Chinese Garlic Chicken (Printable Version)
Tender chicken wok-tossed in a bold garlic sauce with crisp vegetables for a quick weeknight meal.
# What You'll Need:
→ Meats
01 - 1.1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into bite-sized strips
→ Marinade
02 - 1 tablespoon soy sauce
03 - 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine (or dry sherry)
04 - 1 tablespoon cornstarch
→ Vegetables
05 - 1 red bell pepper, sliced
06 - 1 cup snow peas, trimmed
07 - 3 green onions, sliced on the diagonal
→ Sauce
08 - 5 cloves garlic, finely minced
09 - 2 tablespoons soy sauce
10 - 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
11 - 1 teaspoon sesame oil
12 - 1 teaspoon sugar
13 - 1/4 cup chicken broth
→ Cooking
14 - 2 tablespoons neutral oil (canola or peanut oil)
15 - Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
# Directions:
01 - In a bowl, combine the chicken strips with soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, and cornstarch. Toss to coat evenly and set aside for 10 minutes to marinate.
02 - In a small bowl, whisk together the minced garlic, soy sauce, oyster sauce, sesame oil, sugar, and chicken broth until well blended.
03 - Heat the oil in a large wok or skillet over high heat. Add the marinated chicken in a single layer and stir-fry for 2–3 minutes until just opaque throughout. Transfer the chicken to a plate and set aside.
04 - In the same wok, add the minced garlic and stir-fry for 30 seconds until fragrant. Toss in the sliced red bell pepper and snow peas, cooking for 2 minutes until crisp-tender.
05 - Return the chicken to the wok and pour in the prepared sauce. Toss everything together for 1–2 minutes until the chicken is fully cooked through and the sauce has thickened to a glossy coating.
06 - Add the sliced green onions and a generous crack of black pepper. Stir to combine, remove from heat, and serve immediately alongside steamed jasmine rice.
# Expert Advice:
01 -
- The sauce clings to every piece of chicken and vegetable like it was made to be there, which honestly it was.
- Thirty minutes from cutting board to plate means you can pull this off on a Tuesday without breaking a sweat.
02 -
- Garlic goes from golden and fragrant to bitter and black in about fifteen seconds, so have your vegetables ready to go in the moment the garlic hits the pan.
- Crowding the wok with too much chicken at once causes it to steam rather than sear, so cook in two batches if your wok is on the smaller side.
03 -
- Heat the wok until you see a faint wisp of smoke before adding oil, because a properly hot wok gives you that elusive smoky char that makes restaurant stir fry taste different from home stir fry.
- A splash of water added right before the sauce can deglaze any stuck bits of garlic and chicken fond from the bottom of the pan, which is pure concentrated flavor you do not want to leave behind.