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Chinese Stir Fry Chicken
By Charlie Burke
Click here for printer-friendly version of this story & recipe
Chinese stir-fry can make healthy, flavor packed additions to our meal
schedule. In Asian diets, smaller portions of meat are served, usually
amid mixed vegetables quickly fried at high heat to preserve flavor and
texture.
We are reminded frequently that Americans eat much larger portions of
meat than are consumed in Europe and Asia, and the opposite is true
regarding vegetables. The marinated meat, chicken or fish makes a
satisfying meal with the vegetables and, of course, rice, and the balance
of meat and vegetables is a much healthier ratio.
There need not be a specific recipe; compatible vegetables are chosen,
such as broccoli and green beans with beef, lighter vegetables such as pea
pods and Bok Choy with fish and whatever is fresh and appealing seems
to go with chicken. In all preparations, scallions or garlic is added, and
mushrooms add to any version. Preparation is easy, with the most
important step being to cut ingredients into similar sizes so that they
cook at the same time.
I use fresh ginger in all of these preparations, along with soy sauce and
various oriental flavorings, such as black bean paste, chili paste and
toasted sesame oil. Peanut oil is the oil of choice in wok frying because it
tolerates very high heat and adds a subtle nutty taste to the dish.
The meat or fish is removed from the marinade and drained, and the
reserved marinade becomes the base for the quick sauce. This recipe was
prepared with what was at hand and is really a master recipe in which
any or all of the ingredients can be changed. The basics are the same: the
meat is quickly cooked over very high heat, removed from the wok or
sauté pan and then the vegetables are cooked in sequence beginning with
those with the longest cooking time. The meat is returned to the hot wok
and the sauce is made in less than a minute in the wok.
Four servings:
1 pound boneless chicken breasts, thinly sliced across the grain and cut
into 2 inch pieces
2 red peppers, seeded and cut into ¼ inch strips
1 bunch asparagus cut into 2 inch pieces
8 ounces fresh mushrooms, sliced thin
1 medium yellow squash, sliced length wise into ¼ inch slices, then into
¼ inch strips, and cut into 2 inch pieces
6 scallions, sliced
4 ¼ inch slices of fresh ginger, peeled
¼ cup soy sauce or reduced sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon black bean and garlic sauce or 2 teaspoons Chinese hot
pepper paste
1/3 cup rice wine, dry sherry or dry vermouth (optional)
2 teaspoons corn starch
Peanut oil to film wok
Toasted sesame oil (optional)
Crush and finely chop two of the ginger slices and place into a bowl,
along with the soy sauce, black bean or pepper paste and the wine. Add
chicken and mix with marinade. Marinate for 15 to 30 minutes. Lift
chicken out of marinade and place into a strainer over the bowl.
Heat a wok, heavy sauté pan or seasoned iron skillet over high heat until
very hot: water droplets will vaporize immediately. Pour enough peanut
oil into the wok to film it well up the sides. Place chicken into the wok
and cook, stirring frequently until just done. Remove chicken and set
aside. Add more oil and the remaining two slices of ginger into the wok
and add peppers and asparagus, cooking briefly, then add the
mushrooms, squash and scallions, stirring for a few minutes until colors
brighten and the vegetables soften slightly. Mix corn starch into the
marinade. Add the chicken to the vegetables and push the mixture away
from the center of the wok. Pour the marinade into the bare area of the
wok and, when it boils and starts to thicken, stir it into the vegetables and
chicken. Toss well to mix, drizzle with a few drops of the sesame oil and
serve immediately with white or brown rice.
Woks are quite affordable in Chinese food stores and make a convenient
pan for sautéing vegetables and meat in conventional recipes, for deep
frying and really are best to use in Chinese stir fries. All of the
ingredients used here are found in supermarkets now, so use your
imagination to create healthy and fun stir fry for the family.
About the author:
An organic farmer and avid cook, writer Charlie Burke is the vice
president of the New Hampshire Farmer'sMarket Association, president
of the NH Farm to Restaurant Connection and helps run the Sanbornton
(NH) Farmers' Market. Along with his wife, Joanne, Charlie grows
certified organic herbs, greens and berries at Weather Hill Farm in
Sanbornton, NH.
