Perfect for busy weeknights, this dish is best when prepped ahead of time so that all the ingredients are ready to be used all at once. Just get it all ready, cover and refrigerate, then pull everything our when you’re ready to cook.
¼ medium yellow onion, peeled and thinly sliced (about ½ cup)
½ large red bell pepper, cored and sliced into ¼-inch wide strips (about 1 cup)
1 medium carrot, peeled & cut into thin half-moons (about ½ cup)
1 cup snow peas, strings removed
scallion greens for garnish
Directions
In a small measuring cup or bowl, combine the sauce ingredients. Set aside.
In another small bowl, combine the cubed chicken, sesame oil, cornstarch and sriracha. Set aside.
Cook the tortellini in a large pot of boiling water for three minutes. Drain into a colander, rinse with cold water to halt any cooking and set aside.
Heat oil over high in a wok, deep cast iron skillet until very hot.
When hot, add the onion and stir-fry for 1 minute, keeping it moving.
Add the carrots and peppers and continue to stir fry until soft, about 3-4 minutes. Add the snow peas, stir to combine and push the vegetables to the side of the pan.
Add a little oil into the empty pan space, add the chicken and spread in a single layer. Let cook for 1-2 minutes, give a stir and spread again into a single layer. Continue until the chicken picks up some color and is just cooked through, about 4 minutes total.
Give a stir to combine the chicken and vegetables then add the cooked tortellini and stir to combine.
Add the sauce and stir to evenly coat all the ingredients.
Let cook until the sauce thickens and everything is hot.
Serve immediately garnished with chopped scallions.
Chef’s Tips
Stir-fry is a Chinese cooking technique that involves cooking food over high heat in a wok, constantly moving the ingredients to allow them to become crispy without scorching. This works especially well for vegetables and quick-cooking proteins like chicken or shrimp. The important thing is to have all your ingredients ready to go before staring and to cut everything into roughly the same size so it cooks at the same rate. Add hard vegetables that need more time to cook first, such as carrots, onions, celery and broccoli florets, then add softer vegetables like zucchini, snow peas and bok choy toward the end of the cooking process.
A wok is ideal for stir frying because the heat is centralized at the bottom and sears ingredients quickly. If you don’t have a work, use a heavy duty pan that retains heat like a cast iron skillet and get it screaming hot before starting.
A great prep time saver is to hit up the grocery store salad bar and fill a container with pre-chopped vegetables. Or many grocery stores have a cold case in the produce section with basic pre-chopped vegetables.
