What you will need:
2 cups white (or brown) rice (really whatever type of rice you prefer – Jasmine, Basmati will also work)
2 cloves garlic
1.5 – 2 lbs of boneless chicken (can be breast, tenderloins, thighs)
1 Broccoli Crown
1 Large Zucchini
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 Stick of butter
Salt and Pepper (to taste)
Ground ginger (optional)
Vegetables (fresh or frozen) For this recipe I will use Frozen Broccoli and Fresh Zucchini, feel free you use whatever you prefer/have access to. (A bag of frozen mixed vegetables works perfectly for this! Simply boil them and drain them prior to adding.)
This is my personal take on stir fry. It is quick, easy, and like all of the things I cook, it holds up well for leftovers. You can create this dish with chicken, beef, or pork, any type of rice, and whatever vegetables you prefer/have on hand. It has everything you need. A protein, a starch, and a vegetable. It also makes for easy clean up!
Below is the recipe (as well as some of the tricks I use to make for easy/quick clean up)
Prep work!
The first thing I like to do is to prep the vegetables. Cut the broccoli and zucchini into 1 inch chunks. Set aside. Dice the garlic cloves and place into a bowl or Tupperware. Add ¼ cup of soy sauce to the garlic and 1 tsp of black pepper. If you are using ground ginger, you can add a ½ tsp to this marinade. Mix well. (This is the marinade for the chicken)
Cut the chicken into 1 inch cubes. Place the chicken into the marinade and toss until the chicken is coated evenly! (If you can do this a few hours early, great - cover the bowl and put it in the refrigerator. If not, no worries.)
Cooking the rice:
The general rule for cooking rice is for 1 cup of rice, you’ll need two cups of water. White rice will take between 15-20 minutes to cook and brown rice will take around 30 minutes to cook. For this recipe we are using 2 cups of rice, you will need 4 cups of water. (I use 2 cups of rice because it stretches the dish out!)
In a medium saucepan, bring the 4 cups of water to a boil. Once boiling, add 2 cups of rice, 1 tsp of salt, 1/4 stick of butter. Turn the heat down low (you want the rice to simmer) and cover it with a lid! Once the water has been completely absorbed by the rice, turn the heat off and leave the rice covered.
While the rice is cooking, you can get started on the chicken and veggies!
(Yes, I cheated and used a rice cooker. It is my favorite kitchen appliance!)
Cooking the chicken and the vegetables:
In a large skillet, heat the remaining ¼ stick of butter until melted (Medium to high heat is good here – don’t burn the butter!) Make sure the pan is coated with butter (you can also use canola or olive oil here, whichever you prefer) add the chicken and begin to cook. (Be sure to stir and move chicken in the pan!)
When chicken is approximately halfway cooked, add the cut vegetables, the remaining ¼ cup of soy sauce, turn the heat to medium and cover! (Be sure to stir occasionally to make sure that nothing is sticking to the skillet)
You are looking for the chicken to be cooked through (white and opaque) and the vegetables should be soft, test them by poking with a fork!
You can transfer the cooked rice to a serving bowl (or directly to a large Tupperware if you want to save some clean up) and add the cooked chicken and vegetables. Afterwards simply mix and serve!
(Everything goes right into the tupperware and I serve from there! Less clean up!)
Prep/cook time – approximately 45-60 minutes
Makes approximately 6 servings