I just came back from my lunch break, and according to my car it is 75 degrees out right now.
I can believe it, because I actually felt the need to turn the air conditioning on. Then I remembered that my air conditioning is still broken because I always convince myself not to spend the money to get it fixed.
I mean, it wasn't that urgent of a repair in the winter, and I made it through last summer without any air conditioning and black leather seats. (I only almost passed out from heat exhaustion like 3 times.) It builds character, or something like that... right? No. Nope. You're right, I need to get on that.
Anyway, how about that warm weather we're finally getting, and all of the other things that come with springtime? You know, like absurd amounts of rain (ugh), bikinis for sale at Target (double ugh), and an absolute ton of fresh produce (hooray)!
Now I don't know about you, but when it warms up outside, the last thing I want to do is heat up the house even more by turning the oven on. That's why I love stir-frying in the spring-- it's quick, you don't need to use the oven, and it allows you to use up all of the beautiful, in-season veggies. Like asparagus. I love asparagus.
It's okay if you don't though, because this recipe is really a "whatever you find and want to throw in" recipe. I can't really think of much that doesn't taste good with garlic and lemon.
No, really, I've been thinking for a few minutes now and I can't think of a vegetable that would taste bad here. Go wild.
By the way, this is going to be a go-to quick meal for me from now on. I actually mean that, too. I liked this recipe enough that I will go home from work and actually take the [short amount of] time to make it instead of heating up a lean cuisine or getting takeout. That is a high honor in my household during the week.
Don't judge--I pretty much only cook when I'm cooking for the blog now, because that's a lot of cooking already. Repeat recipes are rare and cherished.
I served my Garlic Lemon Chicken Stir Fry over rice (because I always have some of that quick microwave stuff in the freezer) but feel free to mix in some pasta or serve it in lettuce wraps or whatever your little heart desires. Options - keep 'em open, people.
PrintGarlic Lemon Chicken Stir Fry
- Yield: 4 1x
Ingredients
- 4-5 large cloves garlic, minced
- ¼ cup low sodium soy sauce
- 4 tablespoons water
- 1 ½ tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- ¼ cup honey
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
- ¼ tsp white pepper
- ¼ tsp crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into small chunks
- ½ lemon, juice and zest of
- ½ bundle asparagus, bottoms removed
- ⅓ cup mushrooms, sliced
- 1 red bell pepper, sliced into strips
- 1 green onion, chopped, to garnish
- Rice or noodles, to serve
Instructions
- In a large plastic container, combine the garlic, soy sauce, water and cornstarch (already mixed), toasted sesame oil, honey, 1 tablespoon of the vegetable oil, white pepper, and crushed red pepper flakes. Add the chicken and mix to coat.
- Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or overnight.
- After marinating the chicken, heat the remaining tablespoon of vegetable oil in a large skillet or wok. Add in the asparagus, mushrooms, and red bell pepper. Cook over moderate heat for 4 minutes, stirring often.
- Add the chicken to the skillet using a slotted spoon or tongs. Cook, stirring often, until chicken is cooked through, about 6 minutes. Stir the reserved marinade and then add it in. Cook until the marinade is thick and clings to the vegetables.
- Remove the skillet from the heat and squeeze in juice from ½ of a lemon. When ready to serve, top with a sprinkle of lemon zest and chopped green onion.
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