Asparagus & Chicken Stir Fry

With the spring-like temps here in MN (today it's supposed to hit 70 degrees!!!), I was craving some spring flavors for dinner!  I found this simple stir fry on Skinnytaste and knew this would be perfect to satisfy my craving.  I made a few slight adjustments; I cut back on the garlic and added some extra ginger (I LOVE ginger!). Traditionally stir fry recipes pack in a bunch of different veggies - this one only adds in one in asparagus, but it's quite good!  The combination of fresh ginger, lemon juice and garlic come together nicely in the stir fry sauce.

Servings:  4

Size:  1 1/4 cups stir fry + 1/2 cup white rice

Points Plus: 8pp

Level of Difficulty: Easy

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 35 minutes

Ingredient List:

1 ½ lbs. chicken breast, skinless and boneless
Kosher salt
½ cup chicken broth, reduced-sodium
2 Tbsp. soy sauce, reduced-sodium
2 tsp. cornstarch
2 Tbsp. water
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 large bunch of asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1-2 inch pieces
3 tsp. garlic, minced
1 ½ Tbsp. fresh ginger, grated
3 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice

Directions:

Start by prepping the chicken by cutting the chicken breasts into 1 inch pieces.  Sprinkle kosher salt on top to season.  Wash and prep the asparagus by cutting into 1-2 inch pieces.  Combine the chicken broth and soy sauce in a small bowl.  In a separate bowl, combine the cornstarch and water and mix until fully combined.  In a large skillet, heat ½ Tbsp. olive oil.  Add the asparagus pieces and cook for 3-5 minutes or until they are starting to become tender.  Stir in the garlic and ginger and cook for an additional minute.  Transfer the cooked asparagus to a bowl; set aside.  Add the other ½ Tbsp. olive oil and add the chicken; cook until browned and all pieces are cooked all the way through (use a tongs for this step to continuously turn over the chicken pieces to cook evenly).  Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside.  Add the soy sauce mixture to the skillet.  Bring this mixture to a boil and cook for another 2 minutes before adding the cornstarch mixture and lemon juice.  Whisk the sauce to make sure all ingredients are well mixed.  Once combined, allow the sauce to simmer for a few minutes.  Finish the stir fry by adding back in the chicken and asparagus; toss to evenly coat.  Serve immediately over 1/2 cup rice per serving!

Tip:
Rice cookers can change your life!  It is just SO easy to make rice with one of these kitchen tools.  I am still amazed by it!  My rice cooker has seperate buttons for if you are cooking white or brown rice - it automatically adjusts the cook time accordingly.  Go buy one if you don't already own a rice cooker for your kitchen!

XOXO Megan