Ground Chicken Stir Fry
For an Easy Weeknight Meal
Can you believe it’s almost back to school time here in the South? My kids go back the 12th of August and next week is full of Volleyball try outs and open houses. It’s crazy, but my kids are totally ready to go back and be more social.
I totally made my kids be bored at times this Summer and hopefully they respect me one day for it, haha! I tried to do 90’s summer to the best of my ability without killing them. I grew up in Buffalo NY, where it was a lot easier to stay outside at 75 degrees all day, versus Charlotte, NC where it’s 94 and feels like a swamp the entire month of July.
Currently I’m sitting on the porch killing a mosquito that lands on me every 3 minutes. I do love the South though..even though it doesn’t feel quite as laid back as it used to. My dad moved us here 27 years ago and we basically only had a Walmart. Our town is so busy now with crazy traffic. We would love to buy a little cabin in the mountains a few hours away to escape it sometimes. One day….
I’m super focused on Back to School right now and will be sharing easy dinners, kid’s lunches, etc. for the next month. I just started a new Back to School series on social media, so follow me if you’re not already. I’m on Instagram & Youtube most, but the videos go up on TikTok, Pinterest, and Facebook too. It will be a fun series, especially if you have school aged kiddos.
I just posted these fun little watermelon fries with a coconut yogurt dipping sauce. They’re super easy to make and my kids love them for snack or packed in their lunch boxes. The knife that chops the fries is less than $10 on amazon and we’ve had fun with it.
Planning Dinners for the Week
The “what’s for dinner?” dilemma can be annoying and I think just a simple plan for the week is really helpful. Choose 4 dinner ideas on Sunday and have the ingredients in the fridge and pantry, so you set yourself up for success. We almost always do leftovers at least 1 night a week or order pizza on Fridays, so I just plan for 4 weeknight meals.
We have a deep freezer now and I store a lot of meat in it, that way I always have a lot of things on hand and I can just pull whatever I choose in the morning. I love food and I can usually decide what I’m feeling like eating for dinner by about 10 am. 😂
Ground Chicken Stir Fry
This Stir Fry recipe features ground chicken in a homemade teriyaki sauce and lots of veggies for a really healthy dinner, that only takes 30 minutes to whip up.
I like to stick jasmine or white rice in my rice cooker before prepping anything for the recipe because the rice takes the longest. White rice cooks a lot faster than brown rice.
If you don’t have a rice cooker, you need one! It’s so easy to use and tastes amazing every time.
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That’s it for this week! If you need more dinner ideas, click the button below for more for inspiration. Thanks for being here and see you next week! Happy Cooking.
Ground Chicken Stir Fry
Serves: 4
Time to Make: 30 minutes
INGREDIENTS:
Chicken Stir Fry:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 lb ground Chicken
1 zucchini, stems removed then quartered and diced
1 yellow onion, diced
3-4 white mushrooms, diced
Optional: 1 teaspoon sesame seeds
Teriyaki Sauce:
3 tablespoons soy sauce
3 tablespoons hoisin sauce
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
½ teaspoon sesame oil
2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
1 teaspoon grated ginger
⅛ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
Rice: Optional
INSTRUCTIONS:
If you're preparing rice, follow the package instructions and start first because it takes the longest to cook. I use my rice cooker and find that 1 cup makes enough for our family of four. If you're feeding adults or teenagers, you might want to do 1.5 cups of rice.
Into a large skillet over medium heat, add in the olive oil and allow it to heat up. Toss in mushrooms, onion and zucchini and cook for 4-5 minutes until softened, stirring frequently. They won't cook much more than this, so make sure they are very close to being done.
Once they are cooked through, transfer to a plate and set aside.
Add the ground chicken to the same skillet and use a meat chopper or wooden spoon to break up the meat as it cooks until it's no longer pink. It takes about 8 minutes to brown.
Into a small bowl, combine the soy sauce, hoisin sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, garlic and ginger. Stir to combine.
Pour the teriyaki sauce into the skillet and stir. Reduce the heat to medium low and cook in the sauce for 2-3 minutes.
Toss the vegetables into the skillet and cook for another 2 minutes. Top with sesame seeds.
Serve with rice and enjoy!
SUBSTITUTIONS & VARIATIONS:
Don't have all the ingredients for the homemade teriyaki sauce? Feel free to use just a few tablespoons of store-bought teriyaki sauce.
Ground Turkey, Ground Pork or Ground Beef can be substituted for the Ground Chicken. I recommend a leaner ground beef, 93/7, or drain the grease out of the pan before adding in the teriyaki sauce.
Any of the vegetables can be left out. I know kids are sometimes weird about zucchini. Ok, and onion and mushroom. If you chop them up small enough sometimes you can get away with it. 😉
Want to add more flavor? Top it with some chopped pecans or freshly chopped cilantro when serving.
Big on heat? Add in some spicy sriracha or double or triple the red pepper flakes.
Expert Tips:
If you're making rice, always rinse the rice with water in a strainer to get all the debris, dirt, and excess starch off the rice before cooking.
Don't overcook the meat or veggies. Ground chicken dries out fast and if you overcook the zucchini, it will quickly turn to mush.
Make sure to use the hoisin sauce or the teriyaki sauce will be too runny. The hoisin really helps thicken it and adds flavor.
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xoxo~Tara with Simply Made Eats