Clara and I are in Virginia visiting my parents this week and because my mom LOVES Chinese food we decided to try out this new recipe. Well, I’m sharing it here so obviously it was a success! (Despite some pretty awful iPhone photos. I wanted to bring my camera in case a delicious meal needed photographing but after squeezing both of our belongings into one bag there wasn’t an extra ounce of space. Blankie, pillow, lambie, lambie’s blankie, video monitor, alarm clock that lights up when it’s time to wake up in the morning and on and on- nothing must be left behind if we want to get any sleep!) I could write a lengthy essay about traveling with a toddler, but back to the recipe. I’m not an expert stir-frier. But this recipe fooled me into thinking so. It doesn’t take much skill and the result is A++!

Thinly (very thinly) sliced chicken breast is stir-fried with fresh veggies (I chose broccoli, carrot, mushrooms, and red pepper), fresh pineapple (use canned in a pinch but fresh, yum!), and a pineapple juice- based sweet and sour teriyaki sauce. I blanched my carrots and broccoli before they went into the pan so they’d cook quicker (we don’t like them too crunchy). And served it all over steamed white rice with some peas and green beans on the sides.

Teriyaki Chicken Stir Fry with Pineapple

INGREDIENTS

stir fry:
1 1/2 lbs. boneless skinless chicken breast
1 Tbsp. cornstarch
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
~2 Tbsp. canola, grapeseed, peanut, or coconut oil
3 cups broccoli florets
1 cup chopped carrot
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1 red bell pepper, seeded and sliced
1/4 cup pineapple juice
~2 cups chopped fresh pineapple (or a 20-oz. can pineapple chunks, drained and juice reserved)

sauce:
1/2 cup pineapple juice
1/3 cup low-sodium soy sauce
1 Tbsp. molasses
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 Tbsp. rice vinegar
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp. freshly grated ginger
2 tsp. cornstarch

steamed white or brown rice, for serving

DIRECTIONS

1. Very thinly slice the chicken breasts, pat them dry, and toss them in a medium bowl with the cornstarch and salt and pepper. Let the chicken sit for about 10-15 minutes while whisking the sauce and prepping vegetables.

2. For the sauce, combine all the ingredients together in a bowl or liquid measuring cup and whisk until smooth.

3. Heat about 1 Tbsp. oil in a large, 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until rippling and hot. Add half of the chicken to the skillet in a single layer without overlapping and let it cook until nicely browned, about 30-45 seconds. Flip the chicken and let it cook through on the other side, 1-2 minutes. If your chicken is sliced super thin, it won’t take long to cook through. Remove the chicken to a plate and repeat with the remaining chicken.

4. Add another tablespoon or so of oil to the pan if needed and heat again until hot and rippling. Add all of the vegetables to the hot skillet and cook, stirring often, until the vegetables are bright in color and barely tender. Add about 1/4 cup of the reserved pineapple juice to the skillet and cover (you can add water here instead of the juice, if desired). Cook, letting the vegetables steam for 2-3 minutes until crisp-tender (add more liquid, if needed, if it dries up). (NOTE: I blanched my broccoli and carrots in boiling water for 2 minutes and then cooled them under cold water before stir-frying, so they would cook quicker. If you like your veggies super crisp don’t bother blanching.)

5. Add the pineapple and chicken back to the skillet. Whisk the sauce to recombine and then stir the sauce into the skillet and simmer for 2-3 minutes until slightly thickened. Serve immediately over hot, cooked rice, if desired.

Serves 6.

(Adapted from Mel’s Kitchen Cafe)