Chop chop chop your veg!

The important part about quick meals is prep. You don't go into a stir fry meal thinking - sure this will be quick even if it says so. This Ramen Stir Fry was great - and fast, but only after I spent my lunch hour chopping and cutting everything and prepping the ingredients so it would be a quick meal. Admittedly I also spent part of my lunch at the library because after much searching I just could NOT find a book they said we had. Could we have lost it? For sure! But I wasn't so sure. I'd looked in all the right and wrong places - no sign of said book. Off to the library - found THE book with THE barcode on the shelf - PHEW! They oopsed - forgot to check that back in - they resolved it quick - no fine, no issues. But back to the recipe. I'm all about meal prep, it actually helps me enjoy the meal even more knowing the work is in the background earlier in the day - the days before even. This could be prepped several days in advance, it's easy to toss everything in at the right time, cook it up and away you have a great family dinner. All the plates were clean and I didn't even have to bribe them! Seems like mission accomplished to me.

Quick Chicken Ramen Noodle Stir Fry
2 (3.5-ounce) packages instant ramen noodles, flavor packets discarded
1/3 cup chicken stock
1/4 cup oyster sauce
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
1 teaspoon Sriracha, or more, to taste
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs, diced
1 1/2 cups small broccoli florets
1 cup diced sweet onion
1 cup diced red bell pepper
1 cup sliced shiitake mushrooms
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
2 green onions, thinly sliced
1/2 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds

DIRECTIONS:
In a large pot of boiling water, cook ramen noodles until tender, about 3-4 minutes; rinse with cold water and drain well.
In a medium bowl, whisk together chicken stock, oyster sauce, rice wine vinegar and Sriracha.
Heat canola oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add chicken and cook until golden and cooked through, about 4-6 minutes; set aside.
Stir in broccoli, onion, bell pepper and mushrooms until tender, about 4-5 minutes.
Stir in garlic and ginger until fragrant, about 1 minute.
Stir in chicken stock mixture, scraping any browned bits from the bottom of the skillet.
Stir in ramen noodles and chicken until heated through and evenly coated in sauce, about 1-2 minutes.
Serve immediately, garnished with green onions and sesame seeds, if desired.