Spicy Ginger Garlic Chicken

The heat and humidity yesterday was absolutely horrendous! Some days I can't believe I choose to work out at 3:30 in the afternoon. By the end of the hour, I've basically taken a sweaty shower, because my clothes are drenched. It's gross. But I wouldn't change it for anything! I love my CrossFit family and how hard we all work together. Lately I've been rowing a lot more before class, because one of our trainers rocked my world with some rowing techniques that are actually improving my stamina. I also committed myself to 100 lunges a day, with at least 75 of them being weighted, throughout this most recent sugar detox. So that was my own personal warm-up. Then we had a fun little mini-WOD as our group warm-up that went like this:

2 20 sec. hold wall climbs
5-10-15-10-5
Kettlebell swings
Sit-ups
Walking lunges with a PVC pipe
Followed by 400m run 

After our mobility session, we completed a 20 minute AMRAP of:

5 hspu on the parallettes (which I scaled down to using plates for my deficits)
10 toes-through-rings (I did SO much better this time because I actually got the hang of the back swing)
15 med. ball cleans

Needless to say, it was a fast paced day and lots of sweaty monsters running around. By the time I finished training and got home, I was famished! Thankfully, dinner was quick and easy, but super tasty. I really enjoyed the combination of the sweet onions with the spicy chicken, and the cabbage was a last minute idea to add crunch and some beautiful color!

Spicy Ginger Garlic Chicken

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Serves: 2-3

Special Tools:
Large saute pan
Splatter screen, optional but recommended
Small bowl

Ingredients:
1 1/2 pounds of organic free-range boneless skinless chicken thighs
1 tbsp of bacon fat (or other fat of your choice, but bacon gives it GREAT flavor)
1 medium-large sweet onion, sliced
1/4 of a head of red cabbage, sliced
2 large garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp of freshly grated ginger
1 tbsp of coconut aminos
1 tsp of fish sauce
1 tsp of sriracha sauce
a pinch of red pepper flakes
salt and pepper to taste
green onion, chopped to garnish

Instructions: 
1. Heat your fat in a pan over medium-high heat.
2. Season your chicken with salt and pepper.
3. When the fat is hot, add the garlic and ginger and let it sauté until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
Lay the chicken top side down in the pan for 5-7 minutes until it gets golden brown and slightly crispy. *Try not to move it around in these first few minutes and use the splat screen if the bacon fat starts to pop.
4. While the chicken is cooking, cut your onion and cabbage. Also, in a small bowl combine the coconut aminos, fish sauce, sriracha, and red pepper flakes. Set aside.
5. Flip the chicken and add the onion to the pan. Cook for about 5 minutes until the onions begin to soften. 
6. Add the sauce from the small bowl and allow it to cook into the onion and chicken for another 5 minutes or so. 
7. In the last few minutes, add the cabbage and cook until it begins to wilt.
8. Top with chopped green onions as a garnish. I served mine with some sautéed butternut squash and zucchini. 
NOTE: I cooked boneLESS chicken. If you still have the bone in when you cook your thighs, it will take much longer, like at least 30 minutes, so you won't want to add your onions and cabbage until much later.