Ginger Bourbon Pineapple Chicken Stir Fry

Fresh pineapple kicks up the earthy and spicy angles of a Chinese black bean sauce, bucked up with American Bourbon and Tabasco sauce. A simple, popular stir-fry kicked up a notch.
Sauce:
2 Tbsp Chinese black bean sauce or hoisin sauce
2 Tbsp ketchup
Juice of 1 lemon
2 Tbsp bourbon
1 Tbsp Tabasco or Texas Pete's hot sauce, or other favorite hot sauce
2 cloves garlic
1/2-inch piece fresh ginger

1 onion, sliced
2 carrots, peeled and sliced
3 stalks celery, sliced
6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs, trimmed and cut into bite-sized pieces
1/2 fresh pineapple, cut into bite-sized cubes
palmful fresh cilantro leaves, coarsely chopped

Lesson number one from my old Chinese cooking teacher - get everything ready first!  Cut and assemble all the vegetables in a bowl.

Cut the chicken and set in a bowl. Prepare the sauce by sautéing the ginger and garlic in a bit of canola oil in a small saucepan. Add the remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Remove from heat, whisk together well, and set aside.

Heat a bit of canola oil in a wok, almost to smoking. Add the veggies and stir fry for 2-3 minutes, tossing often. Remove to a bowl. Add a dash more canola oil and return almost to smoking. Tip the chicken into the wok and stir fry for about 5 minutes, or just until the chicken is cooked through.

Add the sauce and return the veggies to the wok. Then tip in the pineapple and heat through, tossing gently.

Serve over rice, garnished with cilantro leaves. Serves 4.

Cook's Note: you could use most any of your favorite veggies for this, such as peppers, broccoli or cabbage.