1tablespooncoconut oil, can use vegetable or canola also, divided, meaning you'll use one teaspoon first and the other 2 teaspoons later in the recipe
1 ½ - 2poundsboneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs, cut into bite-size pieces
Salt and pepper
3clovesgarlic, finely minced or pressed
1tablespoongrated fresh ginger (see note)
½teaspoonred pepper flakes
1poundasparagus, tough ends trimmed, cut into 1-inch pieces
8ounceswhite button or baby bella mushrooms, cleaned and quartered
Hot, cooked rice or quinoa for serving
Sauce:
¾cuplow-sodium chicken broth
¼cuplow-sodium soy sauce
¼cuphoney
2teaspoonscornstarch
Instructions
In a large, 12-inch nonstick skillet, heat one teaspoon of the oil over medium heat. Pat the chicken pieces dry and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook the chicken in a single layer in the hot skillet, flipping once or twice, until golden on each side, 2-3 minutes. Scrape the chicken to a plate and set aside (it will finish cooking in a next step).
Heat the remaining 2 teaspoons oil in the skillet and add the garlic, ginger and red pepper flakes. Cook, stirring constantly, for about a minute until the mixture smells fragrant. Add the asparagus and mushrooms and cook over medium-high heat, stirring often, for 4-5 minutes, until the asparagus is bright green and the mushrooms have started to brown and soften.
Add the chicken and cook for another 1-2 minutes.
Combine all the sauce ingredients in a small bowl or liquid measuring cup and whisk into the skillet. Bring the mixture to a simmer for 2-3 minutes, stirring often, until the sauce is has thickened slightly.
Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve immediately over rice or quinoa.
Notes
Ginger:I mentioned this tip about fresh ginger in a recent post and was surprised at how many people were excited about it so in case you didn't read it before, don't be intimidated by fresh ginger! It's super easy to work with. Cut the knobby ginger into 1-inch pieces and toss into a quart-sized freezer bag. When needed in a recipe, pull a piece out of the freezer bag and immediately grate it (peel and all) on the small holes of a box grater or on a rasp grater. Super simple!