China · Meat Dishes
Chicken Stir-Fry with Vegetables
Chicken thighs and whatever vegetables you have, cooked over maximum heat in a soy-sesame-ginger sauce.
Ingredients
- boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into 2 cm pieces600 g
- vegetable oil, high smoke point3 tbsp
- head broccoli, cut into small florets1
- red bell pepper1
- medium carrots, thinly sliced on the diagonal2
- snap peas or green beans100 g
- garlic cloves4
- fresh ginger, grated or finely minced1 tbsp
- scallions3
- sesame seeds1 tbsp
- cooked rice or noodles400 g
- soy sauce, low-sodium60 ml
- oyster sauce2 tbsp
- sesame oil1 tbsp
- honey or brown sugar1 tbsp
- rice vinegar1 tbsp
- cornstarch, dissolved in 2 tbsp cold water1 tsp
- chili flakes0.5 tsp
Method
- 1Mix all sauce ingredients in a small bowl — soy sauce, oyster sauce, sesame oil, honey, rice vinegar, and the cornstarch slurry. Set aside.
- 2Everything must be prepped and within reach before the heat goes on. Stir-fry moves fast and there's no time to chop once cooking starts.
- 3Heat a large wok or skillet over the highest heat your stove allows. Add 2 tablespoons of oil. When it shimmers and begins to smoke, add the chicken in a single layer. Do not stir for 2 minutes — let it sear and develop color. Stir and cook another 1–2 minutes until cooked through. Remove to a plate.
- 4Add the remaining oil to the same wok. Add broccoli and carrots first — the denser vegetables that take longer. Stir-fry 2 minutes. Add the bell pepper and snap peas. Stir-fry another 2 minutes. The vegetables should be bright and crisp-tender, not soft.
- 5Add garlic, ginger and chili flakes (0.5 tsp) to the vegetables and stir constantly for 30 seconds until fragrant. Return the chicken.
- 6Give the sauce a stir (the cornstarch settles), then pour it over the chicken and vegetables. Toss everything for 30–60 seconds until the sauce thickens and coats every piece. It should be glossy, not watery.
- 7Serve immediately over rice or noodles, topped with spring onion and sesame seeds.