Brussels Sprouts & Chicken Stir Fry

Blame it on my local 99c only Store that I keep coming up with Brussels sprouts recipes. They're too easy to get cheaply these days. So here comes another recipe with them called Brussels Sprouts & Chicken Stir Fry

I've cooked Brussels spouts every which way, from an appetizer of Baked Bacon Wrapped (click on any name to see the recipe) to sauteed in a Buttery Pasta, and just plain Roasted. About the only way I've yet to do it is deep fried - hmmm...that's gotta be next.

If you are not so lucky in finding these flavorful mini-cabbages, then just substitute with half a head of cheaper cabbage -- it's all good.

Brussels sprouts need minimal preparation: slice off woody stem ends and discard yellow leaves, that's it. If they are extra large, you may want to slice them in half. 

Chicken is the cheapest of protein that I always find on sale, especially in local Latin markets. I used skinless and boneless dark meat for less than a dollar per pound, now that's the right price.

It's cheapest to work with leg quarters or dark meat, while white meat is easiest for removing skin and bone. But once you've deboned legs and thighs a few times, it's gets easy enough.

When I'm in a hurry, or just too lazy to think too much by dinnertime, I go to a quick Chinese stir fry. All you need is some soy sauce and a sweetener. And if you have a bottle of stir fry sauce or oyster sauce for extra flavor, then you are ready to go.

By the time a pot of rice is cooked my average stir fry recipe is ready, like this Brussels Sprouts & Chicken Stir Fry.

Ingredients (2-4 servings)

• 10 ounce package Brussels sprouts - okay to substitute with half a head of cabbage, roughly chopped.
• 2-3 pieces of chicken - boneless and skinless. I used dark meat. Okay to use leaner white meat chicken. Okay to add as much chicken as you like.
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce - I used low sodium.
• 2 tablespoons oyster sauce - okay to substitute any favorite stir fry sauce.
• 1 teaspoon honey - or favorite sweetener.
• 1 tablespoons corn starch - okay to substitute with flour. Mixing in corn starch or flour will make the sauce thicken.
• Pepper to taste - optional. I left out salt as soy sauce has plenty for me.
• Oil for stir frying - about 3 tablespoons total.
• 2 cups of cooked rice - white or brown rice. Okay to make more rice.

Directions
Cook rice according to package directions. One cup of uncooked rice makes about 2 cups when steamed.

Remove skin from chicken pieces and slice out the bone. White meat is easiest to remove bone from. I bought skinless and boneless dark meat chicken for this recipe.

Slice chicken into bite-sized pieces. Sprinkle on corn starch to coat the chicken pieces.

Add 2 tablespoons of oil to a medium/hot pan. Add chicken and stir fry it until cooked all the way through, about 3-5 minutes. Slice into thickest chicken piece to make sure there is no pink juices when done. Chicken doesn't need to brown, just cook through. Remove chicken when done.

While chicken cooks, rinse off Brussels sprouts, if necessary. Next, slice off the tough stem ends of each Brussels sprout. Make a very thin slice, no need to take off too much.

Remove any yellow leaves. If some green leaves detach, just add them to the pan for stir frying.

Slice Brussels sprouts in half, lengthwise. If the sprouts are small then you can leave them whole. In the package I bought Brussels sprouts were about 1 to 2 inches tall.

Add another tablespoon of oil to pan if necessary. Cooked chicken may have left some liquid in the pan - that's extra flavor so don't pour it out. And the veggies will help steam loose any charred tasty chicken bits.

Stir in cleaned and sliced Brussels sprouts. Saute until tender. Should not take more than 2-4 minutes. It's up to you how well done the cooked veggies become.

*Regular chopped cabbage is a cheaper substitution (almost the same flavor too, and takes a similar amount of cooking time as Brussels sprouts.

Spoon on 2 tablespoons of soy sauce and oyster sauce. Add a teaspoon of honey or any favorite sweetener.

Click on any image to see larger.

Finally add the cooked chicken pieces and mix all ingredients. Heat through until hot, about another minute or two.

Serve Brussels Sprouts & Chicken Stir Fry over rice. It's delish without rice for the carb-averse.