 1" long
½ tsp. ground ginger
Hot cooked rice (I followed the recipe on the box for 6 servings)
Preparation:
In a bowl, combine 1 teaspoon of cornstarch and 1 tablespoon soy sauce until well blended. Add chicken and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes. In another bowl, combine water, vinegar, sugar, hot sauce, and the remaining cornstarch and soy sauce; set aside. In a skillet over medium heat, sauté walnuts in oil until toasted; remove with a slotted spoon and set aside. In the same skillet, stir-fry chicken for about 10 minutes, or until no longer pink. Remove and set aside. Add green pepper and ground ginger to skillet. Cook, stirring, for about 3 minutes, or until peppers are crisp-tender. Stir cornstarch mixture and add to skillet. Bring to a boil. Cook and stir for about 2 minutes, or until thickened and bubbly. Return chicken and walnuts to pan. Serve over rice.
