Sweet and Spicy Stir-Fried Chicken
The Chicken Stir Fry We All Love
I know a lot of my friends like to order Sweet and Spicy Chicken from Chinese restaurants. Me too! I love to have a whole bowl of rice with that appetizingly spicy sauce. With this recipe, you will know all the secrets about Sweet and Spicy Chicken and you will not need to order take out any more!
What Makes the Best Sweet and Spicy Chicken Stir Fry Recipe?
My recipe is a little bit different from what you have tried in American-Chinese restaurants. Instead of the citrusy sweet sauce we usually have in takeouts, I made my sweet and spicy sauce with HoiSin sauce (海鲜酱）. Perhaps, you don’t know what Hoisin sauce means. It means “seafood sauce”. Even though it means seafood sauce, it does not contain any seafood. In Southern China, we often use this sauce to dip or glaze the meat. It adds a sweet and tangy flavor to the dish when we use it in pan-frying.
For the spiciness, I prefer the Szechuan style which is not just hot but also has a little bit of tingly numbness. The secrets of it are dried chilies and Szechuan peppercorn. Szechuan peppercorn looks pretty much like black pepper but it has a very special fiery pungent aroma. Both dried chilies and Szechuan peppercorn are very easy to find in any Asian market.
I usually choose chicken thighs to stir fry because it is tender and juicy. They retain more juice than chicken breasts when they are cooked. Because chicken thighs have more fat and collagen than chicken breasts, they have a tenderly chewy texture, which is perfect with the crispy vegetables that are stir-fried with. Using chicken thighs is also easier for beginners who are worried about overcooking the meat. Since chicken thighs are tender and firm, even if they were overcooked a little bit, they would still taste as good. On the contrary, if chicken breasts were overcooked, they would be very dry and tough.
Is it Difficult to Make Sweet and Spicy Chicken Stir Fry?
My recipe is very beginner-friendly and manageable. This amazingly delicious chicken stir fry is a one-pan meal and it only takes a few steps to finish. For the whole prepping and cooking process, it won’t be more than 35 minutes, and another good thing about Sweet and Spicy Chicken is you can save it for the next day. In 35 minutes, you can cook your dinner and save some left-over for lunch for the next day. Totally worth the time to cook!
Tips to Make a Perfect Sweet and Spicy Chicken Stir Fry
- Marinate the chicken for about 15 minutes will help it to be more flavorful
- Using a non-stick skillet is easier for beginners, while a wok would work great as well
- Pan searing the garlic, ginger, dried chilies, and Szechuan peppercorn is the key of the special spicy flavor
- Fry the chicken until a little browned before adding in the vegetables
- Cooking rice wine is added near the end of cooking
- Use less dried chilies if you’d like it less spicy
Recipe
Sweet and Spicy Chicken Stir-Fry
Equipment
- Non-stick frying pan or wok
Ingredients
- 5 stalks Yu Choy or Chinese broccoli cut in half
- 1 skinless chicken thigh
- 3 tbsp cooking oil
- 2-4 dried chilies
- a pinch of szechuan peppercorn
- 2 slices ginger
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1 tbsp Hoisin sauce
- 2 tbsp rice wine
- salt to taste
Chicken Marinade
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp white pepper powder
- 1 tsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp cooking rice wine
- 1/2 tsp flour or corn starch
Instructions
- Slice the chicken thigh into small pieces and marinate with the marinate mix. (note flour/cornstarch is the last thing to put in the marinade)
- Heat up the cooking oil in a frying pan over medium heat, saute the dried chillies and ginger and garlic until the aroma comes out
- Saute the chicken slices in the same pan, until browned
- Add the Yu Choy to the pan, fry with the chicken
- Add Hoisin Sauce and toss well with the Yu Choy and chicken
- Pour in the cooking wine and let it evaporate, add salt to taste. Remove the pan from the heat
Another stir fry recipe you might like: Pork and Veggies Stir Fry
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