Stir Fried Spicy Chicken Tenders

This weekend I didn't have as much "menu planning" time, or more like none at all. We ended up running to the grocery store right before dinner after a long Sunday and yes...we got a take-and-bake pizza - #fail. But I swear it was thin crust! And deeelicious:). Anyway, I grabbed a variety of meat and veggies and some other essentials and then dug through recipes to find some that called for what I had on hand - or a variation of it. Last night was Eating Well's  Stir Fried Spicy Chicken Tenders. I use Eating Well recipes a lot, so get used to it. They are usually very easy and they have a ton of great recipe collections like "cooking for two" or "budget friendly."

Now I'm not usually one to pick out a recipe with the word "spicy" in it, but I have gotten more of a taste for spice lately. Although I wouldn't name this as one of my favorite stir fry concoctions, it was tasty and the spice could easily be turned down a notch next time. What I liked about it the most was that it was fast and easy. I got home from work, trimmed the chicken tenders, tossed them with the seasoning and popped them in the fridge. Then when we got home from class all I had to do was saute the stir fry veggies, add the chicken and heat up our go-to Uncle Ben's Brown & Wild rice - easy peasy:).


Stir Fried Spicy Chicken Tenders
4 servings, 1 cup each
Active Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes (including 15 minutes marinating time)


INGREDIENTS
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast tenders, cut into 2-inch pieces (see Variation)
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 16-ounce package frozen bell pepper and onion mix (I had to run to Dahls for this and they didn't have the pepper/onion mix so I had to go with a different stir fry veggie mix instead. Still worked okay but I think would have been better with peppers/onions).


PREPARATION
Combine sugar, paprika, salt, pepper and cayenne in a medium bowl. Add chicken and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate for 15 minutes or overnight.
Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over high heat. Add pepper-and-onion mix and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are soft, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the spice-rubbed chicken and cook, stirring, until no longer pink in the center, 3 to 5 minutes. Serve hot. Variation: Make Stir-Fried Spicy Beef by using 1 pound of stir-fry beef or thinly sliced top round steak instead of chicken in this dish.

TIPS & NOTES
Make Ahead Tip: Prepare through Step 1 up to 1 day ahead.

NUTRITION
Per serving: 196 calories; 5 g fat ( 1 g sat , 2 g mono ); 66 mg cholesterol; 8 g carbohydrates; 1 g added sugars; 28 g protein; 2 g fiber; 392 mg sodium; 292 mg potassium.

Nutrition Bonus: Vitamin C (24% daily value).

Exchanges: 1 vegetable, 3 1/2 lean meat