It’s funny how you find yourself falling under wedding traditions when you least expect it. Such as my then-fiance and I suddenly wanting china and stemware that now sits in the cabinet. Or panicking at the last moment with the need for “Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue.”

What’s this got to do with chicken?

I had a taste for chicken yesterday, but no real plan for what to do with it once I got it. I also had parts of two veggies on their last legs and leftover rice from a restaurant.

Result: Tasty improv with something old and something new! (To complete the saying, I “borrowed” money from my bank account to get the chicken, and I ate the finished meal on a blue plate!)

Old & New: Chicken, Sweet Potatoes & Onions Recipe

Time: 20-30 minutes, depending on how much you have to chop.

Ingredients (scaled for 1 person):

Note: Substitute any of the below for meat/meatless products of your choice, but adjust cooking time accordingly.

1 thawed boneless skinless chicken breast, rinsed and chopped into bite-sized pieces
1/2 sweet potato, chopped into bite-sized pieces
1/4 white onion, likewise

Any other veggies you have lying around (turnips, parsnips, carrots…)

1 tsp garlic

2 tbsp olive oil

To taste:
Curry powder
White pepper
Ginger powder
Cumin
Turmeric
Lemon juice
Shoyu (soy sauce)

1/4 cup water

Optional: 1/2 cup cooked rice

Directions:

1. If you’re going to have rice and you’re facing it uncooked, start cooking it now per package directions. Otherwise take advantage of the Boil-in-a-Bag brand or reheat leftover rice like I did.

2. Heat oil and garlic in an uncovered medium-sized frying pan.

3. If you want a softer sweet potato, add them and any similar veggies now. Otherwise go to step 4.

4. Add onions and stir-fry until they start looking translucent.

5. If you did not add sweet potatoes/other veggies in step 3, add them now. Stir them around occasionally.

6. Add chicken. Keep stirring occasionally.

7. Here’s where I went a little crazy with the spices: I added generous dashes of the ones listed, including a dash of the shoyu and lemon juice.  I wanted a kick to the taste.

8. Stir and keep cooking until chicken is no longer pink on the inside.

9. At this point, my sweet potatoes were still a little on the hard side, so I added the water and clapped a cover on the pan. Five to seven minutes should do the trick. I checked halfway through and decided to add another round of curry powder.

10. Test veggies for required softness. The water should be mostly evaporated by this point also. If done, remove from heat, add rice and serve!