Dr Mobeus
Budget Chicken Stir Fry
The trick to a budget chicken stir fry is treating one chicken breast as a seasoning rather than the main event. Sliced thin and stir-fried with loads of veg, a single breast gives four people a taste of chicken without the cost. Chicken breasts are around 75p each in value packs, and when you bulk it out with cheap veg like carrots, peppers and mangetout you get a proper meal for 83p a portion. The soy-ginger sauce does the heavy lifting flavour-wise. It is fast too – 15 minutes from chopping board to plate, which is quicker than waiting for a delivery.
Budget Chicken Stir Fry
Ingredients
Method
- Mix the soy sauce, sesame oil and cornflour in a small bowl with 2 tablespoons of cold water to make a sauce. Set aside.
- Cook the noodles or rice according to the packet instructions.
- Heat the vegetable oil in a wok or large frying pan over a high heat until smoking. Add the sliced chicken and stir-fry for 3-4 minutes until golden and cooked through. Remove and set aside.
- Add the red pepper, carrot and mangetout to the wok. Stir-fry for 2-3 minutes until just tender with a bit of bite.
- Add the garlic and ginger, stir-fry for 30 seconds until fragrant.
- Return the chicken to the wok. Pour in the sauce and toss everything together for 1 minute until the sauce thickens and coats everything in a glossy glaze.
- Serve immediately over noodles or rice, topped with sliced spring onions.
Tips and Variations
Slice the chicken as thin as you can – it cooks faster and goes further. Freeze the chicken for 20 minutes first to make it easier to slice thin. Use whatever veg is cheap: cabbage, beansprouts, broccoli all work. No fresh ginger? Half a teaspoon of dried ginger powder works in a pinch.
