Chinese Take-Out On a Stick

Technically today's recipe is broccoli and chicken skewers, but in the magazine where I found the recipe (TasteofHome.com) they were given a much more fun name;  "Chinese Take-Out on a Stick". Of course it's Chinese Take-Out minus the loads and loads of white rice, five days worth of sodium, and calories, plus some actual nutrition.  It's a win-win combination, really.

Of course, when I told Nick the name of the recipe he laughed.  When Nick orders Chinese food he always gets the fried egg rolls and almost always orders the sesame chicken, drowning in sauce.  To be fair, he usually appeases his wife by also eating plenty of broccoli and making sure to opt for the brown rice.  But still, considering his normal "Chinese Take-Out" order, this was not quite the same.  That being said, we both enjoyed this recipe and will be making it when the grill comes out soon!





I'm going to write out this recipe like they did in the magazine (almost like a story...)

Chinese Takeout-on-a-Stick

Serves 4

Combine 2 Tbsp. reduced-sodium soy sauce and 3 Tbsp. sesame oil. Stir in 4 tsp. each brown sugar and minced fresh gingerroot, 2 minced garlic cloves and 1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes.  Set aside 3 Tbsp. for basting.  Add 1 lb. cubed boneless skinless chicken breasts to remaining mixture; toss to coat.  Thread chicken and 3 cups fresh broccoli florets onto four metal skewers (or wooden, but make sure they are soaked for an hour first).  Grill, covered, over medium heat for 10-15 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink (and reaches 165 degrees F), turning occasionally; base with reserved soy mix during last 4 minutes of cooking.

** NOTE:  If you are following a low FODMAPs diet, omit the garlic.  You can use half sesame and half garlic-infused oil if you still want that garlic flavor.  Also, try to stick to a serving of no more than 1/2 cup broccoli.  

Estimated Nutrition Facts for 1 skewer

Assuming you would serve this with some (brown or wild) rice, this would be a Chinese Takeout meal under 400 calories (stick to 1/2 cup cooked brown rice, that's an appropriate serving, believe it or not). And, if you're still hungry, load up on more vegetables!!  I always order extra steamed vegetables with my Chinese Takeout. Don't you?!   :)  I love the added volume and nutrients, without all the extra calories and sodium.  

Instagram!

Yes, we used our indoor grill pan for these.  I love having the option to grill indoors when it's still a bit chilly outside.

Be sure to flip the skewers throughout the cooking process, so the chicken gets cooked evenly.

I ended up using skewers that were a bit smaller than those used in the original recipe, so I threw the extra broccoli and chicken in a non-stick skillet.  I basically stir-fried the extra ingredients. 

QUESTION: What's your favorite thing to order when you get Chinese takeout?  For me it's actually chicken and broccoli.  I like to get my sauce on the side and use as little or as much as I want.  They will do that if you ask!

Thanks for reading.

The Candid Rd

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