What do you do when you haven’t finished the veggies from your farm share last week?
You mix them all together and create something tasty, that’s what.
It’s not quite a stir fry, because I don’t have a wok or pan big enough to hold all of these veggies successfully. But I do have a big enameled dutch oven which makes quick work of the veggies. I suppose technically these veggies were steamed and somewhat sauteed. Either way, it’s tasty.
Leftover Veggie Basil Chicken
- 1.5 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs (or breasts)
- 1 crown broccoli, chopped, stalk and all
- 1 handful snap peas, chopped and with the pointy parts cut off
- 1 summer squash, peeled and cut into half moons
- 1 zucchini, prepared similarly to the summer squash
- 1 red onion, diced small
- 2-3 garlic scapes, chopped
- 1 small handful purple basil
- oil for sauteeing (coconut, sesame)
The sauce:
- 2 T fish sauce
- 2 T oyster sauce
- 1 T soy sauce
- 1 T double black soy sauce (easily found at any Asian grocery)
- 2 T chili paste (most supermarkets carry sambal oelek, or you can make your own in a mortar and pestle with some oil and garlic)
- 1 T raw honey or sweetener of choice (optional, but a little sweetness is nice)
- 2-3 T water, depending on how thin you like your sauce
- 1.5 T corn starch (also optional, but necessary if you want the sauce thick)
Heat up the oil in your pan. You will need a pretty big pan – you can use a wok or large dutch oven. Fry the chicken in the oil, cut into bite-sized pieces and set aside when fully cooked. Add a little more oil and saute the garlic scapes in the oil until they are browned. Add the onion, and cook until translucent.
Add the broccoli and cook until it has softened and turned a bright green, stirring often. Add the squash and snap peas and cook until they soften a bit, about 6-7 minutes. If your pan has a lid, you can add a little more oil, stir, put the lid on, and leave it for 7-8 minutes until the veggies soften.
Once the veggies are cooked to your liking, add the chicken. To make the sauce, whisk the ingredients together and pour over the chicken and veggies. Add the handful of basil. At this point, I put the lid on the pot, reduced the heat to low and let it simmer for 10 minutes so everything absorbs the flavor. If you’re using a wok or pan, you can either cover it or reduce the heat to low and stir it every few minutes until the sauce is fully absorbed.
You can serve it over rice but it’s great and filling without rice, too.
You can really use any variation of vegetables for dishes like this. This is what I happened to have left over from the farm share we picked up last week (although the purple basil was from this week). These kinds of dishes are great for lunch, freeze well, and make great leftovers. They’re great to prepare on a sunday and eat throughout the week. It’s especially good for people who don’t have good knife skills and need practice – carve some time out on Sunday to cook something like this and practice chopping and dicing different kinds of vegetables. Recipes that appeared daunting will go by much faster if you’ve got good knife skills.
