Easy Chicken 2 Ways: Marinated Citrus Chicken Stir Fry and Sauteed Garlic Chicken with Asparagus
Two of my favorite ways to enjoy chicken are Citrus Marinated Chicken with Broccoli, Onions & Cashews Stir Fry and Sauteed Garlic Chicken with Asparagus. Each uses a basic way to prepare chicken that can be used in many different recipes.
Citrus Marinated Chicken with Broccoli, Onions & Cashews
Purchase fresh chicken strips or cut 2-3 chicken breasts into strips
Marinate Chicken Strips (Use a bottled marinade of choice such as Tessemae's Lemon Garlic Dressing & Marinade) or make your own.
Place the chicken in a dish or large Ziploc bag. Pour the marinade over top, toss to coat the chicken, and then cover and refrigerate for at least 20 minutes.
Below is a basic citrus marinade which you can use as is or season to taste (for example you can add some ginger to give it some extra zing...) Mix the ingredients in a bowl, then follow directions above for marinating.
1/3 cup olive oil
1/3 cup lemon juice (from 2-3 lemons)
1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 cloves garlic (minced)
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
Next remove the chicken from the marinade and place strips on grill and cook until cooked through (I used a George Foreman indoor grill) You can baste the chicken with leftover marinade as it is cooking, to keep it moist. If using a stove top grill pan, you can first melt some butter in the grill if desired, then grill over medium-high heat until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees.
For the stir fry: First add oil of choice to a heavy pan and stir fry 1/2 sliced onion until tender (tip: I usually cook up a batch of onions on a Sunday to have ready to throw into a stir fry during the week). If you really want amazing taste for the onions, add a little touch of butter while they are cooking.
Next add the broccoli: I usually steam or microwave the cut up broccoli slightly before adding to the pan, which I find makes it so that it stays tender and crispy in the stir fry without overcooking.
When the broccoli is tender, add in the chicken and cashews and season to taste with one of the following: Tamari, soy sauce, or Ponzu Sauce. That's it...For a little extra flavor you can sprinkle a little Gomashio on top before serving plain or with some quinoa or cauliflower rice.
Garlic Butter Chicken Bites
Fresh chicken strips or 2-3 chicken breasts cut into strips (then cut strips into cubes.
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning or Herbes de Provence
Slice chicken breasts into bite-sized chunks and season with salt, pepper, and onion powder.
Heat half butter and olive oil in a large cast-iron skillet over medium-low heat.
Gently stir-fry the chicken bites on all sides until golden brown.
Lower the temperature, add one teaspoon minced garlic and Italian seasoning and stir and cook with chicken bites until fragrant.
You can use this chicken in any stir fry or continue on to add asparagus and to make the Garlic Chicken Dish pictured below:
1-2 bunches asparagus trimmed, and steamed or blanched until tender
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon hot sauce, optional (such as Sriracha)
1/2 cup (125ml) low-sodium chicken broth
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1 tablespoon minced parsley
Crushed red chili pepper flakes, optional
Slices oflemon, for garnish
Remove the chicken bites from the skillet and set aside
In the same skillet over medium-high, add minced garlic then deglaze with chicken broth.
Bring to a simmer and allow to reduce to half the volume. Add butter, lemon juice, hot sauce, (optional) parsley. Give a quick stir to combine.
Add the steamed (or blanched) asparagus and toss for 2 minutes to cook it up. Add the sautéed chicken bites back to the pan and stir for another minute to reheat. Garnish the chicken and asparagus with more parsley, crushed chili pepper, and lemon slices and serve your garlic butter chicken bites and asparagus immediately.
