The easiest dish I could cook on a Friday night + My must-haves in the kitchen

Go to the recipe

It was just one of those weeks. It’s Friday night and I’m on the bus thinking about dinner. I’m too tired to cook, but I don’t want to have take-out again. I remember I have a bag of kale slaw, some leftover chicken and a pack of konjac pasta in the pantry.

I love konjac pasta! It’s handy and goes well in any dish. Plus it has a lot of benefits to our bodies and only 25 calories per pack!

The time is crucial here. I really hate wasting time when I’m making dinner because the more time I spend, the more I snack before dinner, and nobody wants that, right? So there are a few things I like to keep always around, just in case I need them:

Chopped garlic: I love using garlic but hate peeling and chopping it. The solution is to have always a jar of chopped garlic in the fridge, for any occasion.

Chopped green onions, parsley, and cilantro: I like to keep some in the freezer at all times. I add them to salads, soups, stews, and anything my imagination allows me to.

Chopped veggies: as you may have noticed, I don’t like chopping things. When I want to make something specific, I’m not ashamed of buying store-branded chopped veggies. Time is rare these days, you have to make cuts where you can.

Chicken: is an easy addition to any meal when protein is necessary. When on sale, I buy a big tray of chicken thighs or breasts, rub them in two or three different types of spices, and roast them (just toss them in the oven, over fat coated tin foil, for 30 minutes at 350F). After they cool down a little I put them in the freezer (plastic container or bag) and whenever I need, I just grab a couple of pieces for a healthy lunch or dinner.

Steamed veggies: same thing as the chicken, a wild card for any meal. I just slightly steam a variety of veggies like carrots, cauliflower, broccoli, green beans, zucchini, sweet potato, and squash, for example. I don’t like to completely cook the veggies because if I reheat them in the microwave, they get overcooked.

And that’s why this recipe is so fast to prepare. Chopping the veggies is very time-consuming, especially for a Friday night. I was very happy with the result! I hope you enjoy it!

Fast chicken stir-fry with konjac noodles

Total time: 20 minutes

Number of Servings: 2

Ingredients

2 Tbsp of olive oil

2 Tbsp of sesame oil

1 Tsp of chopped garlic

500g of chopped veggies

Salt and pepper to taste

1 pack of konjac pasta*

2 servings of leftover chicken of any kind cut in to bite size pieces

Shichimi Togarashi

Chopped green onions

Making it

Put a pan on the stove and turn it on on medium. Let the pan heat up a little bit then add the olive and sesame oil. Heat the oil up for about 30 seconds then add the garlic. Let it fry, stirring well, for about 30 seconds.

Ad the veggies, sprinkle some salt and pepper to taste and stir it well. Cook it for about 2 minutes, always stirring. When the veggies are nice and tender, add the pasta and mix them thoroughly to heat up well. If you are using grilled, roasted, barbecue or other non-breaded types of chicken, it’s time to add the chicken pieces to the pan. Stir it well and make sure is hot enough. If you are using breaded chicken like in the picture, heat up the chicken separately, and serve it on top of the pasta.

Divide pasta and chicken into 2 bowls, sprinkle some togarashi and chopped green onions.

Ta-da!!!

* I used nuPasta