Leftover Chicken Recipe 3: Chicken Stir-fries

Here are 3 formal chicken stir-fry recipes. Honestly, once you've gotten used to stir frying, you can pretty much wing it.

Sweet and Sour
Cashew Chicken
Teriyaki Chicken stir fry

Stir Fries are a favourite because they’re fast and include lots of vegetables. They’re low in fat and offer a complete meal with little effort. When it comes to stir-fries (and many leftover-chicken recipes) you don’t need to be exact in the measurement of the chicken. If you only have one cup leftover chicken, either reduce the recipe to serve fewer people, or increase the vegetables. These all serve 6-8 people. (Note that you can also make these stir fries with raw chicken. Simply cut the chicken into strips (it’s much easier to cut partially frozen chicken than completely thawed) and cook in a small amount of oil or cooking spray in the same wok or skillet that you will cook the stir fry in. Remove the chicken before stir-frying the vegetables and then add it to the mixture when you add the sauce. Also note that you can always add dried chili peppers to stir-fries for added heat. If you (and everyone you’re serving) like it hot, add two or three.

Sweet and Sour Stir-Fried Chicken

• 1 can pineapple chunks in juice, drained, with 1/3 cup juice reserved
• 1 T cornstarch
• 3T white vinegar
• 1 T honey
• Cooking spray
• 2 cups cooked, leftover chicken cut or torn into bite-sized pieces
• 1 medium green bell pepper cut into strips
• 1 medium onion sliced
• 2 medium carrots, coarsely shredded
• 1 cup broccoli and cauliflower florets
• Hot, cooked rice

Mix 1/3 c pineapple juice, cornstarch, vinegar, and honey. Heat wok or 12-inch skillet over high heat. Spray with cooking spray. Add bell pepper, broccoli and cauliflower florets and onion, stir fry 1 minute. Add cornstarch mixture and carrots to wok. Cook and stir about 1 minute until sauce thickens. Stir in pineapple chunks and chicken, cook until hot. Serve over hot, cooked rice.

Cashew Chicken

• 1/3 c chicken broth
• 1 T cornstarch
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• ½ tsp ground ginger
• ½ tsp red pepper sauce
• Cooking spray
• 2 cups cooked chicken cut or torn into bite-sized pieces
• 1 large green bell pepper cut into ¾ inch pieces
• 1 medium onion, sliced
• 1 can sliced water chestnuts, drained
• 2/3 c dry-roasted cashews
• 2 green onions, sliced
• 2 cups cauliflower and broccoli florets
• Optional – 1 dried hot chili pepper (adds heat)
• Hot cooked rice

Mix broth, cornstarch, soy sauce, ginger, and pepper sauce.
Heat wok or 12-inch skillet over high heat. Spray with cooking spray to coat. Add vegetables (except green onions) to wok or skillet, stir-fry 2 minutes or until all vegetables are crisp-tender. Add cornstarch mixture to wok Cook and stir about 1 minute or until sauce thickens. Stir in chicken and cashews. Cook and stir until chicken is heated through. Garnish with green onions. Serve over hot rice.

Teriyaki Chicken Stir Fry

• 1 Jar Teriyaki stir fry sauce
• Cooking spray
• 2 cups cooked chicken cut or torn into bite-sized pieces
• 1 large green bell pepper cut into ¾ inch pieces
• 1 medium onion, sliced
• 1 can sliced water chestnuts, drained
• 2 green onions, sliced
• 2 cups cauliflower and broccoli florets
• Optional – 1 dried hot chili pepper (adds heat)
• Hot, cooked rice

Heat wok or 12-inch skillet over high heat. Spray with cooking spray to coat. Add vegetables (except green onions), stir-fry 2 minutes or until all vegetables are crisp-tender. Add teriyaki stir-fry sauce. Cook and stir about 1 minute. Stir in chicken. Cook and stir until chicken is heated through. Garnish with green onions. Serve over hot, cooked rice.