# Frozen Stir fry veggies and Chicken?



## Mylegsbig (May 2, 2005)

Not sure how i should do this.  I have a bag of asian stir fry veggies like brocolli carrots baby corn mushrooms etc etc etc... and i have a bag of frozen uncooked unbreaded chicken tenders... I can saw the things in 3 pieces and they will be approximate size of the frozen veggies.

How should i stir fry this mix?  at what point should i add chicken ?


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## Andy M. (May 2, 2005)

I'd defrost the chicken and marinate it as suggested in a response to one of your earlier posts. Even if you don't want to marinate the chicken, cook it defrosted. Otherwise, the outside will be hard, tough and dry by the time the interior is cooked through.

After the chicken is cooked, remove it to a plate and stir-fry the frozen veggies. You can do these from a frozen state.

Then add the chicken back and make your sauce. While the sauce is cooking, the chicken will reheat.

Remember, stir-fry in smaller batches to ensure the wok or pan stays as hot as possible!


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## Mylegsbig (May 2, 2005)

Andy M. said:
			
		

> I'd defrost the chicken and marinate it as suggested in a response to one of your earlier posts. Even if you don't want to marinate the chicken, cook it defrosted. Otherwise, the outside will be hard, tough and dry by the time the interior is cooked through.
> 
> After the chicken is cooked, remove it to a plate and stir-fry the frozen veggies. You can do these from a frozen state.
> 
> ...



thanks man.  can i defrost them in the microwave?  ive never messed with frozen food really....


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## jennyema (May 2, 2005)

How much time do you have? If you can wait a few hours ...

Defrost in the fridge or in cold water.

OR, a semi-secret trick. Put the chicken flat on a dark metal surface for 20 minutes. Tenders ought to be pretty well defrosted after 20 minutes. Then slice up and put in the fridge to defrost completely. Never leave chicken out at room temp more than 1 hour to 1 1/2 hours.

I always use the microwave as a last resort for chicken.


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## Mylegsbig (May 2, 2005)

i can wait for  awhile. ill leave them out


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## GB (May 2, 2005)

Don't just leave them out unless it will be for a short period of time like Jenny mentioned. The quickest way other than Jennys dark metal trick, it by putting them in cold water. What I do is put a bowl of cold water in the sink and leave the sink running as slowly as possible into the bowl. The chicken will defrost in no time.


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## jennyema (May 2, 2005)

Yes.  I should have made this more clear.

For safety reasons, you should defrost in cold water or in the fridge.  *Bacteria will multiply on chicken left out in temps over 40 degrees.*

Since you are talking about tenders, which are thin, leaving them out on dark metal will defrost them fairly quickly.  I'd only leave them out for 20 to 30 minutes.  That's pretty safe.

Dont just leave them out on the counter for longer than an hour -- and even that's not the best way to defrost.

You should be able to slice up the tenders for stir fry while still partially frozen.  Chicken is easier to slice thin while frozen, and sliced chicken defrosts faster.

The dark metal DOES really work, btw.  Robert Wolk wrote a column about how it doesnt have to be dark, but I put a frozen chicken breast in brine  on my nonstick All Clad griddle and in about 1/2 hour it's gone from rock hard to nearly defrosted.


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## GB (May 2, 2005)

A while ago they used to sell the miracle defrosted (not sure if this was the actual name). It was one of those "As Seen On TV" things. All it was was a piece of aluminum. It worked just as Jenny is describing. They sold it for $19.95 I think, but the scam was that you could just use your fry pan instead of paying for a hunk of metal.


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## Mylegsbig (May 2, 2005)

dont worry friends.  I used the dark metal pan trick and they were only out for 20 minutes max.  Man, i am really on to something here.  i used to buy all these fresh vegetables, spend all this time cleaning and cutting, and buying chicken breast for 7 bucks a pound, having to clean and cut it up, etc etc etc all this money

well i bought a 4 lb bag of frozen chicken tenders, and 4 lb bag of asian stir fry veggies and together they only cost 15 dollars and will last me for a LONG TIME.  this is such an amazing amount of money saved.   And time saved, and it still tasted really good.   i'm a happy camper.  I've lost like 10 pounds so far too. My girl has lost 8

just some background on me - before 2 years ago i would never eat a vegetable... more recently i would eat onions and peppers sauteed in butter and what not, a little...now i ate ALL of this and enjoyed it..brocooli, carrots, all kinds of veggies... life is good... i never knew dieting was this easy..... it's great to like veggies

cheers


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## SizzlininIN (May 2, 2005)

Just a note on thawing the chicken in the future.  Here's a trick my mom taught me.  Place the chicken tenders in a stainless steel mixing bowl.  Cover with cold water and add a generous amount of idonized salt.  I haven't actually timed it but I think it takes about 2 hours for chicken breasts to thaw.  
I try to avoid defrosting meats in the microwave because some parts of the meat always seem to cook while other parts are still needing to be defrosted.
Let us know how your dish turns out.


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## jennyema (May 3, 2005)

CONGRATULATIONS!!


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## buckytom (May 3, 2005)

good for you legs!!!! i know a coupla guys that tried to go on a low carb, caveman diet. eating very few veggies and fruits, no breads, mostly all meat. they have all had serious problems within a few years of starting this type of diet, including gout, high blood pressure, and other unspeakable digestive problems. glad to hear you're eating your veggies..

one trick i mentioned in another post; the next time you order take out chinese food, get kung po chicken or shrimp in garlic sauce, but order it steamed, with the sauce on the side. the places near me give you a small container of sauce, about a half pint, for 50 cents extra. since i don't use even half of the sauce they give you on my take out food, i save it and use it when i stir fry at home. it gives your dish an authentic restaurant taste. and your girl never has to know why it's so good...


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## SizzlininIN (May 4, 2005)

I know a girl at work thats on the low carb diet and she's losing her hair.  I guess your only suppose to be on it for so long and then make adjustments.....which she hasn't.   Granted she's lost a lot of weight but now she's having to deal with this.


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## jennyema (May 4, 2005)

Ketosis gives you some G*dawful breath, too.

I have tried to cut out/cut down on "white foods" like potatoes, bread, rice, as well as sugar and fatty foods. 

Works for me and is pretty easy to do.

I had a good laugh when I bought a pound of bacon and it's conspicuously labeled *"LOW CARB"    *


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