Chicken stir-fry is THE DISH that can be found in almost every restaurant I’ve been to. It’s not something I order often because not only is it very simple to make, but generally, restaurants skimp on the quality of ingredients used.
So, paying a lot for something like that, no thank you.
And if you follow me, I think you have the same mindset as me, so today, I’m revealing the secrets of Chinese restaurant chicken stir-fry. Welcome to the fabulous world of Chinese cuisine: easy and ultra-tasty recipes
Ingredients for Chinese chicken stir-fry
Oyster sauce: an essential element in most Chinese stir-fries, the unique taste it provides will give that typical “Chinese restaurant” flavor we all love. If you want to learn more about oyster sauce and how to substitute it, it’s here
Hoisin sauce: This is a sauce widely used in Chinese cuisine, more particularly in Peking duck. I use it in this dish for the sweetness and unique nuance it brings. I have a complete article on the subject if you want to know more.
Light soy sauce: not to be confused with dark soy sauce, it is light and salty. It can enhance the dish. You can even use it instead of salt to season the dish as it cooks
Sesame oil: with a very powerful taste, you have to be very careful not to put too much at the risk of completely obstructing the rest of the ingredients. My complete article on sesame oil.
Tips for chicken stir-fry like in a Chinese restaurant
Don’t hesitate to turn up the heat to accelerate thickening. If you do this, be sure to mix well as the risk of burning increases suddenly.
The sauce concept is the same for all sauces. Chinese white sauce, sweet and sour sauce, sweet-salty, General Tso’s chicken sauce, chicken stir-fry, garlic and honey chicken sauce, … all have one ingredient in common: cornstarch, it’s the secret of beautiful sticky Asian sauces
The only drawback of a sticky sauce is that the consistency doesn’t last. I’m sure you’ve already ordered Chinese food and found pieces of meat in a very watery sauce (in the bad sense of the term) the next day.
This is because cornstarch can only maintain its nice texture for about an hour at most.
What I usually do when something like this happens is to throw the leftovers in a saucepan and incorporate a little more cornstarch (once the ingredients are hot) to bring back the texture.
Most of the time it works, but there have been dishes I couldn’t save this way. 80% success, 20% failure I’d say.
Another recipe that will make you feel like you’re in a Chinese restaurant, but better, is my Cantonese rice. For a fruity alternative, try my pineapple chicken
Chinese Chicken Stir-Fry
Matériel
- 1 Wok
Ingredients
- 300 g sliced chicken
- 1 large onion, sliced
- 50 g flat green beans
- 1 handful of bean sprouts
- 3 stems green onions, cut into 1cm pieces
- 150 g of sliced button mushrooms
- 4 pods minced garlic
SAUCE
- 1 tablespoon of light soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
- 1 tablespoon of hoisin sauce
- 2 tablespoon water
- 1 pinch pepper
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon of sesame oil
- 0.5 tablespoon of sugar
Procédé
- Over high heat, stir-fry the chicken for 5 minutes and set aside
- In a little oil, over medium-high heat, sauté the garlic for 2 min
- Over high heat, add the mushrooms, onion and green beans, stir-fry for 5 min until slightly browned
- Add the bean sprouts and green onions, stir-fry for another 3 min
- Put the chicken back in, stir-fry for 5 min and add the sauce
- Stir-fry for 5 min and mix until the sauce thickens
