Asian Quinoa Chicken Stir-Fry

Since I'm usually in a hurry, I tend to stick with recipes that someone else has already figured out for me.  Lately, though,  I've been trying to be a little more creative in the kitchen by branching out and making recipes that are my own.  It's been a rather slow process for me and I don't think I'll be going on Chopped anytime soon, but I am excited to share one of my first original kitchen successes with you today!  

This recipe started off as an Asian inspired salad, but through  a couple of months of tweaking and lots of family critiquing (some nice and some not-so-nice),  it's become a tasty sweet-and-sour stir-fry that the whole family enjoys.   In addition to really liking the flavor,  I also enjoyed how it all came together with the tender chicken, crisp-tender veggies, and the quinoa!    

The actual cooking part of the recipe goes pretty quickly, so to save time at the dinner rush, I would recommend chopping all the chicken and veggies earlier in the day.    You could even mix the sauce together beforehand to make it really quick and easy.   Enjoy! 

Click here for printable recipe.

Asian Quinoa Chicken Stir-Fry
recipe by Lara


The ingredients:

3 cups water
1-1/2 cups quinoa
3 Tbs. rice vinegar
3 Tbs. soy sauce
1 Tbs. sesame oil
1 tsp. salt
1/2 cup plum sauce (found in the Asian section of grocery store)
2 Tbs. brown sugar
1 Tbs. olive oil
1-1/2 lbs. boneless skinless chicken breast, cubed
2 bell peppers, chopped
5 green onions, thinly sliced
1 cup sugar snap peas, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces.
6 garlic cloves, minced
1 Tbs. fresh ginger, minced
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper
honey roasted peanuts (optional)

Directions:  In a saucepan, combine water and quinoa and heat until boiling.  Turn heat to low, cover with a tight fitting lid, and simmer for 12-15 minutes or until water is absorbed and white filaments appear on the quinoa grain.  Set aside.  In a small bowl, whisk together rice vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, salt, plum sauce, and brown sugar.  Set aside. 

In a large skillet over medium-high heat, heat olive oil and saute cubed chicken breast until lightly browned--- about 5 minutes.  Add chopped peppers, green onions, and sugar snap peas and cook 1-2 minutes.  Add garlic, ginger, and crushed red pepper and cook an additional 1-2 minutes.  Pour  sauce over chicken mixture and cook until thickened slightly--about 2 minutes. 

Remove from heat and stir in cooked quinoa. 

Serve warm topped with  honey roasted peanuts if desired.  Makes 6-8 servings.   Enjoy!

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