Spicy Skillet Hoisin Chicken

Let's be honest. Some nights, no matter how hard we try, making dinner just feels impossible. Lately every night I have been feeling that way. By the time dinner comes around I am exhausted and the last thing I want to do is cook. However we are trying to eat at home more often and eat healthy, so on nights like that, I reach for recipes like this one. It only takes about 15 minutes from start to finish, making it faster than take-out, and as an added bonus this particular recipe for Spicy Skillet Hoisin Chicken tastes like take-out. Yum.

The secret to quick recipes like this is in the sauce. Instead of whipping up my own sauce, which requires measuring and mincing and whisking, I reach for delicious Hoisin sauce for the flavor. It's kind of like an Asian barbecue sauce that's a bit sweet, a bit savory, and a bit smoky. I love it. Since I love all things spicy, I add some Asian garlic chili paste to kick things up, but it's completely optional. You can also easily add veggies to this dish. I would recommend cooking the veggies first with a bit of oil. Then removing them from the skillet and cooking the chicken. Then when you add the Hoisin, add the veggies back in. That way the veggies stay nice and crunchy. Serve it with some brown rice, quinoa, or cauliflower rice. Mine came from the freezer on this busy night. Any shortcut that gets a healthy dinner on the table is fair game in my book.