Lately, I’ve been asking everyone I know to tell me their go-to favorite meal that they make most often for dinner at home. Not the kind of dinner that they maybe aspire to make all of the time (you know, the 100% local, organic, everything-from-scratch, three-course meals of our dreams). I’m talking what the meals that we all actually make regularly…and love. It’s been so interesting!
Some trends I’ve noticed?!
It seems like just about all of my friends’ favorite meals can all be made in 30 minutes or less. (Not surprising…and awesome.) More of my friends are cooking vegetarian or mostly-meatless than ever before. (Also how I roll, especially now being engaged to a vegetarian.) So many friends gave a shout-out to their favorite store-bought chopped salads, which they tend to eat on their own or gussy up with a few extra ingredients. (Holla to my current fave — the kale caesar from Costco!) There’s lots and lots of roasting going on…and avocado toasting. (Yum and yum.) And interestingly, quite a few people have mentioned that their go-to recipes tend to fall in the same category as mine:
Stir-fry.
Oh my goodness, it’s no secret on here that I love a good stir-fry. But what people may not know is that I tend to love a good stir-fry — oh — at least two or three times a week. ? Stir fries are without a doubt my favorite go-to meal when I need to whip up something quick. They’re quick. They’re healthy. They’re delicious. And best of all, they’re super easy to customize to whatever kind of seasonings I’m craving that moment, be it Mexican, Thai, Italian, Indian, Moroccan, you name it. I just round up whatever random veggies I have in the fridge (or the freezer), maybe add in a protein (which in my house, more often than not, is usually frozen shrimp), add some sort of seasoning or sauce that sounds good, and — ba da bing, ba da boom — a satisfying stir-fry is usually sizzling in the skillet and ready to go in just 15 or 20 minutes.
One of my recent faves? This delicious pineapple ginger chicken number.
Many of you have probably heard me mention before that I have an ongoing little obsession with picking up a fresh pineapple every time I go to ALDI, which is usually at least a few times a month, so it’s not unusual for pineapple to make an appearance in a stir-fry. But this particular version that I made for lunch last week — and then promptly ate for leftovers the rest of the week — ended up being so delicious that I had to share it with you.
It’s made with a super quick and easy stir-fry sauce and tender chicken. (<– Or you could easily sub in shrimp, tofu, beef, you name it!)
I also added in some fresh asparagus, bell pepper, onions and green onions that I had on hand. But really, just about any stir-fry-friendly veggies would work here.
And best of all? The entire thing was ready to from start to finish in just 20 minutes.
My kind of meal. ?
So cheers to the recipes that we all actually make and love IRL. And also, a big cheers to all of you out there making them happen. I wish you all a delicious week of good, real food ahead!
How To Cut A Pineapple | 1-Minute Video
Pineapple Ginger Chicken Stir-Fry
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
Description
This delicious Pineapple Ginger Chicken Stir-Fry is quick and easy to make, and full of the best sweet and savory fresh flavors!
Ingredients
Stir-Fry Ingredients:
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces
- salt and freshly-cracked black pepper
- 2 tablespoons peanut oil or olive oil, divided
- 1 green bell pepper, cored and diced into 1-inch pieces
- 1 small white onion, peeled and diced into 1-inch pieces
- 1/2 pound fresh asparagus, cut into 1-inch pieces (with ends trimmed off)
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
- 3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
- 2 cups fresh or frozen pineapple chunks
- 1 batch stir-fry sauce (see below)
- toppings: thinly-sliced green onions, toasted sesame seeds
Stir-Fry Sauce Ingredients:
- 3/4 cup chicken or vegetable stock
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- optional: 1-2 tablespoons sriracha (if you’d like a spicier sauce)
Instructions
To Make The Stir-Fry:
- Season the chicken with a few pinches of salt and freshly-cracked black pepper.
- Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large saute pan or wok over medium-high heat. Add chicken and saute for 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is cooked through and no longer pink on the inside. Transfer chicken with a slotted spoon to a separate plate, and set aside.
- Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil to the pan, and add the bell pepper, onion and asparagus. Saute for 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until the veggies reach your desired level of doneness. (I saute until the onion is almost completely soft; I like it just a little bit crispy in a stir-fry.) Then add in the ginger, garlic and pineapple, and toss to combine. Saute for 1-2 more minutes, or until the garlic is fragrant. Add the chicken back in, then stir in the sauce and let it cook for 1-2 minutes or until it has thickened, stirring occasionally.
- Serve warm, garnished with your desired toppings. Or transfer to a sealed container and refrigerate for up to 3 days.
To Make The Stir-Fry Sauce:
- Whisk all ingredients together in a small bowl until combined.
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This looks great, and I love the short prep and cook time! I’m going to try it this weekend.
Awesome, hope you enjoy it!!
This looks Awesome! I cherish the speedy instructional exercise on cutting up a pineapple as well. I’m certainly in the “make it brisk” camp. I’d offer anything to have sufficient energy to throw together long moderate cooked suppers, however too bad, I don’t have that extravagance, so speedy panfry formulas are exactly what the specialist requested!
Thanks, Rony — we hope you enjoy this!
So our stir fry game is uaually chicken + a bag of frozen stir fry veggies. And it’s fine but it’s not great and I’m getting sick of it. But it’s a GREAT way to get a ton of veggies in.
I feel like a real noob but the thought of following an actual stir fry recipe has never crossed my mind. I can’t WAIT to make this!
Thanks, Libby — we hope you and your family will enjoy this! :)
I put on my big girl pants and bought a pineapple at the grocery store for the FIRST TIME to make this recipe! :) Why did I wait so long? Super easy – and this meal was delicious!
Haha, yay! We’re so happy you enjoyed it! :)
Just made this, one kid loved it, the other just ate the chicken (veggies are a hard sell sometimes here). Real easy, forgot to take a pic, but it looks like the above. Only change I might make would be to add a chopped up Serrano for some heat. Oh, alos used a bit of chicken stock to help steam veggies to get them up to temp quicker. Overall though, good meal. Thanks.
Thanks for sharing with us, Bill — we’re so glad to hear it was a hit (and we think some serrano pepper in this would be awesome)! :)
I’ve got a small nit-picking item to point out. Once the chicken has been stir fried it is set aside. The vegetables, fruit and seasonings are then sauteed and the stir-fry sauce is added. Everything is then served warm and garnished. Meanwhile the chicken remains where it was set aside. (lol)
I’m a non practising chemist and I find cooking to be so much like the organic labs I took as a university student. We were presented with set of instructions (a recipe) for preparing a particular compound, (a meal) including a list of the chemicals (ingredients) required. We worked in a laboratory (kitchen) and used beakers, flasks, bunsen burners, magnetic stirrers (pots, pans, gas stoves, mixers). We would be graded on how closely we followed the instructions. Our grades would be adjusted if anything, other than the desired compound (meal), was left over (the chicken). In my lab report (this comment) I would have to explain to the professor (my wife) why the chicken was left over.
Haha! Thanks for catching this mistake, Walter — we’ve just remedied it! :)
30 minute meals are lifesavers! And this one looks like a delicious life saver.
Thanks, Josh — we hope you enjoy this one! :)
This looks AMAZING! I love the quick tutorial on cutting up a pineapple too. I’m definitely in the “make it quick” camp. I’d give anything to have the time to whip up long slow cooked meals, but alas, I don’t have that luxury, so quick stir fry recipes are just what the doctor ordered! xo
Thank you, Heather — we hope you enjoy this! :)
I looooove stir fries – and this looks so delicious and healthy! I love how quick it is too, another great recipe for the collection ;)
Thank you, Vivian — we hope you enjoy it!
Stir-fries are my favourite dinner too! I’m lucky I’m Chinese and there are so many traditional Asian recipes that are stir-fries. I get to eat it all the time.
Charmaine Ng