When we moved into our house almost fourteen years ago, we did a tremendous amount of work to get it aesthetically pleasing. The 1940s built house had great bones but needed a major refresh. Paneling in the family room was removed, all the doors and hardware were replaced, wallpaper removed, carpeting removed, hardwood floors refinished, kitchen counters replaced, appliances replaced, light fixtures replaced, some crown molding added, tile replaced in the foyer and library, and every room repainted. Oh, I forgot mention the scraping off eight layers of paint on both sides of the front door. Believe it or not I lived here, sleeping on an air mattress, during the three plus months it took to get all of this work done. But living in chaos in a house without furniture is very different than living in chaos in a house filled with furniture and filled cupboards. Yes, living in chaos while repainting the entire house again, room by room, after all of these years feels harder than sleeping on an air mattress for three months was. Last week the dining room was repainted. Five rooms down with just six more to go, not including hallways and bathrooms. But I need at least a week of reprieve before the sight of madness and bedlam returns. The rooms waiting much too long to be repainted will just have to wait a little longer.
Speaking of waiting, why did I wait so long before making this Chicken Teriyaki Stir Fry? A healthy dish made with skinless chicken, water chestnuts, tender crisp red bell pepper, green onions, garlic, crunchy carrots, cashews, teriyaki sauce, and sesame seeds is a most craveworthy, delicious, flavorful dish. With all that crunch from the vegetables and cashews, it has the most satisfying texture for a dish that looks like chaos on a dish. Only looking at this kind of beautiful chaos makes me happy!
The Chicken Teriyaki Stir Fry can be served on a lettuce lined platter with our without/rice on the side or in individual single serving lettuce cups. It can be served as a main course or as a hearty appetizer. What is not to love about a dish having such versatility?
I used both skinless boneless chicken breasts and thighs in this stir fry, but you can make it only with white meat for the healthiest version. Although whichever chicken choices you make, I have to tell you this is a really a good for you, high protein, low carbohydrate healthy dish.
If you serve it with some cooked white rice or Japanese Udon noodles, it will still be healthy-ish but even more hearty. Or serve it with some cauliflower rice to make both healthy and hearty. To add even more fun to the meal, put out a bowl of fortune cookies. And be sure to have a bowl of teriyaki on the side for those who want even more teriyaki flavor in their stir fry.
While teriyaki is considered to be a method of Japanese cooking and chicken teriyaki can be found on the menus in Japanese restaurants, it is more of an American food than a Japanese one. Think of Chicken Teriyaki Stir Fry as a kind of Hawaiian-Japanese fusion dish.
Colorful, with complex flavors, crunchy, light but filling, with the right combination of sweet/saltiness, this Chicken Teriyaki Stir Fry is heaven on a platter or even in a lettuce wrap. This is seriously good.
Recipe
Chicken Teriyaki Stir Fry
Serves 4-6 as a main course or 6-8 as an appetizer
Ingredients
1 1/2 pounds (680g) skinless, boneless chicken breast strips or a combination of skinless chicken breast strips and skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1 inch pieces (See notes)
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
2 Tablespoons sesame oil, divided
1 large carrot (3 1/2 oz/98g), peeled and julienned into 1 inch lengths
2 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
5-6 green onions, green and white parts, sliced (yield should be a generous one cup), divided
1 large red bell pepper, seeded and diced
8 ounce (226g) can of sliced water chestnuts, drained and cut into matchsticks
2/3 cup (98g) whole salted cashews, plus an additional 1/3 cup (49g) for garnishing
1 cup teriyaki sauce, divided (plus more for serving)
2 Tablespoons sesame seeds
Butter lettuce, Boston lettuce, Romaine, Endive and/or Radicchio
Optional: Cooked white rice and/or Japanese Udon noodles
Directions
1. In a large (12") cast iron skillet, heat one tablespoon of the sesame oil over medium-high heat.
2. Add the chicken, season with the one teaspoon of Kosher salt and cook for 4-5 minutes, stirring frequently, until the chicken is no longer pink in the center. Remove from the pan and transfer the chicken to a plate.
3. In the same skillet, heat the remaining tablespoon of sesame oil. Add in the garlic and 2/3 of the green onions.. Sauté for 30-45 seconds being careful to not let the garlic burn.
4. Add in the julienned carrots, diced bell pepper, and water chestnuts. Cook for an additional 2 minutes, stirring frequently.
5. Add in 3/4 cup of the teriyaki sauce. Cook for one minute, stirring occasionally.
6. Return the chicken to the pan and continue cooking until the chicken is heated through to desired level of warmth. Remove from heat.
7. Have a platter lined with butter lettuce, Boston lettuce and/or Radicchio. Pour additional teriyaki sauce into a small bowl and place in the center of the platter. Spoon the chicken teriyaki stir fry on the leaves of lettuce. Alternately place spoonfuls of the chicken teriyaki stir fry in lettuce, radicchio, romaine or endive leaves to create individual serving wraps.
8. Drizzle with the remaining 1/4 cup of teriyaki. Sprinkle with the remaining 1/3 cup of green onions, sprinkle the additional 1/3 cup of cashews and finish with sprinkling with the sesame seeds.
9. Serve immediately with or without cooked white rice.
Notes: (1) I used a combination of white and dark chicken meat for additional flavor. I used 1 1/4 pounds of white meat and 1/4 pound of dark meat. If you are looking to making this dish the leanest possible, use only white meat. (2) Prepare all of the ingredients (chicken, carrots, green onions, water chestnuts, red bell pepper) in advance (early in the day or several hours ahead of serving). Place each ingredient in individual bowls, wrap with plastic wrap and keep chilled in the refrigerator. When ready to assemble the dish, the entire cooking process will take less than 20 minutes.