Black Pepper Chicken

Happy Saturday! Jace is at a friend's house, Kevin is sleeping so I thought I would catch up on blogs.

Lately, I feel like Saturdays are more of a catch up day lately more than a day to relax. I have a huge to-do list that is overwhelming at times. I have been thinking a lot lately about hiring a domestic assistant. I was talking to my Grandma the other day who was saying that she hasn't seen Jace since he was 7 years old. He is now almost 13! I looked at him the other day and thought, "He is almost 13!!!" Where has time gone? I was barely able to squeeze a game of Children's Charades with him the other day after working 9+ hours, home cooking dinner and trying to figure out my medication (I've been exhausted throughout my days but I think I finally figured out a time to take my medication where I'm not tired during the day). Jace is also doing kickboxing once a week in Paso so that has been an adjustment but he loves it. If you have hired or have experience with a domestic assistant (someone to help with chores, errands, etc) please let me know. I'm realizing that family time is so important and I don't feel like I am balancing it as much as I should be. 

Anyways, back to the whole point of this blog. Last night I made this amazing Black Pepper Chicken. Kevin and I cleaned our plates and this was the most balanced Noom meal I have had (balanced between green, yellow and orange foods). I would highly recommend this and we will be making it again. I only took one photo because I thought this would just be another chicken meal. The full recipe can be found HERE. We only had one type of soy sauce (organic, low sodium), we used monkfruit instead of sugar, white wine vinegar in place of shaoxing wine, and replaced ginger, onion and garlic with powders.

Ingredients for the chicken:
1 pound chicken breast, cut into thick pieces
1 tbsp vegetable oil

Ingredients for the marinade:
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp white wine vinegar
1 tbsp cornstarch

Ingredients for sauce:
1/2 cup chicken broth
2 tbsp and 2 tsp soy sauce
2 tbsp white wine vinegar
1 tbsp cornstarch
1 1/2 tbsp monkfruit
2 tsp pepper
1 tbsp ground ginger
1 tbsp garlic powder
1 tbsp onion powder

Directions:
Combine chicken, soy sauce, cornstarch, and white wine vinegar in a medium sized bowl. Use a spoon or your hands and gently mix until chicken is coated. Marinate for 10 minutes. In the meantime, combine all of the sauce ingredients in a small bowl, mix well and set aside. 

Heat 1 tbsp vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Add the chicken and spread into a single layer. I cooked for about 2-3 minutes on one side and then 2-3 minutes on the other, until all the way cooked but not overcooked. Transfer to a plate. Stir the sauce mixture and add to the hot skillet. Stir until it bubbles, about 1-2 minutes. Add back the cooked chicken and stir for 30-60 seconds. Cook broccoli and rice separately and enjoy!