Craving: Stir Fry

I am so craving a meal made in the wok. So tonight I will Wok and Roll out supper. The recipe given will feed a ton of people when served over rice. Buy whatever chicken you can on special. This calls for the b/s breast but if you have thin cutlets use those.
The most recommended oil for stir frying is peanut oil. However that is super expensive. So use what you have on hand - canola, vegetable or olive oil (not extra virgin).
I have some spinach and need to check out its' condition and I may end up throwing that in as well. You can add or substitute vegetables based on what you have available or what you can pick up on special. Don't forget cooking is about personal taste so if you have some frozen peas or a little bit of broccoli or cauliflower by all means use them in this dish.
The more vegetables the healthier it is, so just go for it.You should be able to find mirin in the International aisle of your grocery store. Mine did not have it until I requested it a few times and finally they got some in. If you don't have mirin but for some strange reason you have Sake you can make your own mirin. The recipe is 1 tbsp. mirin + 1 tsp. sugar = 1 tbsp. mirin.

After feasting on this last evening my husband and my toughest critic said this: "This is the best stir fry you have ever made."

• 2 large boneless skinless chicken breast halves - cut in slices against the grain.
• 1 orange bell pepper
• 1 yellow bell pepper
• 1 small bunch of bok choy - washed and sliced (I like using the green part as well. Just chop off the very tops because sometimes they become tough and have brown along the edge.)
• 1 pkg. crimini mushrooms sliced or rough chopped (Use part of the package if you want less mushrooms. You can always use them in another recipe.)
• 2 handfuls of sno peas
• 2 tbsp. chopped garlic
• 2-3 tbsp. soy sauce approximately
• 2 tbsp. mirin
• 1 cup chicken broth*
• 1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
• 1 tsp. granulated garlic
• 1 tsp. onion powder
• salt and black pepper to taste
• oil - canola, vegetable or olive oil for stir frying.
• cornstarch and water - for a slurry for thickening the sauce (2 parts corn starch to 3 parts water or chicken broth)

After you have sliced the chicken place the pieces in a bowl. Season with the red pepper flakes, granulated garlic, onion powder and some salt and black pepper - do this all to taste. Toss together and set aside while you prep the vegetables.
Place the vegetables in a large bowl as you prep them and add in the same spices - minus the red pepper flakes. Give them a toss.
Heat up your wok and add in some oil to coat the sides and bottom of the wok. I have an electric wok so I stir fry at 350 - 375 degrees. Quickly stir fry the chicken to sear. Takes about a minute or so for each batch. When the chicken is done, stir fry the vegetables in batches as well - about 1-2 minutes per batch. Add extra oil as you go along if necessary. When you are at the last batch of veggies, add in soy sauce, the mirin and the garlic. Stir.
Add the remainder of the vegetables and chicken back in the wok along with the chicken broth. Stir and cook for a few minutes.
Taste for extra seasoning and add more chicken broth if need be.  Make a slurry and when the "sauce" is bubbling add that in. Again, stir and cook for just a few more minutes to allow the chicken to be thoroughly cooked through and the sauce slightly thickened.
The end result should be tender chicken, somewhat crisp vegetables and good flavor.
*If you need more chicken broth to make more sauce up the amount. You then will add a touch more mirin and soy sauce to balance out the flavor.

This stir fry came out so good. You could taste the sweetness of the mirin and feel the heat from the red pepper flakes and black pepper. The vegetables were incredibly delicious. Sauce was fabulous, really it was.

Today I did the math for this recipe. It will feed 6 -8 people. At six people the cost per person = $2.54 and for eight people, $1.91 per person.