Chicken stir fry

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We had a great time last weekend with a visit from a special out-of-town family member; this visit, however, was full of desserts and gluttony - BLAH! Enter Mel's Kitchen Cafe to the rescue with this great recipe for a chicken stir fry. I slightly modified it to include more vegetables and left out the fresh ginger and sesame seeds (had none)... Served it with brown rice and it was a big hit with the whole family. My two year old loved the broccoli, my non-meat eater asked for chicken and more chicken, and my picky 9 year old even tasted it all and had more rice. Handsome Husband asked if it could be put into the regular dinner rotation.

I liked that it was pretty quick to prepare (total of 45 minutes, including the rice and prep time) and that it was HEALTHY! High in vegetables, good source of lean protein, and very tasty.

Here is my modified version. I followed Mel's directions; the main change to the directions here is including my extra ingredients. I would like to try it again with fresh ginger and garlic.

INGREDIENTS:
1 1/4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup low-sodium soy sauce
4 tablespoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1.5 full (not half) boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 tablespoons canola oil
3 carrots, in diagonal rounds
4-5 celery stalks, sliced along the diagonal

1 pound broccoli, florets cut into 1-inch pieces, stalks discarded (some was from my garden!)
1.5 red/yellow bell peppers, stemmed, seeded and cut into thin strips
1/2 pound snow peas
green onions, sliced
garlic powder
ground ginger
Hot cooked brown rice for serving


DIRECTIONS:
In a liquid measuring cup, whisk together 1 cup broth, 6 tablespoons soy sauce, 2 tablespoons cornstarch and the sesame oil. In a large bowl, toss the cubed chicken with the remaining 2 tablespoons soy sauce, 2 tablespoons cornstarch and 1 tablespoon oil.

Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat until the oil is hot and rippling. Add the chicken mixture and brown the chicken until cooked through, flipping occasionally, about 5-7 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a plate. Set aside.

To the empty skillet, add the carrots, celery, broccoli and remaining 1/4 cup broth. Cover the skillet and cook until the broccoli begins to soften and turn bright green, about 2 minutes. Uncover the skillet and cook until the liquid evaporates, about 1 minute. Add the bell peppers and snow peas and cook 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add green onions, several sprinkles of garlic powder, and ginger.

Whisk the sauce in the liquid measuring cup to recombine and add to the skillet with the chicken and any accumulated juices. Cook, stirring often, until the mixture is bubbly and thickened, about 2 minutes.  Serve over brown rice.