Stir-fry chicken with veggies you have on hand

Stir-fry is about the easiest way to cook dinner fast, short of hitting a drive-thru lane. Tonight I cooked up chicken laced with assorted vegetables: carrots, onions, asparagus and broccoli. It doesn't seem right to even write up a recipe, since the secret of quick-hit stir-fry is raiding the fridge and mixing up whatever you can find to add to the mix on any given day.

That said, there are a few tricks to guarantee success. I have an electric wok that works beautifully. I chop up vegetables into separate stacks, and then in some canola oil heat up three shakes of sesame oil. First, I fry carrots, broccoli, onions-- or any veggies that take a little extra time -- for about 4 minutes. Then I add veggies that take less time to cook, such as asparagus or green beans or slices of zucchini. At this point, I add some liquid. Tonight I tossed in about a half cup dry white wine, then covered the wok and let the veggies steam in the wok for about 4 minutes more. (Chicken broth would work too.)

Then I set those veggies aside in a bowl. I then added a bit of extra oil to the wok, let that get good and hot, and then added a clove of pressed garlic and diced pieces of two boneless chicken breasts. I cooked the chicken on high for 3 minutes, then turned the meat and cooked about 3 minutes more, 'til nicely browned. I tossed in the cooked vegetables, added about 3/4 cup of bottled stir-fry sauce, and heated everything together for about a minute. I spooned this onto a platter, sprinkled with toasted sesame seeds, and served over rice with a little soy sauce.

Gave Dave a nice break from our summer grilling routine, and dinner was ready about 30 minutes after I got home from the office. A nice, easy and delicious mid-week supper.