Saturdays with an added spice

University meets food diversity has been a long time in the making and I thought, what better way to start off this adventure than by documenting my first real college cooking experience?

Spicy Mexican Chicken Stir fry was not the original plan for Saturday night’s dinner. My friend Jorge and I bought the ingredients intending to have an Asian themed dinner, but when you’re cooking in a Latino household and spices and chilies are easier to find than soy sauce, sometimes it’s necessary to have a Plan B. Using ingredients found around his house, we were able to put together a cheap, quick and absolutely delicious dinner that anyone can make.

Enjoy!

Spicy Mexican Chicken Stir fry

When Mexican meets American.

Feeds 4-5 hungry students

Ingredients:

-2 lbs boneless white meat chicken breasts

-2 large bell peppers (red, orange, green or yellow work)

-8 scallions (approx. 2 heads)

-1/2 dry roasted peanuts

-1 7oz can of El Pato Tomato Sauce (Mexican hot style)

-2 tbsp olive oil

-2 tsp garlic salt (optional)

-Salt and pepper to taste

Prep:

1. Cut chicken breast width side into ½ inch thick strips, set aside. After, thoroughly wash hands and do not reuse cutting board.

2. Slice peppers into ½ inch thick strips (approximately same size as chicken strips). Set aside in bowl.

3. Chop scallions into small pieces, using the entire length of the scallion. Set aside in bowl with peppers and peanuts.

4. Halve and chop dry roasted peanuts. Set aside in bowl.

Cooking:

1. Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium high heat. Once oil is heated, add chicken to pan and stir often.

2. Once chicken starts to brown, add peppers, peanuts and scallions. Sautees for 1 minute or until peppers begin to soften.

3. Stir in 1 can of El Pato Tomato Sauce and garlic salt (optional) and reduce heat to low.

4. Cover and allow pan to sit over low heat for 5-7 minutes, this allows the chicken and vegetables to absorb the sauce and become more tender.

5. Remove pan from heat, uncover and salt and pepper to taste.

6. Serve over rice, pasta or plain and eat up!

Calories per serving:

292 calories per serving

Cost per serving:

About $4

Money saving tip:

Items such as white meat chicken are usually cheaper to buy in bulk, so if you buy more than two pounds, wrap each individual breast in saran wrap, bag it and freeze for later.