Try sweet, savory chicken dinner

The pungent flavors of Chinese five-spice powder, rice vinegar and soy sauce combine to create this sweet and savory chicken dinner.

Chinese five-spice powder is used in many Asian dishes and is a blend of cinnamon, cloves, fennel seed, star anise and Szechwan peppercorns. It can be found in the spice section of the supermarket.

Helpful Hints:

• White vinegar diluted with a little water can be used instead of rice vinegar.
• Dried Chinese noodles or angel hair pasta can be used instead of fresh Chinese noodles.

Five-Spice Chicken

Yield 2 servings. Recipe by Linda Gassenheimer

1/4 cup water

3 ounces Chinese rice vinegar

4 teaspoons Chinese five-spice powder

4 teaspoons minced garlic

11/2 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce

6 teaspoons sesame oil, divided

1/4 pound broccoli, cut into 1-inch pieces (about 11/2 cups)

3/4 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

Mix water, rice vinegar, Chinese five-spice, garlic, soy sauce and 2 teaspoons sesame oil together in a bowl. Set aside. Heat remaining 4 teaspoons sesame oil over high-heat in a large wok or skillet until smoking. Add broccoli and stir-fry 2 minutes. Add chicken and continue to stir-fry 4 minutes. Add sauce and mix in with the chicken and vegetables for 2 minutes.

Remove chicken and broccoli to a plate and boil sauce to reduce, about 1 minute. To serve, place chicken on top of noodles and spoon sauce over both.

Chinese Noodles

1/4 pound steamed or fresh Chinese noodles

1/2 tablespoon sesame oil

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/2 cup scallions, sliced

Fill a large saucepan with 3/4 full of water and bring to a boil. Add the fresh noodles. Bring back to a boil. Remove 1 tablespoon cooking water to a large bowl. Add sesame oil to the bowl. Drain noodles. Add noodles and salt and pepper to the bowl. Toss well. Sprinkle with scallions.