Stir Fried Chicken

Ingredients

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs

2 cups of assorted vegetables. Shiitake mushroom, broccoli, sweet pepper, asparagus, or zucchini are all good choices. This is a great recipe for using up bits and pieces of vegetable lurking around in your fridge.

Velvet Coating for Chicken

½ tsp salt

2 tsp sherry

1 large egg white

1½ Tbl cornstarch

1½ Tbl oil

For stir-frying

3 Tbl oil

4 thin slices peeled ginger

1 medium garlic clove

½ tsp salt

1 Tbl dry sherry (optional)

3 Tbl water or chicken stock

Seasonings

Choice of/ combination of/ soy sauce, sesame oil, fermented black beans, oyster sauce, hoisin sauce, sesame seeds, chili flakes and/or sliced scallion.

Instructions

To velvet the chicken

Cut the chicken into bite sized pieces that you could manage with chop sticks. Place into in a bowl, sprinkle with the salt and sherry, and mix well.

Beat the egg white just until the gel is completely broken but not foamy and add to the chicken.

Sprinkle in the cornstarch and mix until smooth. Add the oil and stir well.

Place the chicken in the refrigerator for at least an hour, so that the cornstarch will set, and the coating adheres to the chicken. The longer the meat stays in the velveting mixture, the more tender it will become. I’ve successfully prepared chicken up to this point, refrigerated it overnight, and finished the dish the next day.

When ready to stir-fry, bring a small pot of water to boil, add 1 tablespoon of oil and scatter in the coated chicken. Stir gently to keep the pieces in motion, and when they have turned white, pour into a strainer to drain.

Preparations

Cut the vegetables into similar size pieces and choose the sauce ingredients.

Stir –frying

Have all the ingredients prepped and near the stove. Heat a wok or large heavy skillet until hot, add 3 Tbl oil, swirl for 30 seconds. Lower the heat and press the garlic and ginger around in the hot oil for a few minutes to extract their flavors. Remove the aromatics from the pan before they brown.

Turn the heat back up and scatter in the vegetables, adding the ones with longer cooking times first. Stir and toss briskly for about 30 seconds.

Sprinkle in the salt and sherry, then add the stock, and then the velveted chicken. Stir to mingle the flavors, just long enough to finish cooking the chicken.

Add the finishing sauce and quickly stir-fry until the liquid coats the other ingredients. Sprinkle with sesame seeds or chili flakes if desired. Serve immediately. Great with rice or as a topping for noodles.