Lemon Stir-fry Chicken with Mushrooms and Baby Bok Choi

I've been working on a few more dishes I can eat – and serve up to people I love – which contain low carb content, low sodium, no gluten, and are easy and affordable (currently, although at the rate some prices are climbing, I'm not sure but that price will be the only consideration) for any occasion. So many stir-fry dishes end up getting scratched from my list for violating at least two of those issues, but tonight's dinner suits 'em all. 

I will admit, I did end up having gone out of my way for the baby bok choi (about 150 miles out of my usual shopping route, on a trip for another special occasion) but the adult version is still frequently available at stores around here, so it remains an option.

One advantage to a dish like this is, you spend only about 15 minutes at the stove. Stir-fry is nice like that. The bulk of the time is spent in preparation, i.e. chopping and marinating. 

I've set up this recipe to serve two, so you can easily adapt it upward to suit your needs. 

Here are few things you can do to make the advance preparation even easier: 
Use frozen chicken, allow to partially thaw in the refrigerator, so it remains firm enough to cut into small pieces. If all you have is fresh chicken, pop it into the freezer for about 20 minutes to a half hour, then bring it out to chop it.

When marinating the meat, put the mixture into a plastic zipper bag and push out all the air before completely sealing & refrigerating it.

Fresh mushrooms can be cooked up to a day in advance & refrigerated until just before final cooking time. 

If you really need to cut your carbs, I recommend serving this on riced cauliflower, because it and the bok choi are amazingly compatible. I'm lazy. I buy the shelf-stable, microwaveable pouches of "cauliflower rice" from Aldi, but you can prepare your own, if you're ambitious. Or you can buy the frozen versions. It's all good. 

And now for the actual recipe:

Not exactly a "foodie" shot. Call it a space-filler until I can get a better one.

Lemon Stir-fry Chicken with Mushrooms and Baby Bok Choi

Ingredients:

About 1/3 to 1/2 pound of boneless chicken (your choice. I used a mixture of thighs and breast "tenders")
2  Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon fresh ginger, ground
1/4 teaspoon fresh garlic, crushed
1/4 cup water

1/4 pound fresh mushrooms, sliced (your choice again. I like cremini)
Great gobbets of butter (start with 2 tablespoons, & add more if you need – or, if you're concerned about cholesterol, substitute 1 1/2 tablespoons of canola oil and 1/2 teaspoon of butter for flavor)

2-3 Tablespoons cooking fat (I use lard, because why not? You can use your favorite oil or butter, though I won't recommend olive oil for this)
1/4 cup sweet onion, diced
1 egg, separated
1 cup bok choi, stem section sliced thinly, green leaves coarsely chopped
salt & pepper to taste

Directions:

Cut chicken into bite-sized pieces (about 1/2 inch thick by 1 inch "square". Your choice in the cut of meat will help define actual dimensions).
Mix lemon juice, ginger, garlic, and water in a small bowl or zipper bag. Add chicken. Allow to marinate at least 45 minutes.

In a wok or frying pan at high heat, melt butter and add in mushrooms, stirring more or less constantly, until the pieces begin to brown and crisp around the edges. Remove from heat, set aside in a bowl.

Separate egg, set aside yolk for now.
In small bowl, using a fork or whisk, beat egg white until lightly frothy. Add to chicken and marinade.

In hot wok, add cooking fat and onions, cooking until the onions are just transparent. Stir in the chicken and all the marinade, stirring briskly so that the egg white spreads out well to cover & thicken the mixture. 

When the chicken is completely cooked, reduce heat to low. Mix in mushrooms, return to slow simmer. 

Stir egg yolk, then add into wok, stirring briskly so it doesn't curdle. This will make the "gravy" thicker & silkier without needing to add starch. 

Finally, add in the bok choi, and stir on low heat a minute or two, until the leaves begin to wilt.

Serve on rice (or rice substitute).

I like to serve this with a carrot-and-dried-cherry slaw for a brightly colorful side dish (I may post that recipe later).