Chicken Chop Suey

Chop suey and Chow mein are both Chinese stir-fry dishes.  Chop suey can either be served with crispy fried noodles or on top of cooked rice. For me, chop suey is the dish that I want to make on a lazy day. This dish also will help me to finish up all of my vegetables that are just about to go bad in my refrigerator. The leftover rice would be perfect. This is the recipe that belongs to my family’s restaurant from a long time ago and one of the most popular items on the menu in addition to the fact that it is very easy to prepare. Now, when I prepare this dish in my own kitchen using the leftover rice and the vegetables that would soon go bad in my refrigerator, it gives me a little taste of a sweet memory that I had with my mother and sister,Mai, at the restaurant when it was still in operation.

Ingredients:
2 chicken breasts, sliced
1 tbs cooking wine
1 tsp cornstarch
1/2 tsp salt and pepper
Sauce:
1/2 cup chicken broth
2 tsp cornstarch
1 tbs soy sauce
1 tbs lemon juice
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp hot chili paste (optional)
1 tsp sesame oil
Vegetables:
1/2 sliced onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp ginger, minced
2 cups bean sprouts
1 cup total of shredded carrots, celery, mushrooms
A handful of baby spinach

Oil for stir-frying

Directions:
Marinate the chicken breasts in cooking wine, cornstarch, salt, and pepper for 1 hour.
Mix the sauce ingredients in a small cup and set aside.
In a wok, heat 2 tbs peanut oil until hot. Add ginger, garlic cook until fragrant. Add chicken and cook until almost done. Add onions, mushrooms, carrots and celery. Mix well with chicken for 2 minute or until  they are just soft. Add sauce and bring to boil. Cook sauce until almost thickened. Stir in spinach and bean sprouts. Adjust seasoning, if needed. Mix them well. Pour over rice and serve.