Chinese Garlic Chicken and Vegetables on Spaghetti Squash

This is one of those meals that you will want to eat every day for the rest of your life. 

It's true. It's that good. Plus.... it's so simple to make you really wouldn't mind making it every day. 

And...can we just talk about how amazing this smells while it is cooking...

Oh.. My.. Goodness. 

Plus... so many vegetables. Hello healthy AND delicious!

I hope I have convinced you to give this a try. You really should. 

Really.

Really.

Chinese Garlic Chicken and Vegetables on Spaghetti Squash

Ingredients

Sauce

1 Tbsp rice vinegar

3 Tbsp soy sauce

1 Tbsp cooking sherry

1 tsp brown sugar

2 tsp cornstarch 

1/8 tsp pepper

2 medium spaghetti squash (yield about 6 cups or so)

1 Tbsp sesame oil

1 lb chicken thighs, cut into pieces

6 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp freshly grated ginger

1/2 cup onion, diced

2 handfuls of snow peas, trimmed

1 red bell pepper, cut into chunks

2 cups mushrooms, sliced

1 Tbsp water

Toppings (optional)

toasted sesame seeds

green onions, sliced

Directions

Prepare sauce - In a small bowl, whisk together the sauce ingredients (rice vinegar, soy sauce, cooking sherry, brown sugar, cornstarch, and pepper). Set aside.

Prepare spaghetti squash - Cut squash in half and scoop out seeds. Sprinkle with salt & pepper. Cook in the microwave until squash is fork tender and shreds easily - about 8 - 10 minutes. When done, shred squash into a large bowl and set aside. 

Prep all of your ingredients - ie: chop your chicken and vegetables, mince the garlic, and grate the ginger. 

Heat a wok or large frying pan over medium high heat. Add the sesame oil. When the oil is hot, add the chicken pieces, spreading out as much as possible. Sear for a minute without stirring, then stir to cook all sides until just cooked through - about 2 - 4 minutes. 

Transfer chicken to a bowl, set aside.

In the same wok or frying pan, add in the garlic, ginger, and onions. Cook and stir for 30 seconds.

Add in the snow peas, red pepper, and mushrooms.

Stir well.

Add in 1 Tbsp of water and cover with a lid to steam for 1 minute. 

Remove lid, stir well again, and add the chicken back to the pan. Add in the sauce and stir well. 

Continue to cook and stir until vegetables reach desired level of tenderness - about 3 - 5 minutes. 

To serve: Make sure squash is hot! Reheat in microwave for a minute if necessary. 

Place 1/4 of the squash (about 1 1/2 cups) on each of 4 serving plates. 

Top each with 1/4 of the chicken and vegetables.

Sprinkle with a few toasted sesame seeds and sliced green onion. Serve hot!

This also goes great over rice or rice noodles - or even on it's own. 

One word of advice - use chicken thighs!! Don't use white meat like the breasts. The dark meat of the thighs just fits this recipe soooooo much better! Trust me. 

Your spaghetti squash can be cooked a day or so ahead of time and just reheated when needed. 

Also, just an FYI - if your garlic is not strong then feel free to use more than 6 cloves. The garlic is one of the best things about this recipe, you want to be able to notice it in there. 

 

 

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