Chicken Green Bean Stir Fry

Look who is blogging again.  I have another delicious light and simple dish that is easy and healthy.  It's a delightful balanced meal all in one bowl.  I know that this is another green bean recipe, but I'm on a roll with these healthy little strings of green. Fresh green beans are very low in calories, contain no saturated fat and are a very good source of vitamins, minerals, and plant derived micro nutrients. They are good source of dietary fiber, vitamin A, folates, vitamins B-12, B6, thiamine and vitamin-C. In addition, beans contain healthy amounts of minerals like iron, calcium, magnesium, manganese, and potassium, which are very essential for body metabolism. So enjoy knowing that your body is soaking up all the goodness:)

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breast
• 1 1/4 pounds green beans
• Olive oil
• Hot cooked rice (again I mix half  sticky rice and half brown rice)

Sauce

• 4 tablespoons brown sugar (I use raw sugar)
• 1 tablespoon flour (you could use cornstarch, but I have an allergy to corn)
• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 6 tablespoons soy sauce (Kikkoman is best)
• 2 tablespoons sherry
• 1 tablespoon rice wine
• 2 clove garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon ginger powder or fresh ginger grated
• Crushed red pepper flakes, to taste
• 1 tablespoon sesame seeds

Directions

1. I start by putting frozen chicken breasts in the oven, broil on HI, after they start to defrost and cook a little, sprinkle with pepper and garlic salt
2. Take end off green beans and wash.
3. Start rice to cook before starting stir fry.
4. Prepare stir fry sauce.  Add brown sugar, vinegar, soy sauce, sherry, rice wine, ginger and garlic (chopped or pressed through garlic press) in small bowl.  Sprinkle with flour while whisking briskly, pressing out any lumps until sauce has a consistent milky brown color.
5. Heat three tablespoons of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
6. Add green beans. If green beans don’t fit in one batch, cook half at a time. Sprinkle with black pepper and garlic salt. Use long tongs to turn beans over while cooking so that they do not burn.
7. If beans are particularly thick, add two tablespoons of water to pan and cover skillet for a couple of minutes to steam-cook beans to desired tenderness. Do not overcook, as beans will go back in the pan briefly later.
8. Continue to check chicken and turn over when browning starts.  When chicken is no longer pink, take out and slice.
9. Add chicken to beans and stir to separate pieces.
10. When chicken is thoroughly cooked, add prepared stir fry sauce and stir. Sauce will quickly turn from milky light brown to glossy dark brown as it cooks. If it seems too thick add a couple of tablespoons of water.
11. Add sesame seeds and crushed red pepper if desired.
12. Remove chicken and string beans to serving dish.
13. Serve over rice.

Serves 6.