By Charlie Burke
Click here for printer-friendly version of this story & recipe
Chinese stir-fry can make healthy, flavor packed additions to our meal
schedule. In Asian diets, smaller portions of meat are served, usually
amid mixed vegetables quickly fried at high heat to preserve flavor and
texture.
We are reminded frequently that Americans eat much larger portions of
meat than are consumed in Europe and Asia, and the opposite is true
regarding vegetables. The marinated meat, chicken or fish makes a
satisfying meal with the vegetables and, of course, rice, and the balance
of meat and vegetables is a much healthier ratio.
There need not be a specific recipe; compatible vegetables are chosen,
such as broccoli and green beans with beef, lighter vegetables such as pea
pods and Bok Choy with fish and whatever is fresh and appealing seems
to go with chicken. In all preparations, scallions or garlic is added, and
mushrooms add to any version. Preparation is easy, with the most
important step being to cut ingredients into similar sizes so that they
cook at the same time.
I use fresh ginger in all of these preparations, along with soy sauce and
various oriental flavorings, such as black bean paste, chili paste and
toasted sesame oil. Peanut oil is the oil of choice in wok frying because it
tolerates very high heat and adds a subtle nutty taste to the dish.
The meat or fish is removed from the marinade and drained, and the
reserved marinade becomes the base for the quick sauce. This recipe was
prepared with what was at hand and is really a master recipe in which
any or all of the ingredients can be changed. The basics are the same: the
meat is quickly cooked over very high heat, removed from the wok or
sauté pan and then the vegetables are cooked in sequence beginning with
those with the longest cooking time. The meat is returned to the hot wok
and the sauce is made in less than a minute in the wok.
Four servings:
1 pound boneless chicken breasts, thinly sliced across the grain and cut
into 2 inch pieces
2 red peppers, seeded and cut into ¼ inch strips
1 bunch asparagus cut into 2 inch pieces
8 ounces fresh mushrooms, sliced thin
1 medium yellow squash, sliced length wise into ¼ inch slices, then into
¼ inch strips, and cut into 2 inch pieces
6 scallions, sliced
4 ¼ inch slices of fresh ginger, peeled
¼ cup soy sauce or reduced sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon black bean and garlic sauce or 2 teaspoons Chinese hot
pepper paste
1/3 cup rice wine, dry sherry or dry vermouth (optional)
2 teaspoons corn starch
Peanut oil to film wok
Toasted sesame oil (optional)
Crush and finely chop two of the ginger slices and place into a bowl,
along with the soy sauce, black bean or pepper paste and the wine. Add
chicken and mix with marinade. Marinate for 15 to 30 minutes. Lift
chicken out of marinade and place into a strainer over the bowl.
Heat a wok, heavy sauté pan or seasoned iron skillet over high heat until
very hot: water droplets will vaporize immediately. Pour enough peanut
oil into the wok to film it well up the sides. Place chicken into the wok
and cook, stirring frequently until just done. Remove chicken and set
aside. Add more oil and the remaining two slices of ginger into the wok
and add peppers and asparagus, cooking briefly, then add the
mushrooms, squash and scallions, stirring for a few minutes until colors
brighten and the vegetables soften slightly. Mix corn starch into the
marinade. Add the chicken to the vegetables and push the mixture away
from the center of the wok. Pour the marinade into the bare area of the
wok and, when it boils and starts to thicken, stir it into the vegetables and
chicken. Toss well to mix, drizzle with a few drops of the sesame oil and
serve immediately with white or brown rice.
Woks are quite affordable in Chinese food stores and make a convenient
pan for sautéing vegetables and meat in conventional recipes, for deep
frying and really are best to use in Chinese stir fries. All of the
ingredients used here are found in supermarkets now, so use your
imagination to create healthy and fun stir fry for the family.
About the author:
An organic farmer and avid cook, writer Charlie Burke is the vice
president of the New Hampshire Farmer'sMarket Association, president
of the NH Farm to Restaurant Connection and helps run the Sanbornton
(NH) Farmers' Market. Along with his wife, Joanne, Charlie grows
certified organic herbs, greens and berries at Weather Hill Farm in
Sanbornton, NH.
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