Here are step by step instructions and pictures on how to make my Chicken Stir-Fry dinner. It's super easy and only takes a little over an hour to prepare. Smells great, looks great, and tastes great too!
Ingredients
Boneless Chicken Thighs (or you can de-bone your own thighs)
One medium to large Onion
A cup of chopped Celery
Zucchini Squash
Broccoli
Canned Mushrooms (or fresh if you prefer)
Fresh ground Pepper (or regular)
Garlic Powder
Stick Butter
Vegetable Oil
Flour (Optional)
1. First you'll need to cut your boneless chicken thighs into bite size pieces. (or remove the bone and skin if you bought regular thighs) Once this is completed you'll need a large skillet to begin cooking. Start on a medium heat with a little vegetable oil to cover the bottom of the skillet. Just a few table spoons should do the trick. The extra fat from the chicken will create it's own oil as well. If you use too much you can always take some out with a chicken baster. Once chicken is in the oil stir occasionally, but not too much. You can begin chopping the vegetables while the chicken cooks. If a crispy outside is desired you can sprinkle flour over the chicken. This will also help with browning the outside. The chicken doesn't take more than 15 minutes. I use two packages though. So I cook them both separately. (2 packs is 8 pieces of chicken so it takes me 30 minutes) When chicken is finished it should be slightly crispy and and browned. Remove all the chicken from the skillet and place in a bowl. I put my bowl in the oven to keep it warm until I'm ready for it.
2. Second thing to do is slice the onion into long, thin slices like the picture below. Use the same skillet the chicken was cooked in and do not rinse or wipe out first. You may need to add a little oil. I like to use a mixture of oil and stick butter so the onions do not stick to the skillet. However you choose just be sure your heat isn't too high. Cook onions until they begin to get soft and start to brown. When they reach this point it's time to add the celery.
3. The next step you'll add about a cup (or desired amount) of celery to the onions. You may need to add more butter since there will be more in the skillet. Continue cooking onions and celery until the celery is hot and the onions are soft and slightly brown. After they're finished you can put the celery and onions into the same bowl as you did the chicken to keep it warm too. There is no need to separate them. Again, you do not need to clean the skillet.
4. Next you can cut your Zucchini Squash into thin slices after you cut the ends off. I use two Zucchini when I make mine. Using the same skillet, add some stick butter and start cooking the Zucchini. Grind your pepper over the top and also some garlic powder. Cook in medium heat until soft and then finish on high until slightly browned. Should look something like the picture below. After the Zucchini is finished add it to the bowl too.
5. Next you can open up two 4 oz cans of mushrooms. You can dump the mushrooms with the water they're in into the skillet. You only need to cook until they're hot. By this time the skillet will turn a kind brown color. After they're hot you can scoop them out and add them into the bowl, leaving the remaining juice in the skillet. Now is when we rinse the skillet. Just to remove the flakes and brown color just rinse with water until the loose pieces are gone.
6. When the skillet is rinsed you can place it back onto the stove. Add about one cup of water. On medium heat you can add your chopped broccoli. I used one package. (roughly 1 lb) I cut the stems off leaving a very small end. Just so they're bite sized pieces. Cook broccoli until it turns bright green. Occasionally stirring so the broccoli gets coated by the water and doesn't burn. When Broccoli turns a bright green it's finished. I use a spatula to hold my broccoli in the skillet while I drain the water. (I recommend using a colander to drain the water out)
7. Next you can take your bowl out of the oven and dump everything into the skillet. Keep on medium heat until everything is hot again. Add some garlic powder and pepper again to the final mix. After it is hot again it's ready to serve. I like to put mine over white rice. You can put it over noodles if you prefer or eat it plain as well. By the time you're finished it will look like the below picture.
8. Now all that is left is to eat!! In the picture below I placed my Chicken Stir-Fry over plain white rice. I used a little bit of soy sauce in my rice and topped it with chow mein noodles.
Success!!!!
If you have any questions feel free to leave them in a comment.
