Ginger chicken holds a special place in my heart. I don’t know if it’s because I’m addicted to caramelized chicken in any form, or the gentle note that fresh ginger brings to it. In short, this Chinese classic is simply delicious.
The sliced ginger chicken will surprise those who usually don’t like ginger and would rather go for a soy sauce chicken or something else: You don’t taste the ginger as such. For those interested, I also have a Malaysian version of ginger chicken with spring onions
I feel like I often repeat myself on my blog, but the ingredients in this dish combine and form something totally new for the palate, and it’s delicious!
But how do you make a successful ginger chicken? Well, honestly, it’s not difficult. In just 10 minutes, you’ll have a delicious dish in front of you. If you like chicken, my chicken noodles are perfect for you
Tips for successful ginger chicken
High heat: Make sure to heat the pan or wok well before adding the ingredients, it’s a key element for the success of the dish.
You need to let the heat build up, otherwise when you add the cold chicken from the fridge (if your chicken isn’t cold when you start to stir-fry it, I advise you to make an appointment for a stomach wash), the pan will lose heat and you’ll end up with meat that’s boiled rather than stir-fried…
If you don’t feel capable of stirring very quickly after adding cornstarch, it’s better to lower the heat a bit, otherwise it might burn
Another saucy sliced chicken recipe is my delicious chicken with mushrooms or if you prefer beef, here’s my recipe for beef with spring onions
Ingredients
SAUCE
- 60 g of Shaoxing wine
- 1 teaspoon of brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons of light soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon of dark soy sauce
- 0.25 teaspoon of white pepper
- 2 tablespoons of oyster sauce
- 1 teaspoon of cornstarch
- 2 teaspoon of water
CHICKEN
- 600 g chicken thighs diced
- 3 geeen onion stalks sliced into 1cm pieces (white and green parts separated)
- 4 cloves garlic cut in half
- 3 shallots diced
- 6 slices of ginger
Instructions
- Mix all sauce ingredients (except water/cornstarch and wine) in a bowl. Separately, mix water and cornstarch
- Using the flat side of a knife, crush the white parts of the spring onions, garlic, and ginger
- In a wok over high heat with a little oil, stir-fry the ginger for 20 seconds
- Add the chicken and let it brown for 50 seconds before turning everything over and doing the same for 30 seconds
- Add the shallots, white parts of the spring onions, and garlic: stir-fry for 1 minute
- Add the Shaoxing wine and stir-fry for 20 seconds
- Add the rest (except water and cornstarch) and stir-fry for 5 minutes, mixing well
- Add the green parts of the spring onions and continue to reduce the sauce.
- Add the cornstarch mixture to thicken, mix well
This ginger chicken was a huge hit with my kids, they cleaned their plates and even asked for seconds 😊 The sauce was so glossy and flavorful that they didn’t complain about the ginger at all.
Didn’t expect this to be a hit, but my picky eater who usually refuses anything with ginger actually asked for seconds 😄 The sauce was so glossy and flavorful, and the ginger stayed perfectly subtle.
This ginger chicken took me straight back to my childhood, when my aunt would crank up the heat on her wok and the whole kitchen smelled like ginger and soy. The sauce came out glossy and comforting, just like hers, and that quick caramelized sear is exactly what I remember 😊
Made this ginger chicken tonight and it tasted as good as, if not better than, our local takeout spot; the sauce was glossy and the chicken stayed beautifully tender. Even the ginger skeptics at the table went back for seconds 😊