I typically plan my weekend menu, especially Saturday dinner, which is usually my "fancy" meal of the week. Then, on Friday, I can pick up any items I need to fix the recipe I've planned. We live out in the woods, so, a quick dash to the store is out of the question.But sometimes, planning falls by the wayside. That's what happened a few weeks ago. I woke up Saturday morning with absolutely no idea what I was fixing for dinner. So, I poked around to see what I had, and this is what I put together. Chicken and Green Beans.
Our Ingredients:
2 boneless, skinless frozen chicken breasts (I always keep a bag of these in the freezer)
1/2 of a 12 oz package of frozen tiny whole green beans
1 medium white or yellow onion, cut into large-ish pieces (I've always liked the "bite" of white onion, but Mrs. Squirrel prefers yellow)
2 cloves of garlic, minced or chopped fine
2 carrots, cut into 2 inch pieces, then thin-sliced lengthwise
2 to 3 tablespoons of olive oil
And for the marinade:
1/4 cup teriyaki sauce
1/4 cup water
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon chili oil
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon black pepper
Cut the chicken breast into 1 1/2 to 2 inch pieces and place the pieces into a large heavy duty freezer bag. Mix the marinade ingredients together well, and pour into the bag with the chicken. Get as much of the air out as possible, and put in the fridge for a few hours. I cut the chicken up while it was still frozen, and let it marinade all day while it thawed.
Heat the olive oil in your cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. (If you don't have a cast-iron skillet, go get one. You know you want one.) Remove the chicken pieces from the marinade and discard the marinade. Cook the chicken until done (2-3 minutes) remove from skillet.
Add garlic and onion to skillet (add another tablespoon of oil, if needed.) Cook until onion begins to become translucent, then add the frozen beans and the carrots. Cook until beans are heated through, then return chicken to skillet. Mix well and cook for about another minute.
Serve over rice & enjoy.
The Squirrel shall not live by bread alone!
