Chicken Stir Fry

i am always looking for ways to use leftovers

I just have this thing that I hate wasting food. I'm not really sure where it comes from. Maybe from my grandma who always talked about never taking more than what you absolutely needed and wasted NOTHING because she grew up in the Depression Era on a farm no less, so things were, well tough is probably putting it mildly. I don't think she wasted anything in her household. Or maybe from my mom, who is an amazing cook and always made us healthy dinners, but made sure we had Leftover Night too so nothing would get thrown out.

Regardless, we eat ALL the food in my house. But sometimes I need to take those leftovers and give them a fancy new take so I don't feel like I'm eating the same thing over and over again. A stir fry is a super easy way to take those leftovers up a notch and make sure you're still eating everything in your house. It's another one of those versatile dishes that can use up veggies that are on the verge of being over ripe, and virtually any protein you have left in your fridge that needs to be consumed. Kind of like throwing everything except the kitchen sink into a wok!

A stir fry is super easy to make, it's easy to make a ton of and it can be quick especially if you use store bought teriyaki sauce. Making your own is cool too, but sometimes you just don't have the time to mess around with that kind of stuff!

For this recipe, I had leftover chicken that needed to be used along with some veggies I wanted to make sure were eaten before they went bad, but there's tons of different ways to play this one so mess around with it and see what you like!

Chicken Stir Fry

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cooking time: 30 minutes

Serves: 4

2 tblsp sesame oil

2 cooked chicken breasts, diced

1 onion, chopped

3 cloves of garlic, minced

1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced

1 cup of broccoli, chopped

1 cup sugar snap peas

2 cups of brown rice, cooked

1/2 cup teriyaki sauce

Get your rice cooked first and then set it aside. Grab a wok or a large saute pan. Over medium heat, add in your sesame oil, then add in your onion and cook until translucent, around 3 minutes. Add in the garlic and cook until fragrant, around 1 minute. Add in your bell pepper and cook around 4 minutes. Add in the broccoli and cook for an additional 4 to 5 minutes. Put 3 tablespoons of water into the pan, cover and cook for around 5 minutes so the veggies can steam. Uncover, add in the chicken and the sugar snap peas, cooking for an additional 5 minutes. Place your teriyaki sauce and rice into the pan and toss until everything is coated evenly and the rice is reheated, that usually takes another 5 to 8 minutes. Divide into 4 bowls and serve immediately! Enjoy!