Coconut milk keeps the chicken super moist, lends creaminess, and a light sweetness that only coconut milk can. Use coconut milk in a can (usually found in the Asian aisle). The stir fry is easy, ready in 20 minutes, and has texture and layers of flavor galore. Mix and match ingredients based on what you have on hand and enjoy including the vegetables, seasonings, and herbs. It's so versatile and healthy. Serve as is or with rice if you like.
YIELD: serves 4
PREP TIME: 10 minutes
COOK TIME: about 10 minutes
TOTAL TIME: about 20 minutes
INGREDIENTS:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces and seasoned with salt and pepper
- 1 teaspoon lime zest
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- 3 or 4 cloves garlic, finely minced or pressed
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- one 14-ounce can (or similar size) coconut milk (I used lite, full-fat okay)
- 2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon light brown sugar, packed
- 1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper, or to taste
- 2 cups broccoli florets
- 1 cup sugar snap peas
- 1 cup red bell peppers, diced small (about 1 medium/large pepper)
- 1/2 cup carrots, sliced thin on the bias (about 1 large carrot)
- 1/2 cup green onions, sliced into 1-inch segments using white and green parts (about 3 to 4 green onions)
- 2 tablespoons fresh basil, finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, finely chopped
DIRECTIONS:
- To a large skillet, add the oil, chicken, season with salt and pepper, and cook over medium-high heat for about 3 to 4 minutes, or until chicken is about 80% cooked through, stir and flip intermittently.
- Add the lime zest, lime juice, garlic, ginger, stir to combine. Cook for about 1 minute, or until garlic is fragrant. Stir intermittently.
- Add the coconut milk, soy sauce, brown sugar, salt, pepper, and stir to combine.
- Add the broccoli, sugar snap peas, red peppers, carrots, green onions, bring coconut milk up to a gentle boil, and allow vegetables to cook until crisp-tender, about 3 to 5 minutes. Taste broth and make any necessary seasoning adjustments, i.e. more salt, pepper, lime juice, soy sauce, sugar, etc.
- Evenly sprinkle with basil, cilantro, and serve immediately. (Immediately upon taking the stir fry off the heat, there was quite a bit of excess coconut milk broth but as it cooled some of the broth must have soaked into the chicken and veggies and the overall volume appeared reduced after about 30 minutes). Stir fry is best warm and fresh but extra will keep airtight in the fridge for up to 5 days, reheat gently as desired.
Recipe from Averie Cooks. All images and content are copyright protected. Please do not use my images without prior permission. If you want to republish this recipe, please re-write the recipe in your own words, or simply link back to this post for the recipe. Thank you.
