Easy Chicken and Vegetable Stir Fry with Oyster Sauce

When I moved into my first apartment, I almost became a vegetarian.

Not for any moral reasons, but because touching raw meat grossed me out.  I was such a cooking novice.  I could scramble an egg, make a grilled cheese or a quesadilla, and boil pasta.  That was my meal rotation until I figured out just how easy it was to make a stir fry.  Then I had five things I could make.

Thanks to the frequency that stir fry appeared in my cooking schedule, I like to think I got pretty good at making it.  Pretty darn good.  Or so the boyfriend says.  I even overcame my fears and started adding in meat.

My favorite kind to make is chicken with vegetables in oyster sauce.  In case you're nervous about what the eff oyster sauce is (ahem, like some of my friends), it's the sauce that usually is used with beef and broccoli.  And it's delicious.

Chicken and Vegetable Stir Fry
Makes 4 servings

Marinade Ingredients:
1 tablespoon Oyster Sauce
1 tablespoon Soy Sauce
1 tablespoon Water
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon sesame oil (or other oil if you don't have sesame on hand)
1 pound raw chicken, cut into bite size pieces

Add all ingredients to a medium bowl.  Whisk together.  Mix in the chicken, coating all of the pieces.  Put in the refrigerator to marinade while you prep the stir fry, about 15 minutes.

If your sous chef used his hands to do the mixing, make sure he washes them!

Stir Fry Ingredients
2 cups jasmine rice

3 tablespoons sesame oil, divided
2 large garlic cloves, smashed
1 tablespoon grated ginger (hint: put this into the freezer, then when you need some it's easy to grate with a cheese grater)

1 onion, cut into slices
1 pound broccoli, cut into florets
2 bell peppers (I prefer red and orange), cut into slices
1 tablespoon soy sauce
4 tablespoons oyster sauce (or more, if you're an oyster sauce addict)
1/2 cup water
1 tablespoon corn starch
2 teaspoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar

Cook rice as directed on the package.  While the rice is cooking, add half of the sesame oil, the garlic, and the ginger to a large skillet (or wok, if you happen to have one).  Cook over medium heat until you start to smell the garlic, about one minute.

Add in the onion and brocoli, stirring frequently.  Cook until broccoli turns a bright green, four to five minutes.

Add bell peppers and cook until the peppers cook through (peppers will turn to a duller color as they cook), about two minutes.  Remove vegetables from the pan.

While vegetables are cooking, mix together the rest of the sesame oil, soy sauce, oyster sauce, water, corn starch, brown sugar, and rice wine vinegar to make the sauce.  Set aside.

Add chicken, marinade, and about 1/3 of the sauce to the pan.  Cook until chicken is cooked through, three to four minutes.

Add the vegetables back to the pan.  Reduce the heat to low and pour the rest of the sauce on top.  Continue to cook one to two minutes until the sauce cooks down.  Serve over rice and enjoy!

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