Chicken Lo Mein Stir-Fry

Today I stumbled upon a Chicken Lo Mein recipe on allrecipes.com. I was craving pasta (as usual) but wasn't in the mood for Italian (quite unusual). Stir-fry seemed like a good idea because I also had a bunch of veggies to use up. After reading through the reviews, I made a few alterations and came up with a healthy and tasty stir-fry. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 4 boneless chicken breasts (about 1.5 lbs), cut into thin strips
• 2 tbsp sugar, divided
• 3 tbsp rice wine vinegar, divided
• 1/2 cup soy sauce, divided
• 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• 1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper
• 2 tbsp cornstarch
• 12 oz pasta (linguine, spaghetti, whatever you like)
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil, divided
• 2 tbsp fresh ginger, minced
• 1 tbsp garlic, minced (about 4 cloves)
• 4 oz cremini mushrooms, sliced
• 1 1/2 cups sliced green onions (about 5)
• 1 red bell pepper, peeled and sliced
• 1 1/2 cups broccoli florets, sliced into small pieces
• plus any other veggies you like: carrots, water chestnuts, etc.

1. In a large ziploc bag, add the chicken strips with 1 tbsp sugar, 1 1/2 tsp vinegar, and 1/4 cup soy sauce. Mix together and lay flat so the chicken is coated evenly. Marinate in the refridgerator for an hour.

2. Prep the veggies: mince the ginger and garlic, slice the mushrooms, green onions, and pepper, and cut the broccoli. (Leave the broccoli separate from the rest of the veggies since they will go in first).

8 cups of veggies - yum!

3. Create the sauce: in a medium bowl, combine the chicken broth, sesame oil, black pepper, 1 tbsp sugar, 1 1/2 tsp vinegar, and 1/4 cup soy sauce. Add the cornstarch to a small bowl; slowly add 1-2 tbsp of the soy sauce mixture until the cornstarch dissolves. Pour the cornstarch mixture back in with the rest of the sauce and mix well. Set aside.

4. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook for 10-12 minutes until al dente. Drain and set aside.

5. Meanwhile, add 1 tbsp vegetable oil to a large skillet over high heat. Add the chicken and stir for 5 minutes (these should be thin pieces so they don't take long). Transfer the chicken and juice to a plate, set aside.

6. Heat the other 1 tbsp oil in the pan over high heat. Add the broccoli and stir for 2-3 minutes until it begins to soften. Add the rest of the veggies, ginger, garlic, and stir for a minute. Add the soy sauce mixture and the chicken and juice. Simmer for a few minutes until the sauce thickens. Add the pasta and toss gently until the pasta is well coated.

Giant skillet o' stir-fry

Serves: 6
WW:  7 pts/serving