Hunan Chicken Stir-Fry
Forget takeout—this real-deal Hunan chicken stir-fry brings bold, exciting flavors to your table with minimal effort. It’s perfect for meal prep too.
Servings: 3
Calories: 326kcal
Ingredients
For the chicken
- 1 lb chicken thighs boneless, skinless
- 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon Shaoxing rice wine
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- ¼ teaspoon ground white pepper
- 1 teaspoon neutral cooking oil
Other ingredients
- 2 tablespoon neutral cooking oil
- 8 slice ginger
- 4 clove garlic sliced
- 2 tablespoon fermented black beans rinsed and pat dried (see note 1)
- 1 cup fresh chili pepper red and/or green, cut into chunks (see note 2)
- ½ tablespoon dark soy sauce
Instructions
Marinate the chicken
- Cut chicken thighs into bite-sized pieces (on the smaller side). Mix them with light soy sauce, Shaoxing rice wine, cornstarch, and white pepper. Once well combined, rub in 1 teaspoon of oil to coat the chicken. Leave to marinate for 10 minutes.
Fry the chicken
- Heat an empty wok over high heat until it becomes scalding hot. Pour in 2 tablespoons of oil and swirl it around to cover a larger area (if using non-stick cookware, add the oil first then heat up).
- Add ginger, garlic, and fermented black beans (see note 3 if using substitutes). Sizzle for about 20 seconds, or until fragrant.
- Put in the chicken. Remain high heat and toss to cook quickly and evenly. Once all the pieces turn pale and slightly brown on the edge, move to the next step.
Combine and season
- Add chopped chili pepper, along with dark soy sauce. Stir fry until the pepper just begins to wilt. Dish out and serve immediately.
Notes
1. If fermented black beans are unavailable, you may substitute them with black bean sauce, such as Laoganma Black Bean Chili Sauce (老干妈风味豆豉油制辣椒). In this case, reduce the quantity to 1 tablespoon and add more if needed to taste.
2. Choose chili peppers according to your heat tolerance. Mixing varieties with different heat levels is a great way to customize the flavor to your liking.
3. If you're using black bean sauce instead of fermented black beans, do not add it with the ginger and garlic. Instead, add it along with the fresh chili peppers in the final step.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 326kcal | Carbohydrates: 7g | Protein: 33g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 8g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 144mg | Sodium: 643mg | Potassium: 428mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 37IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 26mg | Iron: 2mg
