Still dealing with the fall-out from the stomach flu in our house.  I thought mine would be gone in about the same 24-48 hours as everyone else.  Of course not! I am now going on my sixth day.   I do not want to feel queasy all the time.

I started this post last week but still can only tolerate talking about or looking at pictures of food for a very short time before I start to feel sick again.  I am hoping to finally make it all the way through this post today.

I was able to get it together enough to talk my family through preparing Chicken Stir-Fry with Garlic Sauce for Chinese New Year.  I still can’t cook or be around strong smells but at least I could sit in the next room and give them instructions.

Verdict:

I love stir-fry because it uses up any last little bits and pieces of vegetables you have hanging around in your refrigerator drawers.  Have mushrooms?  Add them.  Have broccoli?  Add it.  I used up the celery, carrots and red peppers that were just a day or two away from having to be thrown away.

Everyone ate well and enjoyed the sauce.  My daughter thought it was a bit heavy on the soy sauce but my son added more.  It all depends on your tastes.

For my mostly gluten-free son I cook with Tamari so everything right up to adding the noodles is the same for him.  I use gluten-free spaghetti to make his dish.  Adding about 1/3 of the sauce and vegetables to his pan before adding the chow mein noodles to ours.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 pounds chicken breast tenders – cut into cubes
• 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 5-6 garlic cloves – minced
• 1 tsp red chili flakes
• Vegetables of your choice – onion, peppers, celery, cabbage, mushrooms, carrots, broccoli….
• 2 packages chow mein noodles

Sauce:

• 3 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 6 tablespoons of soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons Chinese rice wine (optional)
• 3 tablespoons brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, toss chicken cubes with toasted sesame oil. Marinate for 10 minutes.
2. In a small bowl, stir together rice vinegar, soy sauce, Chinese rice wine (if using), brown sugar and cornstarch. Set aside.
3. Heat a wok or large frying pan over high heat. Add 2 tbsp of oil. When the oil is hot, add the chicken pieces, spreading it out as much as possible. Sear for 1 minute without stirring until the edges are lightly browned, then stir to cook all sides until just cooked through – about 2-3 minutes more. Transfer chicken to a bowl (leaving the oil in the wok), and set aside.
4. Heat the wok on low, and when hot again, add in garlic and red chili flakes. Stir-fry for about 10 seconds, or until fragrant.
5. Cook vegetables in order from longest cooking and most hardiest – carrots, celery to ones you just want to lightly cook mushrooms and pea pods.
6. Just before adding final vegetables to pan cook chow mein noodles according to directions.  Drain.
7. Then take the prepared sauce, give it a stir, and quickly pour it into the wok, cooking until the sauce thickens – about 30 seconds. Add in a bit of water if needed. Stir in the cooked chicken and chow mein noodles, toss well, and cook for a further 30 seconds.