I have to admit that I consider chicken breast to be a very boring cut of meat. This is why, we barely use it for our cooking. Usually, when we cook chicken, we go with thighs as they are juicier, and let's face it, they taste better. However, I can understand why chicken breasts are popular as they are needed for some recipes.

Anyway, last week or so, I bought some basil for our Paccheri alla Totto dish. I also made a Caprese Salad, but it was very clear that I bought more than I needed. And since it started to dry out, I decided to do something about it. So I made this healthy chicken stir fry and paired it with a creamy celery puree.

The end result was a, let's call it, a healthy-ish meal with a fabulous after-taste. Furthermore, it is fast and perfect for a weeknight dinner. This being said, let me tell you how to make this easy chicken stir fry:

• The first thing you will need to do is to make the chicken stir fry marinade. I did it in the morning, went to work and simply fried everything in the evening.
• Combine the soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic powder, ginger powder, paprika, chili flakes, 1 tbsp of olive oil, salt, and pepper in a bowl. Stir well to combine. Now, be careful with the salt, as the dark soy sauce is already salty.

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• Cut the chicken breasts into strips and coat them in the marinade. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it sit in the fridge for 6-8 hours.
• When you are ready to fry, heat the remaining tbsp of olive oil in a non-stick skillet. Transfer the chicken strips in there, but make sure they are not crowded.
• Cook them on medium heat for 4-5 minutes on each side or until they are nice and caramelized.

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• When done, take the skillet off the heat and bring in the basil. Stir to combine and let it rest until you are ready to serve.

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• To make the puree, you will need to peel and chop your celery root into 2-3 cm chunks and place it in a pot with salted water. Boil it until fork tender. This should take around 20 minutes.
• While this happens, put your unpeeled garlic on an oven tray, coat it with a little olive oil and bake it at 200 degrees Celsius (400 F) for 15 minutes.
• In a saucepan, heat up, on medium heat, the milk, and the butter until the butter is completely melted. Now you are ready to make the mash.
• Drain the water in which you boiled your celery. Peel the garlic and place it on top of your celery. Pour a little of the buttery milk and start mashing everything with an immersion blender.
• Pour the rest of the liquid as you go. You may need to use more or less. It really depends on the size of the celery root. In the end, you want to have a creamy puree. Just be careful not to make it too watery. It is very similar to when making mashed potatoes.
• Give it a taste of salt, then be ready to serve.
• I recommend eating it immediately as I do think it loses its charm when reheated.
• Also, you can squeeze some lime juice on top of the stir fry before eating it. I find it goes very well. However, it is optional.

That's it. Now, if you ask me if this is the best stir fry recipe, I can't give you an exact answer. I can say that it's effortless to make, it is perfect for a quick weeknight dinner, and it is also incredibly delicious.

Of course, if you are not a celery kind of person, you can go with any other puree you like. However, I love how celery and basil work together.

As for the short history lesson, you probably already know this, but here it goes. The stir fry cooking technique comes from China, and it is believed to have some roots all the way back to 200 BC. However, back then, the wok was used to dry grains. It was only after the 14th century when oil was brought to the picture.

Today, this way of cooking is used worldwide and is very similar to the sauteing technique.

* My version of this dish turned out to be a spicy chicken stir fry as I added 1 tsp of chili flakes. You can do it milder or hotter if you want.

** I suggest you start preparing your puree before frying the chicken.

*** If you make this dish, please don't forget to tag us on Instagram to see the result.

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