Stir Fried Chicken in Chili, Soy Sauce

Here is a quick stir fried dish; a week-night kind of recipe.

The dish gently reminds me of our favorite Chilli Chicken, the king of the Indo-Chinese cuisine. However it is a little less elaborate, lacking the subtle crunchy coating of the chicken and also the fresh flavors of the abundant green hot peppers used in the Chilli Chicken. Let us call it the “Almost Chilli Chicken“.

The depth of flavors are a pleasure here, I promise; aroma of charred chili peppers, garlic, ginger, dark soy sauce and toasted sesame oil hug the quickly browned chicken.  Have a side of Egg Drop Soup and serve the chicken over noodles or rice.

At present, our minds are some place else. I am cooking a lot and trying to get ourselves very busy,  just to get our mind off the pain and the void that my sister left us with. We can only make an effort to “move on”.  The heart is heavy and full of questions we are trying to find answers to. Every breath hurts. Seeking help and consolation in philosophy and religion is probably the only way out during this time, but nothing, absolutely nothing takes away the heart wrenching pain and the emptiness.

The posts in my blog might not be as consistent.  So please bear with me for the next few months or until we get ourselves a bit more composed.

Stir Fried Chicken in Chili, Soy Sauce

 

Ingredients: (serves 2)

1. 1+1/4 lb. boneless, skinless chicken thighs/breast tenderloins, cut into 1-1 ½″ cubes
2. 3/4 tablespoon vinegar
3. 1 tablespoon ginger paste (or grated ginger)
   
4. 1 teaspoon minced garlic
5. 2 teaspoon Sriracha/any hot chili sauce (or to taste)
6. 3 tablespoon corn starch + 3 teaspoons corn starch
7. 3-4 tablespoon oil + more to shallow fry the chicken cubes
8. 1/2 teaspoon sesame seed
9. 4-5 red dry chili pepper (like de arbol)
10. 1/2 tablespoon tomato paste (optional)
11. 2 tablespoon (or to taste)  Sriracha or any hot chili/or chili garlic sauce (Asian kind preferable with no vinegar added to the sauce)
12. 2 tablespoon  tamari/soy sauce (light or dark- whatever you would like)*
13. 1 cup sliced/chopped onions
14. 1 tbsp. minced ginger
15. 1/2 tbsp. minced garlic
16. salt to taste
17. black pepper, about 6-7 grinds
18. 2 tablespoon toasted Asian sesame oil
19. thinly sliced scallions

*Note: use wheat free tamari to make this  a gluten free dish

                substitute chicken with paneer or tofu for a vegetarian dish

 

Method:

Clean the chicken. Trim fat and wash them. Pat them dry with a paper towel. In a ziploc bag or a bowl combine chicken, vinegar, a tablespoon of ginger paste, a teaspoon of minced garlic, some salt, 2 teaspoons of Sriracha/hot sauce and let it sit for at least 45 minutes or more.

Heat oil in a pan/wok. Add the cornstarch/corn flour to the marinated chicken and toss for the flour to coat the chicken pieces. Shallow fry the chicken (in a single layer) at high- medium heat for about 6-8 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and the outside is golden brown. Remove with a slotted spoon and transfer on paper towels. Set aside.

In a bowl combine tomato paste, Sriracha/hot sauce, tamari/soy sauce. In another bowl combine 2 teaspoons of cornstarch with 1/2 cup of cold water.

In another pan/wok, heat 3-4 tablespoon oil. Add the dry red chili pepper to the oil and let it turn dark brown. Add the sesame seeds and let it turn golden brown. Now add the chopped onions,  minced ginger and garlic and  fry at high heat while stirring constantly, about a minute.

Add the fried chicken and toss. Now add the contents for the sauce that you had combined in a bowl  and the black pepper and cook while stirring and tossing the chicken, for a couple of minutes. Stir the corn starch/corn flour and add to the wok/pan and cook while tossing quickly and until the sauce thickens and coats the chicken pieces – for another couple of minutes. There should be some extra sauce left in the pan. The dish is not entirely dry. Stir in the toasted sesame oil.

Remove from heat and garnish with sliced scallions. Serve with rice/noodles.

Preparation Time: 20 minutes + 45 minutes marination time
Cooking Time: 20 minutes
Serves 2
Difficulty Level: Easy

 

 

Related Posts:

Skillet Roasted Chicken with Ginger and Soy

Shrimp with Scallions and Garlic in Chile Tamari Sauce

Stir Fry Chicken with Asparagus & Almond

Stuffed Meatballs with Grilled Scallions & Orange Mint Yogurt Sauce

Chilli Paneer

Chilli Soy Chunks

Gobi Manchurian – Cauliflower Fritters in Spicy Sauce