Chicken and Asparagus Stir Fry

As my frequent readers now, the Omnivore and I are spending a little time apart.  We’re in the process of relocating and I’m in the new location and he’s in the old.  We see each other on the weekends.

This past Saturday I was “home” visiting him and as usual I had a long run scheduled for Saturday morning.  I adore waking up early on Saturdays, busting through an insane number of miles, and coming home to find my husband still asleep after I’ve effectively run the length his entire commute to and from work in the city.

But that Saturday, the experience was nausea inducing.  After turning the corner into our driveway, I headed to the trashcan to toss out my energy gel packs (Just Plain Gu!), and when I opened the garbage can, I was sickened.

My poor, poor husband had been subsisting off of food obtained through his driver’s side window (breaking Michael Pollan‘s Rules!).  I know he didn’t want to eat that must fast food.  He was just too busy to figure out what to do for dinners.  So I immediately unlaced my running shoes (running shoes are only for running), washed my hands, and got to work.  I made about 12 individually portioned meals for the Omnivore to freeze and thaw as needed for lunches and dinner.

This chicken and asparagus stir fry was a hit.  I usually use stir fry meals as an excuse to clean out the vegetable bin and rarely focus on a single vegetable (like asparagus here) in them.  But I am glad that I kept this meal simple (ingredient-wise).  I took a taste and it was just perfect.  And so much more healthy than the fast food alternative.

One Year Ago: Pumpkin Apple Bread

Chicken and Asparagus Stir Fry

1 cup raw rice, cooked according to package directions
1 lb asparagus, woody ends discarded and chopped into 1″ lengths

For the chicken and marinade
1 T rice wine vinegar
1 T lemon juice
1 T soy sauce
1 T sesame oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp minced ginger
3 boneless skinless chicken breast halves

sauce
2 T soy sauce
3 T cold water
1 tsp brown sugar
1 tsp corn starch

sesame oil
sesame seeds

Combine marinade ingredients with a whisk.  Dice chicken breasts into bite-sized pieces.  Combine chicken and marinade and refrigerate for at least 4 hours.

Heat a large wok to medium heat and a spray with olive oil.  Add the chicken pieces and any marinade in the container to the wok and let the meat cook on one side for 2 minutes until a golden brown surface develops.  Turn chicken pieces to allow them to cook thoroughly.  Push chicken pieces to the sides of the wok and toss in asparagus pieces.  Cook 2-3 minutes, turning occasionally.

Combine all of the ingredients for the sauce and pour over the asparagus and chicken in the wok.  Cook 2-3 minutes until thickened.

Place 1/2 cup of rice on a plate and top with 1/5 of the chicken and asparagus mixture.  Sprinkle with sesame seeds and a drizzle of sesame oil.