What I'm Cooking Wednesday: Chicken Stir Fry

The day after Christmas, Luke left for Colorado for a week with his band. Before he left, I decided to make his favorite meal for dinner:
This is a recipe from my mother-in-law, Patty. It is delicious! It is now one of my favorite meals too, and it's the first full meal I cooked for Luke after we got married. I like to make it on special occasions like his birthday or Valentines Day.

Anyway, here is the breakdown.

Serves: 6
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Ingredients:
3 chicken breasts, chopped in bite-sized pieces
1/2 c. soy sauce
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp olive oil
3 bell peppers, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1 c. chicken broth
2 tbsp. cornstarch
Instant rice, cooked

Optional:
broccoli
water chestnuts
crunchy noodles


Directions:
1. combine chicken and soy sauce. Set aside.
2. Saute garlic in oil. Add pepper and onion. Saute until softened. (Add more oil if needed). Remove from pan.
3. Add chicken and soy sauce to pan. Cook 6-8 minutes or until cooked through. Put veggies back in with chicken.
4. Combine chicken broth and corn starch. Then add to pan. Stir and heat until thickened.
5. Add broccoli and water chestnuts if desired. Serve over instant rice with soy sauce and crunchy Chinese noodles.

Here are some tips:

• I like to chop the vegetables ahead of time so everything is right at my hand. It's much easier to make this way, and it's easier to clean up in the end.
• I also like to cut up the chicken and combine it with the soy sauce an hour or so ahead of time. It gives the chicken more flavor.
• Don't overcook the chicken or the veggies! Or the chicken will be dry and the veggies will be flimsy and mushy.
• Along with that, I always boil the broccoli ahead of time so it's soft but not mushy. Then I throw it in the skillet right before I serve it so it's not overcooked.
  
• I like to use colorful bell peppers; not just green peppers. This time I used red and green for Christmas!

So pretty!

I think that's about it! This dish contains so much flavor, and fills the house with such amazing aromas. And it's very filling, too! It makes a lot, and we always have leftovers. Luke hates leftovers, but he will eat this for days.

This was the perfect "going away" dinner for Luke! I think I'll have to make another celebration dinner when he gets back on Sunday! I can't wait to see him!!!

Past Wednesdays:
Christmas Treats
Buffalo Chicken Dip