Stir-Fried Chicken With Mango and Peppers

horseplay's Note:

This is from HeartSmart Chinese Cooking, by Steven Wong. Every single recipe in this book is delicious, and since I can't post them all, you should just buy it. The recipes are great because they taste authentically Asian, but are a lot lower in fat and salt than a lot of traditional recipes. Prep time includes marinating time. Can be served over rice, but I find it's a filling meal in itself.

• Total Time: 55 mins
• Prep Time: 40 mins
• Cook Time: 15 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 2

Chicken and Marinade

• ¼ lb boneless skinless chicken breast , sliced
• 1 ½ teaspoons soy sauce
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 pinch pepper
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch

Sauce

• 2 teaspoons cider vinegar
• 1 ½ teaspoons ketchup
• 1 ½ teaspoons sugar
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1 star anise
• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 1 green bell pepper , sliced
• 1 red bell pepper , sliced
• 1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh garlic
• 1 large shallot , chopped
• 2 large mangoes , peeled,pitted,thinly sliced
• ½ cup toasted pecan halves
• 2 sprigs cilantro

Directions:

1. Mix the marinade ingredients in a bowl.
2. Put the raw chicken in and let it sit for half an hour.
3. Mix the sauce ingredients in another bowl and put aside.
4. Break off the star arms of the anise and throw away the middle.
5. Carefully press between your fingers until you hear a crack.
6. In a non-stick frying pan or a wok, heat the oil and the star anise on high heat.
7. Put in the chicken and stir-fry for about 4 or 5 minutes, until the chicken is opaque.
8. Put in the pepper slices, ginger, garlic and shallots and stir-fry for another minute.
9. Put in the sauce ingredients and stir to mix until it thickens a bit.
10. It should take about another minute.
11. Add the mango slices and mix gently until they're warmed through.
12. Garnish with the pecans and cilantro and serve immediately.

Reviews

[TXOLDHAM]

This was delicious and going to be repeated. The only suggestion I would make is to double or even triple the sauce. I also used about half of a red onion sliced thinly vertically as I didn't have a shallot and I think I would do that again. I also added a little dry sherry to the marinade. Even though I made a few changes I still felt this recipe deserved the 5 stars. I will be moving this to my "Tried and True" folder. PS I did buy the book, used, online - looks like there are quite a few wonderful recipes.

[Lazarus]

This was delicious. I wanted to make this recipe as written, without any substitutions, but unfortunately ran into some snags; I substituted chinese 5 spice powder for the star anise and had to make do with some rather crunchy mango. Despite these setbacks, the results were fantastic. I actually enjoyed the slight crunch of the mango. I will definitely make again, ensuring I have ALL the proper ingredients next time. Thanks for posting!