Stir Fried Garlic Chicken (Printable version)
Tender wok-fried chicken with vibrant vegetables in a bold, savory garlic sauce. A 30-minute Chinese classic.
# What You’ll Need:
→ Chicken & Marinade
01 - 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into bite-sized strips
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
→ Garlic 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
# How to Make It:
01 - In a bowl, combine the chicken strips with soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, and cornstarch. Toss until evenly coated and set aside to marinate for 10 minutes.
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 until shimmering. Add the marinated chicken in a single layer and stir-fry for 2 to 3 minutes until just opaque. Remove the chicken and set aside on a plate.
04 - In the same wok, add the minced garlic and stir-fry for 30 seconds until fragrant. Add 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 to 2 minutes until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce thickens to a glossy coating.
06 - Add the sliced green onions and a generous crack of black pepper. Stir briefly to combine, remove from heat, and serve immediately with steamed jasmine rice.
# Expert tips:
01 -
- The garlic sauce clings to every bite of chicken and the vegetables stay crisp and bright, which makes it better than most takeout orders.
- Everything cooks in one wok so cleanup is almost nonexistent on busy weeknights.
02 -
- Do not walk away from the garlic when it hits the hot wok because it goes from golden and fragrant to bitter and burnt in about 15 seconds.
- Crowding the wok with too much chicken at once will steam it instead of searing, so cook in two batches if your wok is small.
03 -
- Velveting the chicken with cornstarch in the marinade is the single technique that transforms home stir fry into something that tastes like it came from a professional kitchen.
- If you want the sauce even thicker, dissolve an extra half teaspoon of cornstarch into the sauce mixture before adding it to the wok.