Poor Man's Foodie

Filling You Belly On A Budget

Chicken Stir-Fry with Kale and Watermelon Radish

It is no secret for those of us living in "flyover country" that food prices are going up these days quicker than ever. Beef that cost us six or sever dollars a pound now is costing us nearly double that. So with that spike in prices we are often finding new ways to enjoy the cheaper alternatives to our steaks and pot roast. And that is where the chicken scratches its way onto the scene.

Now I'm personally not that interested into buying sauces out of a bottle to coat my chicken in when putting it in a stir-fry. I mean I have found a few that are rather good for this purpose; House of Tsang actually makes rather good sauces that don't dent the wallet. But despite the convenience of store bought I generally enjoy making my own sauces or spice mixes.

Szechuan Spicy being the best.

Now I know I haven't even told you what this post is about or even named the dish. But for me the spices and oil used for a dish like this compose the groundwork for this type of food. If you mess this part up the entire dish doesn't taste like it should. And therefore it doesn't transport you momentarily to somewhere other than your dinning room table. 

So with that said I usually break out these three spices for any chicken stir-fry; garam masala, hot madras curry, and smoked Spanish paprika (sweet if you don't like it too hot). If you want to take it another step you can grind up some cumin, caraway, and coriander to add to the mix. And of course add in salt and pepper to taste. 

You might also think about using sesame seed oil rather than olive oil. For me this adds a special hint of flavor that I haven't been able to get enough of every since the Korea trip. I usually add just a little sesame seed oil to canola oil since sesame seed oil can be overpowering for some dishes. 

Simple Ingredients Can Surprise You

This dish starts with the three main spices (garam masala, hot madras curry, and smoked paprika) and three simple ingredients; chicken breast (or thigh meat since it is cheaper), watermelon radish, and rough jack kale (red kale). Once these are chopped to the to the size you prefer all you need to do is heat up the oil and get started stirring in you ingredients.

A great way to save some money is to stretch out your spices as far as possible. Usually all you need with chicken is a nice thin coating of spices like curry and garam masala to depart a very satisfying flavor. If you use really well smoked paprika you can also get by using less of it and still getting more flavor than you might from a store brand or a paprika that wasn't smoked. 

The watermelon radish is a delicious radish for both raw and cooked uses. In this dish I generally wait till the chicken is about halfway cooked so that the radish doesn't get over cooked. Once the chicken is less then a minute away or so from where I think it is finished I then add my kale... once again, so it doesn't get overcooked. 

And once the dish is done cooking all you have to do is plate it up and enjoy. The last time I cooked this dish it cost me less than five dollars for two people to eat. That is a price per plate that just can't be beat. And an additional plus, half the radish was left in the fridge and half the kale was left uncooked. So the leftovers were able to be used for other meals and snacks.