Waking up to a -24° Fahrenheit temperature (-46° windchill) yesterday, I was not looking forward to what the day had in store.
Here is what the kitchen window looks like. Â We don’t have to put our vegetables in the refrigerator as the window sill keeps them cool enough.
In spite of the cold, I was pleasantly surprised that I was able to accomplish quite a bit and also try a new recipe.
It was just “one of those days” when everything went right. I paid my bills and a friend’s bills, sent out January birthday cards, organized files for the new year, prepared my quilting blocks for more sewing then cooked a new recipe.
In the middle of all that, I headed outdoors when the temperature was a -16° to put the mail in the mailbox for pickup. Later, when it was a balmy -12°, I went outside to retrieve the delivered mail. Brrrr.  I should have worn my long johns.
Feeling a sense of accomplishment, I went to the kitchen and gathered the ingredients for the new recipe I wanted to try. Hmmm … after reading through the recipe, I decided I was going to improvise on the instructions and ingredients — and so I did. The original recipe is a Broccoli, Chicken and Almond Saute but I used a vegetable mix instead of just broccoli along with a few other changes.
So — here is what I did. And — you will enjoy this one. It’s easy and quite tasty.
First — here are the ingredients you’ll be needing (olive oil and chicken not shown):
After preparing your chicken thighs, you’ll be putting them in an olive-oil-greased cast iron skillet (if you have one) for browning …
This is looking good …
While the chicken is browning, you’ll toss your vegetables in a skillet to start their cooking process along with a splash of sesame oil.
After the vegetables are about halfway cooked, add the chicken and toss everything together.
Allow everything to cook through. Â Ready to try it? Â Remember you’ll be using two skillets side by side.
Ingredients
- 4-5 boneless skinless chicken thighs, cleaned and cut into bite-sized pieces
- Salt
- Olive oil
- A Spice Rub of your Choice (I used Trader Joe’s 21 Seasoning Salute)
- 1 lb vegetable mix – cut into bite size pieces (I used carrots, cauliflower and broccoli)
- 1/8 teaspoon chile powder
- 1/2Â cup sliced toasted almonds
- 1Â teaspoon sesame oil (or a splash here and there)
- Freshly ground black pepper
Directions
- Add the spice rub (or spices of your choice) in a large bowl along with some salt and pepper.
- Add the chicken pieces to the spice rub and toss to coat.
- Heat an iron cast skillet on medium and add a tablespoon or two of olive oil.
- Toss the chicken into the skillet and allow the chicken to brown on both sides.
- On the other skillet, add a tablespoon or two of olive oil along with the chili powder and set the heat on medium low.
- Once the skillet is hot, add your vegetable pieces to this second skillet and toss with the olive oil.
- Add a splash or two of the sesame oil. Â (Take a peek at your chicken and turn it to make sure it’s browning on both sides.)
- Once the chicken is browned on both sides, remove it from the heat and set it aside until the vegetables are starting to soften.
- Add the chicken to the vegetable mix and toss together.
- Taste one of the chicken pieces to make sure it is thoroughly cooked through.
- Add the almonds and toss everything together again.
That’s pretty much it. It’s quick, easy and a great comfort food for any day of the week. And, I thoroughly enjoy my Trader Joe’s 21 Seasoning Salute. It has a tad of cayenne pepper — small enough for me to enjoy and strong enough to give the chicken a flavor boost the way my husband likes it.
All of you who are in the midst of this polar vortex — STAY WARM!!!
