How to Stir-Fry Chicken: 15 Steps

2024 Author: Samantha Chapman | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 09:13

Stir-fried chicken dishes are delicious, healthy and quick to prepare. In addition, they are perfect for satisfying a person or an entire family and adapt to all tastes. If you are interested, here is an example of a recipe and some general instructions you can follow.

Ingrediants

• 450 g skinless chicken breasts, cut into slices
• 1 tablespoon of peanut oil
• 2 or 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tablespoon of freshly chopped ginger
• 1 medium onion, sliced
• 300 g of chopped carrots
• 1 red pepper, seedless, cut into slices
• 300 g of Jackdaws
• 400 g of Corn
• 300 g of Broccoli
• 2 teaspoons of corn flour
• 240 ml of Chicken Broth
• 60 ml of Soy Sauce

Steps

Method 1 of 2: Stir-fried Chicken

Step 1. Heat the peanut oil

Pour it into a wok or large saucepan and heat over medium-high heat. When it seems to become shiny, the oil is hot enough.

Step 2. Add the minced garlic and ginger and cook for a minute

Step 3. Cook the chicken

Pour it into the wok so that it forms a single layer and cook until it turns brown. Try not to over-mix it as it cooks, but turn it only once, halfway through cooking, to ensure both sides brown evenly.

• The chicken is cooked when its surface is golden and the heart is white.
• Take a plate, cover it with paper towels and pour the chicken over it, as soon as it is cooked.

Step 4. Cook the vegetables

If necessary, add another half tablespoon of oil. Then, pour the onion, carrots and peppers into the wok and cook for two minutes. Then, add the snow peas, corn, and broccoli.

Stir continuously with a wooden spoon until the vegetables are tender

Step 5. Make the sauce

In a bowl, pour the cornmeal, soy sauce, and chicken broth. Mix well to get rid of lumps of flour.

Alternatively, you can also add a spoonful of rice wine or your favorite Asian sauce

Step 6. Pour the cooked chicken into the wok

Add the sauce and mix the chicken and vegetables to integrate them well. Continue to cook over medium heat until the sauce hardens a little.

Step 7. Make Japanese rice or noodles

Once cooked, you can add them and mix them with the rest, or serve them first and pour the vegetable and chicken mixture over them.

Step 8. Garnish everything

Use your favorite ingredients - you can try chopped walnuts (cashew nuts are perfect), finely chopped scallions, raw bean sprouts, or fresh herbs.

Method 2 of 2: General Guide

Step 1. Prepare the chicken

For four servings, use about 450g of skinless chicken breast or thighs. In this type of recipe, usually a lot more vegetables are used than meat, but you can choose differently.

• Wash the chicken in cold water, dry it with paper towels and place it on a cutting board.
• Remove all traces of fat and cut it into slices about 5 mm thick.
• To further flavor the chicken, you can marinate it in a mixture of 1 tablespoon of minced garlic, 1 and a half tablespoons of cornmeal, 2 tablespoons of soy sauce, 2 tablespoons of rice or sherry wine and 3/4 of a tablespoon of salt. Pour everything over the chicken and mix. Let it rest in the refrigerator for a period of time from five minutes to an hour before cooking.

Step 2. Decide which pan to use

The best choice is the wok. You can use a regular pan, but you won't have the ability to make the most of its sides and you may risk dropping the ingredients as you mix them.

• Don't buy a non-stick wok, it would be dangerous and useless for cooking over high heat. The surface of non-stick pans, in fact, is not made to be heated to high temperatures and, with the wok, it is always cooked over high heat.
• To mix, use a kitchen spatula that is slightly flexible.

Step 3. Choose the vegetables you prefer without limits except those dictated by your tastes

There are cooks who recommend choosing only 2 or 3 types, to avoid having a dish with too many flavors and also to save time in preparation. Others, on the other hand, recommend the "everything but the sink" approach. Choose the method you prefer, or just use the ingredients you have at the time.

• Try to cut the vegetables into pieces of equal size, it will be easier to avoid that, at the end of cooking, some are overcooked and others semi-raw.

• Regardless of the size of the pieces, some vegetables cook faster than others. Separate them according to the cooking times and pour them into the wok taking these times into account. Here is a small guide that might be useful if you have any doubts:

  • The mushrooms cook in 5/10 minutes, depending on the type and size.
  • Cabbage, spinach and other similar vegetables have cooking times between 4 and 6 minutes.
  • Vegetables such as asparagus, broccoli, carrots and green beans take 3 to 5 minutes to cook.
  • Peppers, peas, courgettes and squash are ready in just 2 or 3 minutes.
  • Bean sprouts are the fastest, they cook in less than 1 minute.

  

  Step 4. Choose the sauce you prefer and give an original touch to the dish

  You can choose a spicy, sweet, salty or nut-flavored one and transform dinner from healthy but boring to exotic and flavorful. You can buy a sauce at the supermarket or make your own. Here are some ideas:

  • Lemon sauce:

    • 60 ml of lemon juice
    • 1 tablespoon of lemon zest
    • 60 ml of Chicken Broth
    • 1 tablespoon of Soy Sauce
    • 2 tablespoons of sugar

  • Sweet and sour sauce:

    • 60 ml of Chicken Broth
    • 2 tablespoons of Soy Sauce
    • 2 tablespoons of Apple Cider Vinegar
    • 1 tablespoon of cane sugar
    • 1/2 tsp Chilli flakes

  • Peanut sauce:

    • 4 tablespoons of Peanut Butter
    • 3 tablespoons of Tamari soy sauce
    • 3 tablespoons of honey
    • A ginger root, peeled and cut, about 2, 5 cm
    • 1 clove of garlic, minced
    • 1 teaspoon of Chilli flakes
    • 1/2 orange, freshly squeezed

    

    Step 5. Choose the outline

    Usually some form of carbohydrate is chosen to add substance to the dish. Whatever your choice, you can add it by mixing it with the rest or serve it separately. There are many possibilities.

    • Brown rice, probably the healthiest choice.
    • White rice.
    • Japanese or Chinese noodles, rice or wheat.
    • Italian spaghetti, like angel hair.
    • Nothing! If you want to limit carbohydrates, this is a savory dish that is great on its own.

    

    Step 6. Choose what to garnish with

    Add a touch of color or flavor and make the presentation of the dish pleasing.

    Try roasted cashew nuts or sesame seeds, finely chopped scallions or chili peppers, raw bean sprouts, or chopped fresh herbs, such as cilantro, parsley, or basil

    

    Step 7. Finished

    Advice

    • Try using other types of meat, such as turkey or lamb.
    • For a vegetarian version of the dish, replace the chicken with tofu.

    Warnings

    • Be careful not to burn yourself with oil and boiling water.
    • Before serving the dish, warn those who have food allergies. Soy sauce and teriyaki sauce contain gluten and wheat, not forgetting that cashew and peanut sauce (or satay sauce) could harm those who are allergic to nuts.