Recipe: Sautéed Chicken with Snap Peas and Carrots

Recipe

Sautéed Chicken
with Snap Peas and Carrots

While "sauté" is a technique, it's also a type of dish. The beauty of sautés is they are fast. And one pan turns out meat, sauce, and vegetable.

Here, the chicken is browned, then steamed done over the sauce and vegetables. All you need is some plain rice and dinner is ready to roll.

Any rice is fine, but for nutritious variety, try a blend. I'm not talking flavored mixes, but different varieties of rice. Lundberg Farms puts out several, Jubilee Blend and Country Wild are just two. They're pretty and they're goof proof. Because these particular blends are unrefined, they take about 45 minutes. Use that to your advantage. Since this sauté takes less than 20 minutes, you have 20 minutes to do other things.

Even though this is written for two, I make too much rice and use it for fried rice later in the week.

The Recipe:
Sautéed Chicken with Snap Peas and Carrots

Dinner for 2

You need...

15 to 20 minutes
Small skillet with a lid

1 chicken breast, boneless and skinless (2 halves)
Flour
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon honey
3 "nickels" fresh ginger
A handful (1/4 lb.) snap peas
1 carrot, cut into coins
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon cold water

Set up: If you're having rice, start it on a back burner. String the peas and cut the carrots up. Mix the cornstarch, water, soy sauce in a small cup.

Dry the chicken with paper towels, dust with flour, and sauté in a little oil until brown on both sides. Set the chicken aside.

Add the broth, honey, and ginger to the pan and bring to a boil. Add the carrots and lay the chicken on top. Cover the pan and gently boil for about 3 minutes. Throw in the snap peas, cover and cook another 2 minutes.

The chicken should be done. Put it on a platter and use a slotted spoon to lift out the vegetables. If your lid was loose, you might need to add some water—you ought to have at least half a cup. Give the cornstarch a stir and pour it in the pan. Swirl it around, when the sauce comes to a boil it will thicken quickly. Done. Throw out the ginger and pour the sauce over the chicken.