5-ingredient chicken stir-fry with zoodles and broccoli

Zinc is involved in how immune cells regulate their own response, and chicken is a dependable source of it, dark meat more than breast if you have the choice at the counter. Worth knowing on the nights when cooking has to be fast, because the elimination phase runs for months and a great deal of it gets eaten on nights like that.

2 pounds of chicken sliced thin against the grain cooks through in 5 to 7 minutes, which is the only reason 15 minutes is possible at all. Whisk the tapioca flour into the coconut aminos before anything gets hot so it thickens the moment it hits the pan, glossy rather than cloudy. Broccoli first, chicken back in, then the zoodles for 1 to 2 minutes and no longer. A bird went into this pan for a 15-minute dinner. Buy it from a farm you would be willing to visit, and eat it hot.

Ingredients

• 2 lbs chicken, sliced into 1/2-inch pieces against the grain at an angle
• 4 zucchini, peeled and spiralized into zoodles
• 1 to 2 heads broccoli, cut into bite-size pieces
• 1/2 cup coconut aminos
• 1 tablespoon tapioca flour
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 2 tablespoons avocado oil or olive oil

*Optional additions: 2 to 3 stalks celery, sliced, or several green onions.*

Method

Start by whisking the coconut aminos, tapioca flour, and sea salt together in a small bowl until smooth. Set it aside - the tapioca will thicken the sauce as it heats.

Heat your wok or largest skillet over medium-high until it is genuinely hot. Add the oil, then lay the chicken slices in a single layer as best you can. Let them sit without moving for a minute or two so they develop some color, then stir-fry until cooked through, about 5 to 7 minutes total. Remove the chicken and set aside.

Add the broccoli to the same pan with a small splash of water if it looks dry. Stir-fry for 3 to 4 minutes, until bright green and just tender. Return the chicken to the pan, pour the sauce over everything, and toss to coat. The sauce will thicken quickly - 30 to 60 seconds over heat is usually enough.

Add the zoodles and toss gently. You want them just warmed through, not cooked down to mush - 1 to 2 minutes is plenty. Taste for salt and serve immediately.

*Adapted from eatbeautiful.net*