Oriental Ginger Chicken

Stir-fried chicken breast strips in a ginger-soy-sherry marinade, served right over rice and vegetables cooked in the same bold flavors. This is a one-skillet-plus-one-pot dinner that comes together fast enough for any busy weeknight.

The marinade does double duty here. Soy sauce, dry sherry, garlic, brown sugar, and ginger coat the chicken strips before they hit the hot skillet. That same ginger goes into the vegetable pot, so everything on the plate tastes like it belongs together.

Water chestnuts add a crunch you don’t get from the mixed vegetables alone, and the quick-cooking rice absorbs all those savory pan juices when you plate it up.

Kitchen Tips

• Slice the chicken into even 2-inch strips so they cook at the same rate. Uneven pieces mean some are overdone while others are still pink.
• Get the skillet ripping hot before adding the chicken. You want a sear, not a steam. Crowding the pan drops the temperature and you lose that browning.
• Don’t drain the water chestnut liquid. It adds flavor and moisture to the rice-vegetable mixture as it cooks.
• Dry sherry is best here. Avoid “cooking sherry” from the grocery aisle since it’s loaded with salt.

Variations

• Use shrimp instead of chicken. Stir-fry just 2-3 minutes until pink and curled.
• Swap the canned mixed vegetables for fresh broccoli florets and sliced bell pepper for a fresher crunch.
• Add a splash of sesame oil and sprinkle of sesame seeds right before serving for a nuttier finish.