Asian Vegetables and Chicken with Noodles

I have been ordering from Bountiful Baskets for over a month now and I am really enjoying it. I love the surprise element that comes along with it.... never knowing what fruits and vegetables you might get for the week.... It feeds my need for experimental cooking, and makes dinner preparation a lot more adventurous! This week I added on the Asian Ingredient Pack. It included bok choy, napa cabbage, green onions, ginger, garlic, mushrooms and snow peas. Perfect for a chicken and vegetable stirfry. I had a package of dried lo mein noodles in the pantry and decided to turn this stir-fry into a noodle bowl.

The sauce in this dish is light enough to allow the natural flavors of the vegetables and chicken to shine through, yet it adds just enough flavor to bring it all together. It's a good family dish that is sure to please everyone. Even my 7-year-old who is picky about "new sauces" on her food, ate up the chicken and the noodles. She did pick around some of the veggies. If your kids pick around the veggies too, serve it with a familiar vegetable side.

Asian Vegetables and Chicken with Noodles
(sorry, I forgot to photograph it, but wanted to include this recipe anyhow)

Chicken:
1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast, sliced crosswise.
2 tsp cornstarch
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp freshly ground pepper
1 garlic clove, minced
1 Tbs peanut oil

Sauce:
3 Tbs oyster sauce or soy sauce
1 Tbs water
1/2 tsp sugar
2 tsp cornstarch
1/4 tsp salt

Vegetables:
1 C snow peas, trimmed
1 C sliced shitake mushrooms
1 C sliced button mushrooms
Sliced napa cabbage
sliced bok choy

3/4 C fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1/2 C chopped green onions
1 package lo mein noodles, softened per package instructions


Combine chicken, 2 tsp cornstarch, 1/4 tsp salt and pepper in a medium bowl; set aside.

Combine oyster sauce (or soy sauce), water, sugar, 2 tsp cornstarch, and 1/4 tsp salt in a small bowl; set aside.

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken mixture and minced garlic; saute until done. Remove from pan and keep warm.

Add fresh vegetables (snow peas, mushrooms, cabbage, bok choy). Saute 3 minutes. Stir in broth, bring to boil. Add in oyster or soy sauce mixture and chicken; cook for 30 seconds or until thickened. Add softened lo mein noodles and green onions; remove from heat.

Serve with a vegetable side.


Recipe Tips:
The chicken preparation used in this recipe is a basic cooking technique that you can learn, and use whenever making a stir-fry. Slice the meat when it is partially frozen, and very thin and crosswise against the grain. Toss it with cornstarch and salt and just a little pepper. Then, quickly stir-fry it in hot pan with a small amount of oil.