Hunan Chicken
Hunan Chicken is a favorite Chinese American stir fry made with juicy, thinly sliced chicken breasts, broccoli, carrots, bell peppers and celery blanked in a dynamic savory, spicy, garlic, ginger sauce. This Hunan Chicken recipe allows you to remake this classic in the comfort of your own home and adjust the heat from mild to numbingly hot. You can also swap the vegetables for your favorites or whatever you have on hand. This Hunan Chicken uses the easy restaurant velveting technique to produce undeniably tender, deeply flavorful chicken you will have to taste to believe. I love to serve this Hunan Style Chicken with homemade egg rolls and cream cheese wontons for a complete takeout fakeout feast.
Ingredients
- 1 lb. chicken breasts (thinly sliced)
- vegetable, peanut or canola oil
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon reduced sodium soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon Japanese rice wine ((like Kikkoman Aji Mirin))
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 3 tablespoons flour
- 1/3 cup low sodium chicken broth
- 1/4 cup reduced sodium soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons oyster sauce
- 2 tablespoons bottled chili bean sauce (Toban Djan) (see notes*)
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 1/2 tablespoons ketchup
- 1 tablespoon Japanese rice wine ((like Kikkoman Aji Mirin))
- 1/2 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 2-6 red jalapenos peppers, seeded, diced* (may sub chili sauce – see notes)**)
- 1/2 large yellow onion (cut into 1” pieces)
- 3 cups broccoli florets (bite size)
- 3 carrots (thinly sliced)
- 3 stalks celery (sliced 1/2" thick)
- 1 red bell pepper (cut into 1” pieces)
- 4-6 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1 tablespoon minced ginger
Instructions
- 1
Add the velveting ingredients to a large freezer bag or bowl; whisk to combine. Add chicken and turn until evenly coated. Let sit at room temperature while you prep your veggies; preferable 30 minutes (no more). After 30 minutes transfer chicken to a bag with ¼ cup cornstarch and 3 tablespoons flour. Toss to evenly coat.
- 2
Meanwhile, whisk Hunan Sauce ingredients together in a medium bowl; set aside.
- 3
Heat 2 tablespoon oil in a large cast iron skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Once very hot, add chicken in a single layer and cook until golden; flip chicken over and cook an additional minute, until browned on all sides (does not need to be cooked through). Remove chicken to a paper towel lined plate.
- 4
To the now empty skillet (don’t wipe out), heat one tablespoon oil over medium-high heat. Add red jalapenos, broccoli, carrots, bell peppers, celery and onions. Stir fry until vegetables are crisp tender, about 2-3 minutes. (Don’t over-cook because they will continue to cook in sauce). Add garlic and ginger to the veggies and stir fry 30 seconds.
- 5
Whisk sauce (to recombine) and add to pan along with chicken. Bring the sauce to a boil then reduce to a simmer until sauce has thickened;1-2 minutes.
- 6
Garnish with green onions. Taste and add chili sauce if desired.
Cook it from the original
This recipe comes from carlsbadcravings.com. Their page has the author’s own photos, notes and tips — the best place to cook it from.
Open the recipe on carlsbadcravings.com