Courtesy of 300 Best Stir-Fry by Nancie McDermott © 2014 www.robertrose.ca Reprinted with publisher permission.

Chicken Stir Fry with Sweet and Hot Peppers Recipe

A quick, simple, and flavorful dinner!

Yesterday I shared my review of 300 Best Stir-Fry Recipes by Nancie McDermott and today I’m sharing another delicious recipe from this cookbook.

All through college I practically lived off stir fry meals because the were so simple and a lot healthier than eating pizza and fast food every night!  So, being somewhat of a stir-fry connoisseur I just had to check out the 300 Best Stir-fry Recipes cookbook and it did not disappoint!

Chicken with Sweet and Hot Peppers, page 31

Bursting with vitamin C and ablaze with color, sweet bell peppers make an ideal ingredient in stir-fry dishes. You could use red, yellow and orange bell peppers, 
or just green ones from your summer garden. Jalapeños make a hot but not blazing spicy note here. If you want more heat, use fresh green or red serrano chile peppers, and if you want a fiery dish, use tiny Thai chiles instead.

1 tbsp                  cornstarch                                                                        15 mL

1 tbsp                  water                                                                                 15 mL

2 tsp                     dry sherry or Shaoxing rice wine                                 10 mL

12 oz                   boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch (2.5 cm) chunks 375 g

3 tbsp                  chicken stock or water                                                  45 mL

1 tbsp                  soy sauce                                                                         15 mL

1 tsp                     salt or to taste                                                                 5 mL

1⁄2 tsp                  granulated sugar                                                             2 mL

2 tbsp                  vegetable oil                                                                    25 mL

1 tbsp                  chopped garlic                                                                15 mL

1 tbsp                  finely chopped jalapeño peppers (see Tips)              15 mL

2 tsp                     chopped fresh gingerroot                                              10 mL

11⁄4 cups             thin strips red, green and yellow bell pepper (see Tips)    300 mL

1.  In a bowl, combine cornstarch, water and sherry and stir well. Add chicken and mix gently to coat evenly with marinade. Set aside for 20 minutes.

2.  In a small bowl, combine chicken stock, soy sauce, salt and sugar and stir well.

3.  Heat a wok or a large deep skillet over high heat. Add oil and swirl to coat pan. Add garlic, jalapeño peppers and ginger and toss well, until garlic and ginger are fragrant, about 15 seconds.

4.  Add chicken mixture, quickly spreading into a single layer and cook, undisturbed, until edges turn white, 1 minute. Toss well and cook for 1 minute more. Add bell peppers and toss well. Reduce heat to medium.

5.         Add chicken stock mixture and cook, until chicken is no longer pink inside and peppers are tender-crisp, 1 to 
2 minutes more. Transfer to a serving platter. Serve hot 
or warm.

TIPS

To chop jalapeño peppers, cut off stems and halve each pepper lengthwise, discarding seedy portions and most of the seeds. Chop lengthwise into thin strips and then crosswise to make small bits.

To make pepper strips, halve each pepper lengthwise and discard stem section and seeds. Cut off the rounded top and bottom portions and reserve for salad or other dishes. Cut enough of the remaining portion of each pepper into slender strips about 11⁄2 inches (4 cm) long.

Serves 4