'tophers Monday Night Chicken & Bok Choy

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Wouldn't This Have Looked Nice with Red Bell Peppers?

Truth be told, I hate cabbage. Well, I hate adding cabbage into my food, particularly recipes that call for it. It’s a strange, inelegant vegetable once it’s boiling away that produces gassy flavors and cryptic sulphur-like compounds that confound me. How on earth did this thing ever catch on? But I’ve been experimenting with its Asian cousin bok choy thanks to some encouragement from ‘Topher.

The very first time ‘Topher made dinner for me, he pulled up the dets on Epicurious.com. This site often has great, simple recipes. And on any given Monday, ‘Topher and I will find the time to make something from scratch after work thanks to its enormous recipe treasure trove. This week’s short order special is ‘Topher’s Monday Night CHICKEN & BOK CHOY that we retrofitted cutting out the salt, adding in the bite, and toasting in a cashew chew.

‘Topher’s Monday Night Chicken & Bok Choy

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 bunch scallions

1 lb. skinless boneless chicken thighs

1/4 t black pepper

3 T peanut oil

1 red bell pepper, chopped

4 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 1/2 T peeled fresh ginger, finely chopped

1 t chopped Thai chili peppers

1 c loosely packed bok choy chiffonade of green leaf tips

3/4 c chicken broth

1 1/2 T soy sauce

1 1/2 t cornstarch

1 t sugar

1/2 c roasted whole cashews

Were I to Make it Again, I'd use Unsalted Cashews

Instructions

• Chop scallions, separating white and green parts.
• Pat chicken dry, then cut into 3/4-inch pieces and toss with pepper.
• Heat a large, flat heavy skillet with sloping, raised edges over moderately high heat. Add chicken, drizzle peanut oil in as the chicken may initially stick. Stir-fry chicken until golden in places and just cooked through, about 4 to 5 minutes.
• Transfer to a plate with a slotted spoon.
• Add bell pepper, 2 Thai chilis (or other hot, small Serrano-type chili), and scallion whites to wok and stir-fry for about 2 minutes, then add in garlic and ginger.  Cook until peppers are just tender, 3 more minutes.
• Take the chiffonade of bok choy and quickly fry in the remaining oil and vegetables. (We only needed
• 
  
• In a separate 16 ounce measuring cup, stir together broth, soy sauce, cornstarch, and sugar, then stir into vegetables in pan. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until thickened, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in  scallion greens, and chicken along with any juices accumulated on plate. (We didn’t have chicken broth, and so we retrofitted this recipe using 2 t of beef bouillon and 2 t of hoisin sauce. It’s not right, but it’s OK, as Whitney Houston might have said!)
• 
  
• In a toaster oven, toast the cashews until just browned.  Alternatively, roasted them on a dry cast iron skillet until just browned. Take pains to make sure they do not get blackened.
• 
  
• Sprinkle cashews whole or chopped over the dish and serve with jasmine rice.

As you can see from the pics we didn’t have the red bell pepper, but we didn’t need it. Instead of adding in the entire boy choy, we just used the tips. This gives it a lovely, vibrant green touch. If you were to mix in finely chopped cilantro, you’d probably also add in that fragrance that goes so nicely with jasmine rice.

Like a Short Order Chinese Restaurant!

I loved how easy this was to reheat the next day at work. It’s a great, easy lunch and seems so healthful.

For the record, I do think it matters that chicken thigh meat is used.  I kinda hate thigh meat that is not on the bone.  However, it really works well here, almost like that “bourbon chicken” that you get at the Panda Express in the airports and at the mall. I’m kinda salivating just thinking about it.

- See more at: http://www.alunchboxblog.com/tophers-monday-night-chicken-and-bok-choy/?preview=true&preview_id=2793&preview_nonce=3660809c39#sthash.HL7BUqAh.dpuf