Here’s a stir fry you can make in less than half an hour and serve as a festive weeknight dinner. You can use almost any vegetables you like in the stir fry along with the chicken, or you could add more veggies and omit the chicken if you want.

• 1 lb chicken breasts or boneless thighs
• Cornstarch
• Olive or vegetable oil
• ½ cup sugar
• 6 oz walnuts
• ½ lb snow peas or sugar snap peas with strings and ends removed
• 3-4 green onions, cut into short lengths
• ¼ lb mushrooms, sliced
• Teriyaki sauce, bottled, or any other favorite sauce
• Rice

1. Cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces and shake with the cornstarch. Shake off the excess cornstarch into a bow using a colander.
2. Saute the chicken in a wok or pan with some oil. Set the chicken side and wipe the pan clean.
3. Heat several more Tb of oil in a pan or wok and saute the mushrooms, onions and peapods. The pods should remain somewhat crunchy.

1. In a smaller cast iron pan, add the sugar and heat over medium high heat until the sugar has melted. Stir in the walnuts.

1. Add the chicken to the sauteed veggies and stir to warm through.

Warm the walnuts in their pan so the sugar softens and add them to the chicken and vegetables.

Add about half a cup of Teriyaki (or other ) sauce and stir and heat to soften the candied coating on the walnuts.

Serve over rice.