Lightened-Up Indo-Chinese Chili Chicken

Ingredients

• 7 Garlic cloves – minced
• 2 TBLS Ginger (about 1.5″ chunk) – minced
• 5-8 Red Chilies (preferably Thai/Bird’s Eye Chilies), or to taste – chopped*
• 2 Green Chilies (preferably Thai/Bird’s Eye Chilies), or to taste – chopped*
• 1/4 Red Onion – diced
• 1/4 Green Bell Pepper/Capsicum – diced
• 2 Spring Onions (Scallions) – chopped, whites & greens separated
• 1 & 1/2 TSP Corn Starch
• 3 TSP Low Sodium Light Soy Sauce
• 2 TSP Shao Xing Rice Wine
• 1/4 TSP Sesame Oil
• 1 TSP Corn Starch
• 1 & 1/2 TSP Garlic Paste**
• 1 & 1/2 TSP Ginger Paste**
• 4 TSP Low Sodium Light Soy Sauce
• 1 TSP Sweet Dark Soy Sauce (the thick and viscous type that’s sweetened by caramel)
• 3 TSP Spicy Vinegar (or regular white vinegar – I use Amoy’s Spicy Vinegar.)
• 1 TSP Encona West Indian Original Hot Pepper Sauce (can be substituted with Tabasco Original for a milder option, Tabasco Habanero Pepper Sauce, or any other vinegar based red pepper hot sauce)
• 1/4 TSP Mad Dog 357 Hot Sauce (optional, see notes)***
• 2 TBLS Asian style Chili Sauce/Paste (such as Tso Hin Kee Chili Sauce)
• 2 TBLS Tomato Ketchup
• 3 TBLS Water
• 4 & 1/2 TBLS Peanut Oil (or any other oil with a high burning point)
• 1 TSP Chili Oil (optional)
• 1 TSP Sesame Oil
• 2 Chicken Breasts (about 400g), boneless, skinless – diced into bite sized pieces
• 2-3 Thai Dried Red Chilies, or to taste*
• 2-3 TBLS Water

Instructions

1. 1

   --- Prep: ---

2. 2

   Chopping: Chop all your ingredients. Add the garlic, ginger, and spring onion whites to a small bowl. Add the fresh red chilies and green chilies in a small bowl. Add the spring onion greens into another separate small bowl. (Note: Discarding the seeds of the chilies is optional and depends on your personal preference.)

3. 3

   Chicken Marinade: Mix together the corn starch, low sodium light soy sauce, Shao Xing rice wine, a dash of sesame oil in a large bowl. Add the diced chicken and mix to coat them well with the marinade. Set aside to marinate while you prepare the other items.

4. 4

   Sauce Bowl: In a medium bowl, add all the ingredients for your Sauce bowl and mix thoroughly to combine. Set aside.

5. 5

   Prep for Thai Dried Red Chilies: Heat the wok on the stove – about 20-30 seconds. Add about 3 tablespoons of peanut oil to the wok (you will use this same oil later to semi-fry the chicken). Lift the wok and swirl it in a circular motion so that the oil spreads around the perimeter and then place it back on the stove to let it heat up. Add the dried red chilies and gently stir them around the wok until they get slightly crispy – about 10-20 seconds. Be careful not to burn them! Remove them to a strainer and hold the strainer above the wok to let any oil drain back into it. Empty the chilies into a small bowl. Once they are not too hot to handle, cut each dried red chili up into two or three pieces with cooking scissors (cut the longer ones into three pieces and the shorter ones into two).

6. 6

   Prep for Marinated Chicken: Turn on stove again and add a dash of sesame oil to the peanut oil already in the wok. Lift the wok and rotate it in a circular motion again and place it back on the stove to let the oil heat up. Once heated, add the chicken and spread evenly in the work. Let the chicken cook and brown for about 1 minute before starting to toss and flip the pieces. Once they are about three fourths of the way cooked, remove the chicken pieces to the fine mesh strainer and hold above the wok to let the oil drain. (You can gently shake the strainer to speed up the draining process, but be careful not to shake too violently as that’ll cause some of the cornstarch to come off and make the chicken a bit mushy.) Remove the chicken into another clean large bowl and set aside. Discard the oil in the wok and wipe with paper towels. Set back on stove.

7. 7

   --- Lightened-Up Indo-Chinese Chili Chicken: ---

8. 8

   Turn on the stove and let the wok heat up for 20-30 seconds. Add 1 & ½ TBLS peanut oil, 1 TSP chili oil (if using), and a teaspoon of sesame oil. Once the oil is hot – about 30-40 seconds later, add the green bell pepper and the red onion. Cook for 30 seconds and then add the garlic, ginger, and spring onion whites. Give it a quick stir to prevent the garlic from burning.

9. 9

   Add the fresh red and green chilies and continue stir frying for a few seconds.

10. 10

    Add the semi cooked diced chicken and the Thai Dried Red Chilies. Toss to combine everything in the wok.

11. 11

    Stir the contents of the sauce bowl with a spoon (the corn starch will have clotted up at the bottom of the bowl) and then pour in the sauce in a circular motion to coat as many of the chicken pieces. Stir-fry to combine with everything else in the wok for about 40 seconds.

12. 12

    Add 2-3 tablespoons of water. Continue stir-frying.

13. 13

    Once the sauce starts to thicken up – after about 30-40 seconds, add ¾ of the spring onion greens and toss to combine for 30 seconds.

14. 14

    Turn off the heat and remove to a dish or plate. Garnish with the remainder spring onion greens. Serve with warm steamed white rice.