Cornstarch Help!
 

Ladies:

I made the following receipe and it does contain cornstarch. I had some for lunch yesterday and for breakfast this morning. Could you take a look and tell me what you think? I really like it..but I think I should leave out the cornstarch next time. Thoughts?

Sabby

Shiitake Studded Hot, Sweet and Sour Chicken Stew

Ingredients
2 teaspoons sesame oil
1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 3/4-inch chunks
2 cloves garlic, minced
¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons reduced sodium soy sauce
4 oz. shiitake mushrooms, stems finely chopped, caps sliced
1 ¾ cups organic chicken broth, such as Swanson’s, divided
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 ½ tablespoons cornstarch
3 cups thinly sliced bok choy leaves
1 pouch (10.5 oz.) fully cooked brown rice, such as Trader Joe’s, heated
¼ cup thinly sliced green onions

Preparation
Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add chicken, garlic and pepper flakes and stir-fry two minutes. Add soy sauce and mushrooms and continue to stir-fry two minutes. Add 1½ cups of the broth and vinegar and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, simmer uncovered five minutes or until chicken is no longer pink in center.

Combine remaining ¼ cup broth and cornstarch, mixing well. Stir into stew and simmer two minutes or until thickened. Stir in bok choy and heat through. Spoon rice into four shallow bowls. Top with chicken mixture and garnish with green onions.

Looks good. I'd be inclined to use chicken breasts instead of thighs as thighs are not allowed - too much fat.

As to the cornstarch, don't freak about it. It's a small amount when divided into four servings. You could puree a "legal" veggie and use it to thicken the sauce if you want to be a purist.

Relax! This is a journey, not a quick fix.

Sabby, what you might want to try is arrowroot in place of cornstarch. It's a lot more expensive if you buy it by the bottle, but I found some packaged in pound bags in the organic section of Wegman's, my local grocery. However, Ruth is right...it's a very small amount. I wouldn't eat this on Phase 1, but it should be fine in Phase 2 unless you have a reaction to it. :D