Thursday, February 11, 2010

Chicken with Bok Choy

I love my frying pan, in case you haven't noticed. I love the versatility of them and I love how easy they can make my dinners.

I also love bok choy.


It's spicey, but it's also refreshing.

I live with a sort-of-picky eater (sort of because he always surprises me with peculiar likes... his hate of fish, but his love of spicy tuna rolls) so whenever I find a vegetable he likes, I make sure to buy it. We haven't had bok choy or anything stir-fry in awhile and I had two chicken breasts (Belle & Evans, love them - though Dan's dad is going to take me to get fresh chicken one day this spring, so that just be interesting).

I coated the chicken with a lot of spices before searing them. Salt, pepper, Mexican chili powder, cayenne, and garlic powder. My go-to spice loves.


Then I seared them to golden-brown crispy perfection.


Then I took them out of the pan and threw in the white parts of my bok choy. Stir them around to get all the good flavors from the chicken incorporated.


I also whipped up a sauce with soy sauce, hoisin sauce, and rice vinegar. I added some to the bok choy and let it have a few minutes of cooking.

Then the chicken gets added back in (thicker, less cooked pieces first, then after a minute, the rest of it).

 

Once the chicken was cooked all the way through, which only takes a couple of minutes, I threw in the bok choy leaves and stirred them to coat them and to wilt them. Only half a minute. They wilt quickly!



Then I added some more sauce and a healthy handful of cilantro and served it up!


I only wish I had some sesame oil, that was the one flavor this dish was lacking. It's included in the recipe below because if I had had it on hand, it would have gone in. But it was still delicious! Someone liked it so much, he licked his plate clean (making me realize there's a reason we don't do that in polite society).


Next time I would serve this over some rice noodles, but I also did not have any in the house (and I didn't feel like making rice). The rice noodles or rice would stretch this dish further and leave you with more leftovers.

RECIPE
Serves 3-4 (depending on whether you serve it with a noodles/rice or not)

Chicken
Salt, pepper, garlic powder, Mexican chili powder, and paprika - to taste
3 Tbs. olive oil
1 bunch bok choy - chopped, whites and greens separated
1/2 cup cilantro (loosely packed) - coarsely chopped
1 tsp. sesame oil

Sauce
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/8 cup rice vinegar
1 Tbs hoisin sauce

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Pat chicken dry with paper towels and sprinkle liberally with spices. When oil is beginning to shimmer, add the chicken breasts and cook (without touching!); 2-3 minutes per side. Remove chicken from pan and add bok choy whites. Stir to coat them and scrape up any brown bits stuck to the bottom of the pan. Add 1/4 cup of the sauce and stir to coat.

While the whites of the bok choy are cooking, slice the chicken in 1/2"-thick pieces. Make a well in the middle of the bok choy whites and add the chicken from the middle, where it is least cooked and thickest, first. Cook for 1 minute. Add the rest of the chicken and any accumulated juices and stir everything together.

Add the bok choy greens and stir to incoporate them and allow them to wilt - only about 30 seconds. Immediately take the pan off heat, the bok choy will continue to wilt from the temperature of the pan alone. Stir in another 1/4 cup of sauce and the sesame oil.

Serve with a nice handful of the chopped cilantro on top.

3 comments:

  1. This looks fantastic! I haven't cooked much with Bok Choy...much to my dismay, but I think it's time to change that for sure. Thank you for this recipe!

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  2. I always like Chinese vegetables when I'm eating them in restaurants, but at home I've only used canned water chestnuts, mini corns, bamboo shoots etc. I'm going to go buy some bok choy and try your recipe. I have sesame oil and rice noodles that my daughter bought and left in my cabinet. I love them both. Great recipe which will go great with beef and fish.

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  3. Blair - try it! Bok choy is great and easy and fast!

    That's true! I would love to sear a tuna steak rare and serve it right on top of this bok choy! Thanks for the comment :)

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