Spicy Stir-Fried Chicken and Greens with Peanuts

I’m expanding our vegetable horizons by trying a new vegetable each week.  First it was acorn squash, now kale.  I keep reading about how great it is, a superfood, and all that, but I’ve never had it.  (By the way, if you want lots of useful info on superfoods, be sure to check out Kitchen Stewardship!)  Kale contains calcium, tons of Vitamin A, K and C.  It is great for your heart and can prevent cancer, among other things.

This recipe was a great introduction to kale.  To me, kale tastes like a cross between broccoli and spinach.  The Picky Apple didn’t care for it, but we’re getting another bunch from our organic co-op this week, so it will definitely be making another appearance at dinner sometime soon!  Kale is one of those vegetables that gets bitter the longer you let it sit in your fridge, so ours may have been a little on the bitter side.  I’ll cook it sooner next time!

For this recipe, I kept the full amount of sauce, but halved the rest of the ingredients.  I like my stir fry saucy!  Also, the title of the recipe would imply that this is a spicy dish, but ours didn’t seem spicy at all.  Not enough serrano, perhaps?  I enjoyed the stir fry nonetheless, served over Basmati rice.

Spicy Stir-Fried Chicken and Greens with Peanuts

from Bon Appetit, April 2008

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons soy sauce, divided
• 2 tablespoons dry Sherry, divided
• 3 tablespoons Asian sesame oil, divided
• 2 teaspoons brown sugar, divided
• 1 1/4 pounds boneless skinless chicken breast halves, cut crosswise into 1/4 inch wide strips
• 3 tablespoons peanut oil, divided
• 4 green onions, white parts and green parts chopped separately
• 2 teaspoons chopped seeded serrano chiles
• 1 large bunch greens (such as spinach, mustard greens, kale, or broccoli rabe; about 1 pound, thick stems removed, spinach left whole, other greens cut into 1-inch strips (about 10 cups packed)
• 1/4 cup chopped roasted salted peanuts

Whisk 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 1 tablespoon Sherry, 1 teaspoon sesame oil, and 1 teaspoon sugar in medium bowl.  Add chicken; marinate 20 to 30 minutes.

Whisk remaining 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 1 tablespoon Sherry, 2 teaspoons sesame oil, and 1 teaspoon sugar in small bowl and reserve.

Heat 2 tablespoons peanut oil in large nonstick skillet over high heat.  Add white parts of onions and chiles; stir 30 seconds.  Add chicken; stir-fry just until cooked through, about 3 minutes.  Transfer chicken mixture to bowl.  Add 1 tablespoon peanut oil to same skillet; heat over high heat.  Add greens by large handfuls; stir just until beginning to wilt before adding more.  Saute just until tender, 1 to 6 minutes, depending on type of greens.  Return chicken to skillet.  Add reserved soy sauce mixture; stir until heated through, about 1 minute.  Season with salt and pepper.  Transfer to serving bowl; sprinkle with green parts of onions and peanuts.