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Chinese Chicken With Green Beans

6/15/2016

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My daughter decided we need to eat our way around the world this week. We started with a really good summery pizza picnic in the park with friends, and then moved on to Chinese-inspired chicken with green beans today. This was only her second taste ever of "real" Chinese food. (I say "real" but I've never been to Asia, and although I was Chinatown regular before becoming a mom and dealing with food allergies on a daily basis, I don't have much else to base this on.) As far as American Chinese take-out though, this tasted pretty close to the real thing, to me. My only regret was that I forgot to buy sticky rice. (We used standing white, long grain rice for this dish which was fine, but not quite the same as from a restaurant.) Also, I didn't put all the sauce in the dish which I then regretted. Definite cook all the sauce! For a 20-minute weeknight dinner, this was packed with flavor, really easy to pull together with a child, and quite delicious. How do you say enjoy in Chinese? Anyone?

Ingredients: (serves 4)
  • 3 to 4 butterflied boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into small 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick strips 
  • 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil
  • 4 cups of green beans (or broccoli if you prefer)
  • Rice (you can use brown rice, white rice, sticky rice, jasmine--whatever you like best. Rice noodles also work well and cook in under 5 minutes.)
For the sauce: 
  • 1 cup of low-sodium chicken stock
  • 2 small or 1 large garlic clove, minced
  • 2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger root (you can use dried ginger if you don't have fresh ginger)
  • 1 teaspoon of sugar
  • 2 tablespoons of low sodium soy sauce (Tamari, if you're making this gluten free)
  • 2 tablespoons of corn starch
  • 2 teaspoons of sesame oil (you can do without this, if you have a sesame allergy. Still delicious!)
  • Hot pepper flakes (optional: I love it with a kick but Lina really can't handle spice so we skipped it today).

To prepare:
Steam or blanche your beans or broccoli, and cook rice according to package directions, in two separate pots.
Meanwhile, mix you sauce ingredients in a bowl.
Heat the vegetable oil in a very hot wok or large skillet. Add sliced chicken, season well, and stir for about 4  minutes until almost cooked through.
Add sauce and continue cooking over medium-high heat for about 3 more minutes, tossing or stirring well. 
Add the cooked beans or broccoli at the last minute.
Mix, and serve immediately over rice.

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    About the Author

    I'm Lorraine Allen, and when our daughter was diagnosed with multiple severe food allergies in infancy, a decade ago, I decided to freelance from home so that I could also care and cook for her. Because I grew up all around the world, it's important to me that she be able to enjoy all sorts of international food.  I've learned, throughout this process, that even a large number of severe allergies and restrictions does not stop a person from eating well. On the contrary, by forcing us to focus so much attention on what we consume, we've gained a whole new appreciation for good food, and ironically, we all enjoy a healthier diet than before this diagnosis. This site is where we share some of our delicious egg-free, nut-free, shellfish-free (and often vegan and gluten-free) experiments and successes in the kitchen. Guten Appetit and thanks for reading!

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