Weeknight Whip-up!

Another Rotisserie Chicken Makeover
So Easy, So Quick...So Tasty!!

I would like to dedicate this post to Maltese Parakeet. A few posts back Maltese Parakeet suggested I change my name to Rotisserie Chicken Annie because it seems I have been eating a lot of it lately. Maybe she's right!

I love using rotisserie chicken in place of raw chicken when I'm in a hurry. There is no mess, less worry about raw chicken juices contaminating the kitchen, therefore less clean-up. Plus I don't particularly enjoy touching raw chicken. Don't get me wrong, some recipes just will not work unless you use fresh raw chicken, but when I'm looking for a quick, healthy and tastly meal; the rotisserie chicken always fills the bill. Hehehe! Pardon the pun!

Whenever I buy a rotisserie chicken, I never eat the whole thing in one meal. I usually end up with left over chicken from one of those birds almost every time. I could probably post a recipe every week on all the ways I use it as leftovers!

This week is no exception. I had a half of cooked breast left and felt like trying something different for a change. So the search began for some ideas online. I kind of felt like eating something with a little bit of tang and wanted to use broccoli and green beans in the mix. I found a recipe for Sesame Shrimp Stir Fry that used teriaki sauce, sesame seeds and sugar snap peas. Yum.

Voila, my inspiration for this week's rotisserie chicken makeover.

Sesame Chicken & Veggie Stir Fry

2 cups water and 1 cup uncooked white rice (or use microwave ready rice)
1 rotisserie chicken breast half, cut into bite size pieces
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger (or fresh grated ginger)
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper 1 clove garlic, minced (or 1 teaspoon of pre-chopped garlic)
1 tablespoon sesame seeds, plus 1 teaspoon more for topping
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper 2 tablespoons sesame oil (or vegetable oil)
1 red bell pepper, sliced into thin strips (or1/4 cup jarred sliced roasted red pepper/pimentos)
1/2 small red onion, sliced (or 3 green onions, sliced)
3 tablespoons teriyaki sauce
1 1/2 cups broccoli florets & 1 1/2 cups green beans, steamed (or 1/2 pound sugar snap peas)
1/8 cup cornstarch
3/4 cup low sodium chicken broth
1/4 teaspoon salt, if necessary

DIRECTIONS

In a medium saucepan, bring salted water to a boil. Add rice, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes. (I used Uncle Ben's Whole Grain Brown Ready Rice which cooks in 90 seconds in the microwave.)
While rice is simmering, combine chicken, ginger, cayenne pepper, garlic, 1 tablespoon sesame seeds and black pepper in a large bowl.
Heat a large wok or skillet and add the remaining teaspoon of sesame seeds. Watch carefully stirring often until light brown. Remove the seeds and set aside. Add the oil to the skillet. Add red bell pepper, onions and garlic; saute 3 to 4 minutes to soften slightly. Add teriyaki sauce. Add steamed broccoli, green beans and chicken with seasoning; saute 4 minutes or until everything is heated through. Stir cornstarch into chicken broth and add to wok; cook, stirring until mixture boils. Sprinkle with salt. Spoon chicken mixture over rice. Sprinkle with extra toasted sesame seeds.

This was one of the best left over dishes I've made yet. Maybe it is because I haven't had teriaki in a long time, but believe me it was good.

How often do you buy rotisserie chicken?