Not just for fans of ginger and those who want to be. Seemingly all staple ingredients of Chinese cuisine join forces in this simple, yet very effective chicken dish.
My two favorite types of meat, ginger and chicken. Hahahaha!
A Patron
Hot and saucy
This is typically a wok dish, but it works just fine on a countertop stove if you keep the heat high throughout. In fact, I always use a flat-bottom wok on a countertop stove. Whatever wok or pan you use, it is imperative that you have a lid for it.
The amount of sauce left at the end seems to vary greatly between recipes online. Some show the dish fully submerged in liquid, others completely reduce the sauce to a layer sticking to the chicken. This recipe aims somewhere in the middle. Adjust the simmering time and amount of cornstarch slurry at the end to your liking!
Forgot the soy sauce in the first shot, my apologies.
Not just ginger and chicken
Some notes on the ingredients:
- The oyster sauce is optional, feel free to omit if you don’t like the taste or added saltiness.
- You need the (more common) old, dried type of ginger root for this dish.
- The ginger slices are meant to be eaten (not removed from the pan, as is the case in some other dishes). Some Ginger Chicken recipes call for thicker slices, which I found too chewy.
This is the minimal recipe focused on the chicken. Some popular additions if you like:
- Wood ear mushrooms: Don’t forget to rehydrate them beforehand, and add to the pan right after the chicken pieces.
- Fresh red chilies: Sprinkle in towards the end for spiciness and color variation.
- Toasted sesame oil: Another staple in Chinese cooking, you can add this to the wok towards the end for a nutty aroma. It easily overpowers other flavors, so be careful.
Ginger Chicken
Equipment
- 1 cleaver recommended
- 1 wok with a lid can be flat-bottom wok or large pan
- 1 digital timer recommended
Ingredients
- 350 g boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 2 shallots
- 2 stalks scallions
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 nub ginger 2-3 cm long
- 1 tbsp neutral oil for frying
- 1 tbsp cornstarch for thickening
- 30 ml Shaoxing wine
Sauce
- 250 ml chicken stock
- 0.5 tsp brown sugar
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 0.5 tsp dark soy sauce
- 1/8 tsp white pepper
- 1 tsp oyster sauce
Instructions
Prepare ingredients
- Remove any skin and bones from the chicken thighs, then cut the meat into 3x3cm chunks.
- Separate scallions into green and white parts. Cut each into 5cm long pieces.
- Peel the garlic cloves and cut them in half.
- Peel the ginger and cut it into 3mm thick slices. You want about 6 of those, but feel free to add more to make it more ginger-y.
- Peel and quarter the shallots.
- Using a cleaver, smash the cut garlic, ginger slices (more force!), shallots, and white parts of green onions so they will release more flavor when cooking.(If you've never done this: Put the cleaver on the piece, then give it a good smack with the side of your fist or the palm of your hand.)
- If you're going to eat rice on the side, now's a good time to pop it in the rice cooker.
Prepare the sauce
- Set aside 30ml of Shaoxing wine. (Do not mix in with the rest.)
- Make a slurry by mixing the corn starch with equal parts water and set aside for later.
- Dissolve the appropriate amount (see packaging) of chicken stock in the water.
- Add all the other listed sauce ingredients to the chicken stock and mix well.
Fry
- Spread the oil around your large wok or sauce pan. Set it to high heat and keep it there the whole time.
- When it just starts smoking, add the smashed ginger slices. Don't touch for 15 seconds.
- Quickly flip them and add the chicken in a single layer. Fry for 45 seconds, then flip them around and keep going for another 30 seconds.The ginger slices should be nicely browned, and the chicken no longer pink on the outside.
- Add shallots, white parts of scallions, and garlic. Stir-fry for 30 seconds.
- Deglaze with the Shaoxing wine and stir for a few seconds.
- Stir in the pre-mixed sauce, then cover with a lid. Cook for 5 minutes.
- Remove the lid and turn the heat down to medium.
- Stir in the green parts of scallions.
- Give the corn starch slurry another good stir.
- Keep simmering for a little bit to reduce the sauce. You want a little bit of liquid at the end, but the chicken shouldn't be swimming in it. Add as much of the slurry as you like (at least half); the sauce will be thicker and stickier the more you add.
- Serve with rice!
