Pepper Chicken Stir-Fry

Stir-fry is one of my favourite go-to meals when I've got fresh vegetables and no plan, or I'm in a hurry. This one was born because I had some bell peppers and no idea why I'd bought them, and since Vidalia onions are currently in season I'll take any excuse to use them. Add in some peanut butter and some other stuff for the sauce, and it ended up being a pretty darn fine meal.

I'm never sure when I put a collection of ingredients on the counter if I'm going to add something later, and of course after I took this picture I did. But the only thing not shown that I used was a can of sliced water chestnuts, so you're not missing a whole lot.

Honestly, I'm not sure exactly why I chose lime juice, but it seemed like a good idea at the time. It probably would have been better if I'd had a fresh lime, but the stuff in the squeeze bottle will do in a pinch. And it added a subtle flavour I think was necessary in the finished product.

First, I whisked together a bunch of stuff to marinate the chicken. Maggi Seasoning, rice vinegar, sesame oil, lime juice, coriander, some garlic, and some peanut butter. When you first start mixing it, you'll feel like the peanut butter is never going to combine, and at one point it looks downright frightening, but don't give up. Continue whisking and eventually you'll get a smooth, richly brown marinade.

Not pictured is the marinade combined with sliced raw chicken in a zip-top plastic bag, but I figure you can guess what it looked like. I stuck it in the refrigerator for a few hours, turning the bag occasionally to make sure all the chicken had a chance to soak some of it up.

Then, I heated some extra-virgin olive oil in my giant skillet, then sliced the Vidalia and quartered each slice. I sauteed those for a few minutes until they were starting to soften, stirring frequently.

Then I dumped the chicken, marinade and all, into the pan and stir-fried it for another few minutes, until the chicken was no longer showing pink. It certainly wasn't done, but it was done enough to move on and add more things.

Into the pan went the peppers and mushrooms. This was the point when I remembered I owned some water chestnuts and figured they'd be pretty good, too, so I drained and added those as well. From here, I continued stir-frying for a while until everything appeared to be done.

*Not pictured is the pan of instant brown rice simmering away on the burner behind this one. I figured making rice wasn't rocket surgery and you didn't really need explicit instructions for it.

I mention the rice, because I served it over rice. To reduce the carb count as much as I could, I made four servings of rice (according to the package), but the meal actually serves six. A little less rice isn't really all that noticeable, and every little bit helps.

Pepper Chicken Stir-Fry

Serves 8

4 tablespoons lime juice
2 tablespoons soy sauce (I used Meri Maggi)
2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
1 1/2 tablespoons rice vinegar
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut against the grain into thin strips

1 3/4 cup water
2 cups instant brown rice
1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium Vidalia onion, sliced, cut into quarters, and separated into rings
1 large green bell pepper, diced
1 large red bell pepper, diced
1 (4 ounce) can mushrooms, drained
1 (8 ounce) can sliced water chestnuts, drained

Whisk together first 8 ingredients until smooth, then combine with chicken strips in a zip-top plastic bag. Seal and refrigerate at least 2 up to 12 hours, turning occasionally.

Bring water to a boil in a medium saucepan; add rice, reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand until ready to serve.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat; add onion and cook, stirring frequently, until starting to soften.

Add chicken with marinade, and stir-fry until chicken is no longer pink, about 10 minutes. Add remaining ingredients and stir-fry until tender, about 10 minutes more.

Fluff rice with fork, then divide among plates. Spoon chicken, vegetables, and sauce over rice and serve.

Serving Size: 274g

Calories: 372

Calories from Fat: 61

Total Fat: 6.8g

Saturated Fat: 0.9g

Trans Fat: 0.0g

Cholesterol: 49mg

Sodium: 320mg

Total Carbohydrates: 52.6g

Dietary Fiber: 3.3g

Sugars: 3.1g

Protein: 24.8g