Lately, I haven’t been cooking many labor-intensive meals – or baking, for that matter. That’s because my local Whole Foods continues to surprise me with the most amazing seasonal produce, finds from their Meat & Poultry and Seafood departments, and sweet treats, among other things. And, when you’re presented with quality ingredients, it doesn’t take much to turn them into tasty fare.
Case in point: I received some marinated Korean style ribs in a recent mystery basket, so all I had to do was lay them on a baking sheet and put them under the broiler. After just 10 minutes in the oven, they were ready for the dinner table.
Since I don’t eat a lot of red meat, I paired the ribs with this quick chicken and vegetable stir-fry, which works well as a side or main course. Feel free to customize the recipe to your liking, by omitting or doubling up on the protein, and experimenting with different veggies.
This dish may not look like much, but it’s quite tasty. I especially like how the flavor of the sesame oil – which is used to marinate the chicken and sauté the vegetables – shines through.
Recipe adapted from Sunset.
- ½ large boneless, skinless chicken breast half, cut into thin strips, about 2" long
- 2 tablespoons thinly sliced green onions + 3 green onions, cut into 1½" pieces
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 5 tablespoons soy sauce, divided
- 4 tablespoons toasted sesame oil, divided
- 1 tablespoon sugar, divided
- 10 dried shiitake mushrooms
- 6 ounces rice noodles
- ½ onion, thinly sliced
- 1 cup shredded carrots
- ⅓ pound asparagus, cut diagonally into ¼" pieces
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- In a small bowl, combine the chicken, sliced green onions, garlic, 2 tablespoons soy sauce, 1 teaspoon sesame oil and 1 teaspoon sugar. Cover with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes and up to 2 hours.
- In a medium bowl, cover mushrooms with 2 cups hot water. Set a small bowl on top of the mushrooms to keep them submerged; let stand until they are soft, about 20 minutes. Drain mushrooms, remove stems and cut caps into ¼"-wide strips; set aside.
- Cook rice noodles according to package directions until al dente. Rinse with cold water and drain well.
- In a large fry pan, heat 2 teaspoons sesame oil over medium-high heat. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent, 2-4 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl and set aside.
- Heat 1 more teaspoon sesame oil in the fry pan over medium-high heat. Add green onion pieces and carrots and cook, stirring occasionally, for 1 minute. Transfer to bowl with onions.
- Heat 2 more teaspoons sesame oil in the fry pan over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and asparagus and cook, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms are lightly browned, 2-3 minutes. Transfer to bowl with onions and carrots.
- Heat 1 more tablespoon sesame oil in the fry pan over medium-high heat. Add marinated chicken and cook, stirring occasionally, until no longer pink, 3-5 minutes. Transfer to bowl with stir-fried vegetables.
- In the same fry pan, combine drained rice noodles, 3 tablespoons soy sauce, 1 tablespoon sesame oil, 2 teaspoons sugar and pepper. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for 2 minutes. Transfer noodles and sauce to bowl with stir-fried chicken and vegetables. Toss to combine and serve.
