Basil Chicken Stir-Fry

My toddler (and hubby) LOVED this dinner.  I loved that it’s an easy teriyaki sauce to make at home.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons soy sauce (I recommend low sodium, or the dish will get salty)
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast
• 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thigh (you can do all white meat with 2 lbs of chicken breast, but I like the added flavor of dark meat)
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large bell pepper, seeded and cut into strips (1 1/2 – 2 cups)
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped (I buy it minced in a jar, and keep in the fridge for easy use, so it would be 1 1/2 teaspoons of minced garlic)
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 10 ounces fresh baby spinach
• 1 cup fresh basil leaves

To make

1. Whisk together soy sauce, water, and brown sugar in a mixing cup.
2. Place all chicken into a zipper plastic bag, and pour marinade over chicken.  Compress bag (so chicken is bathed in marinade), and allow to marinate for a minimum of 30 minutes.  (I allow to marinade longer: about 1-2 hours in the fridge, and the last 30 minutes at room temperature).
3. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat.  Add peppers and cook until softened (about 3 minutes), stirring occasionally. Add garlic and pepper and cook 1 minute more, then set aside in a separate bowl.
4. Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in skillet, and add chicken.  Cook (stirring frequently) until chicken is no longer pink and juices run clear, around 5-10 minutes.
5. Add spinach to chicken in pan, and cover, stirring occasionally, for 2 minutes.
6. Add peppers back to chicken and spinach in pan, stir, and serve! I add rice or quinoa as an easy side.

Special thanks to AllRecipes.com for the original recipe (that I modified here).