Recipe: Chicken and Sweet Pepper Stir-Fry (using chicken breast)

CHICKEN AND SWEET PEPPER STIR-FRY

"This dish looks prettiest with a combination of red, yellow, and green bell peppers. Get extra flavor by marinating the chicken briefly before cooking in soy sauce with fresh lemon peel or ginger or garlic."

3 medium-size bell peppers (about 3 oz each)
1 1/2 tablespoons salad oil, divided use
1 1/2 pounds chicken breasts (up to 1 3/4 lbs), skinless, boneless, cut into 3/4-inch cubes
1 tablespoon chopped fresh ginger
1 clove garlic, pressed or minced
1 small onion (about 1/4 lb), cut into thin slivers
1 cup bean sprouts (about 3 oz), rinsed
1 teaspoon Asian (toasted) sesame oil
Soy sauce (or salt)
Hot cooked rice (optional, for serving)

Stem and seed peppers. Cut in thin slivers 2 to 3 inches long; set aside.

Place a wok or 10- to 12-inch frying pan over high heat; when pan is hot, add half the oil. When the oil is hot, add the chicken and stir-fry for 5 minutes until no longer pink in the center; cut to test. Remove chicken from pan.

Add remaining oil to pan with ginger, garlic and onion slivers; stir-fry for 1 minute. Add bell pepper slivers; stir-fry until tender-crisp, about 3 minutes.

Add bean sprouts and the cooked chicken; stir-fry until the sprouts barely wilt, about 1 minute. Mix sesame oil into stir-fry mixture.

Spoon onto plates; add soy sauce or salt to taste. Serve over hot cooked rice, if desired.

Makes: 4 to 5 servings
Source: Sunset Publishing