One-Pan Stir Fry: Chicken & Spinach

Contributor: K. Cox (K_Commenter)

Author's Notes: These improvised recipes came out of a need to make a family dinner that was (1) quick, and (2) primarily healthful.  This quantity feeds about 2.5 adults.

Chicken & Spinach Stir-Fry

You will need:

• 1 bag pre-washed baby spinach
• roughly 0.5 lb trimmed boneless, skinless chicken breast
• minced garlic (I buy jars and keep 'em in the fridge)
• olive oil
• lemon juice
• crumbled feta (I buy low-fat or fat-free)
• white sugar
• 1/3 box whole-grain pasta of your choice (I like rotini)

1.) Cut the chicken into very thin slices

2.) Put the pasta on to boil

3.) Put roughly 1 tablespoon of minced garlic into a lidded pan (I use one like this) and add roughly 3 tablespoons of olive oil.  (I never measure either.)

4.) Sauté the garlic in the olive oil over medium heat.  When the garlic is mainly starting to turn golden-brown, add the chicken.

5.) Toss the chicken regularly while cooking.  During this time, sprinkle with lemon juice and with crumbled feta.

6.) When the chicken is cooked through (and cooked to taste, I prefer mine slightly browned on the outside), use tongs to remove it from the pan into a bowl.  When the chicken's out, dump in the bag of spinach.

7.) Mix the spinach while you cook it, to make sure it wilts relatively evenly (rather than one half being overcooked) and to make sure the sauce flavors all of it.  Sprinkle in more olive oil, crumbled feta, and lemon juice while cooking the spinach.

8.) When the spinach is cooked, remove it from the pan and put it into the bowl with the chicken.

9.) Take your hopefully cooked-and-drained pasta (from step 2!) and dump it into the bowl with the chicken and spinach.  Toss thoroughly.

10.) Go back to your pan.  Add another couple of tablespoons of olive oil and lemon juice, and a few more sprinkles of feta.  Also add 1/8 tsp (seriously, it only takes a tiny bit) of white sugar.  Stir thoroughly, then put the lid on and crank the heat until all that liquid is boiling like mad.

11.) Once it's boiling like mad, remove from heat.  Remove lid and let sauce sit at least 2-3 minutes (more if you have the patience).  Then spoon sauce over pasta-chicken-spinach mixture and enjoy.  Serve sprinkled with further feta if you like.