Hoisin Chicken with Steamed Vegetables

This chicken dish is the second installment of the Healthy Cooking on the Cheap Series and is a simple and quick recipe that you can easily prepare for you and a friend in 30 minutes tops! I don’t know how hectic your weekday schedule is but I know mine is pretty busy and this dish is perfect for a last minute dinner.

I happen to really enjoy preparation of this recipe because of how incredibly easy and fast it is. Often times, the first time I cook a dish it takes twice as long. This is probably common for most cooks because a good cook READS THE ENTIRE RECIPE FIRST. It usually takes at least two preparations to really get familiar with a recipe, which usually quickens the preparation time. But even someone who has NEVER cooked before can make Hoisin Chicken with Steamed Vegetables in their sleep.

It’s fairly common for me to multi-task in the kitchen and this dish complements a busy lifestyle quite well. I recommend marinating the chicken in the Hoisin sauce, or other Asian-inspired marinade you might have on hand, in advance. Most chicken tastes better when it has marinated for a longer period of time, so feel free to let the chicken marinate in the refrigerator while you are prepping your vegetables. I usually tend to throw in whatever vegetables or spices I have on hand to make the dish a little more interesting and spicy, since you all know by now how much I enjoy spicy foods. Some of the ingredients I’ve added in the past are chopped garlic, sesame seeds, sesame oil, sriracha, and hot chili flakes.

I hope you enjoy this recipe and experiment with the ingredients you have laying around YOUR kitchen! Unfortunately I was unable to post the pictures of this dish today but check back tomorrow for photos.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons Hoisin Sauce (can subsitute for Teriyaki, Soy Vey, or your marinade of choice)
• 3 tablespoons Sesame Seeds (optional)
• 1/2 tablespoon Chopped Garlic (optional)
• 1/2 teaspoon Chili Flakes (optional)
• 3/4 - 1 lb chicken tenders (or chicken breasts cut into bite-sizes pieces)
• 1/4 cup chopped green onions
• 1 cup broccoli
• 1/2 cup chopped mushrooms
• 1 cup butternut squash (or any vegetable of your choice)
• 2 cups fresh spinach
• 1 package pre-cooked brown rice
• 1 Ziploc Steam Bag
• Low Sodium Soy Sauce (optional)
• Sriracha (optional)

Preparation

1. Combine the chicken tenders, garlic, Hoisin Sauce, chili flakes, and sesame seeds in a plastic bag and marinate for at least a half hour.

2. Dice vegetables and prepare rice (if not using pre-cooked brown rice).

3. Coat and heat a medium or large saucepan sprayed with Pam. Remove the marinated chicken from the refrigerator and cook in sautee pan for about 3-4 minutes or until the tops of the chicken tenders become less pink.

4. Once the chicken starts cooking through turn the tenders over and add the green onions. While the chicken finishes cooking, microwave the pre-cooked rice and the vegetables (in the Ziploc steam bag) and heat them based on the package directions. Be sure to steam the spinach separately as it takes a very short time to steam.

5. Once the vegetables, rice, and chicken have finished cooking, place 3/4 cup of rice, 1 cup of vegetables, and three chicken tenders in each of two bowls and serve. Feel free to top with soy sauce or sriracha.