Szechwan-Style Chicken

Szechwan-Style Chicken

Skip the Chinese take-out and prepare this delicious Asian dinner at home in just 30 minutes; the key is the prepackaged Szechwan spicy stir-fry sauce. Szechwan is a description of a Chinese spice that is made by grinding the brown berries of the prickly ash tree into finer particles. This spice is available, in whole or ground form, in Asian markets or specialty stores and the spice may also be referred to as "Sichuan pepper."

Ingredients

1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1/3 cup teriyaki sauce
3 tablespoons Szechwan spicy stir-fry sauce
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon cooking oil
1 large onion, chopped (1 cup)
3 cups chopped bok choy
1 cup broccoli flowerets
1 medium red sweet pepper, cut into strips (1 cup)
2 cups fresh pea pods, stings removed, or one 6-ounce package frozen pea pods, thawed
1 14-ounce can whole baby sweet corn, drained and halved crosswise
1 7-ounce jar whole straw mushrooms, drained
3 cups hot cooked rice noodles or rice

Method

Cut chicken into thin bite-size strips. Set aside.
For sauce, in a small bowl stir together teriyaki sauce, stir-fry sauce, and cornstarch. Set aside.
Pour cooking oil into a wok or large skillet. (Add more oil as necessary during cooking.) Preheat over medium-high heat. Stir-fry onion in hot oil for 2 minutes. 

Add bok choy, broccoli, and sweet pepper; stir-fry for 1 minute. Add fresh pea pods (if using); stir-fry for 1 to 2 minutes more or until vegetables are crisp-tender. 

Remove vegetables from the wok.
Add half of the chicken to the hot wok. Stir-fry for 2 to 3 minutes or until cooked through. Remove chicken from the wok. Repeat with remaining chicken. Return all chicken to the wok. Push chicken from the center of the wok.
Stir sauce. Add sauce to the center of the wok. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly. Return cooked vegetables to the wok. Add corn, mushrooms, and thawed frozen pea pods (if using). Stir all ingredients together to coat with sauce.

Cook and stir about 1 minute more or until heated through. Serve immediately over hot cooked rice noodles or rice. 

Makes 6 servings.