Pepper Jelly Stir Fry

This is perhaps the easiest stirfry I have ever made in my entire lifetime. Using pepper jelly is the short cut extraordinaire that leads to a delicious stirfry in no time at all. Perfect for week night cooking.
You end up with a beautifully sweet, spicy, sticky sauce for your stirfry that is quite delectable.

The choice of veggies and proteins is entirely up to you. This stirfry is so customizable. Only limited to your imagination.

While I used chicken thighs, chicken breast is also totally acceptable, as is thinly sliced beef or even tofu. This stirfry can be totally vegan if you want it to be.

THIS IS YOUR STIR FRY. USE THE VEGGIES & PROTEIN YOU PREFER

If you wanted to use even yet an additional shortcut, you could start with a rotisserie chicken. You would simply need to have it shredded and then add it after you have cooked the vegetables just to get it heated thorough. Using rotisserie chicken is a fabulous helper for quick meals in the kitchen. 

COOK THE CHICKEN (OR OTHER PROTEIN) FIRST

All the veggies are also at your discretion. I happened to have emerald green broccoli, sweet peppers, and earthy mushrooms that I needed to use up so in they went.

You could also use carrots, green beans or now peas. Perhaps you happen to have bok choy on hand. Use it. You may have some kale or spinach that you want to throw in. That would be wonderful also. This is so adaptable. That's one of the many things I love about a stirfry.

I ADD GARLIC & GINGER TO MY STIR FRY. I ABSOLUTELY LOVE GINGER

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Being that this comes together so quickly makes it perfect for a weeknight cooking, when you get home and have roughly 20 minutes to put something on the table.  

Taking the first few minutes to chop all of your vegetables and your proteins of choice helps to make dinner in a very organized fashion so at that point all you have to do is cook, stir and eat.

YOU CAN SEE A SLIGHT CHAR ON THE BROCCOLI. THAT'S FLAVOR FOLKS □

I think your family will love the stirfry. I find that the pepper jelly is not too spicy for even young kiddos and having that sticky sweetness to go along makes it a fan favorite in our house.

Pepper Jelly Stir Fry

Serves 4-6
​
1 pound chicken thighs or breast, cut into thin strips***
1 tablespoon avocado or coconut oil
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
3 cups broccoli florets, cut into bite sized pieces
8 ounces baby portobello or button mushrooms, sliced or cut into quarters
1 red or yellow pepper, stem & core removed & cut in to strips
1/3 cup red pepper jelly (such as Braswell's)
1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger (optional)
2 cloves minced garlic (optional)
1 scallion, sliced thinly on the diagonal
2 tablespoons chopped peanuts or cashews
1 tablespoon soy sauce (optional as needed to add saltiness)


Heat oil in a medium skillet (I like to use my iron skillet) over medium high heat until it starts to shimmer then add chicken or protein of choice.  Add salt and pepper and quickly cook until the chicken is becoming golden and is cooked through.


Remove the chicken to a plate and immediately add the broccoli, mushrooms and peppers to the skillet.


Let cook for 2 to 3 minutes until the veggies start to soften slightly and the broccoli begins to char just a bit. Add a tablespoon of water if your pan is too dry.  It will help deglaze the pan and hasten the cooking of the veggies.  Add the ginger and garlic if using. Give everything a stir and add the chicken back in


Add in the pepper jelly and mix around to combine.  The pepper jelly will start to bubble, thicken and coat the veggies and chicken and become a luscious sticky, sweet, spicy sauce.


Adorn with scallions, chopped nuts, and a little bit of soy sauce as desired.  If you feel you need more salt, soy sauce will serve that purpose.


Served over rice, soba noodles, quinoa, or anything your heart desires.

*** You can also use thinly sliced beef or tofu for this stir fry.

A good quality knife set is a kitchen essential.

Almost always I've swapped out my nonstick for good ol' cast iron skillets. (Currently under $20 on Amazon)

A large cutting board is great to work with.

Wooden Spurtles are my new fav.