Simple wok recipes for chicken. Who doesn’t like chicken? Your guess is right. No one. But there are a few exceptions.
Unless you’re a vegan, if you’re not eating chicken you are missing a lot. Chicken, as a meal is easy to prepare, takes a relatively short amount of time to cook and is in some way, otherworldly delicious, if not heavenly.
Versatile as it is, (chicken for this matter) there are so many simple wok recipes for chicken.
For those of you who do not know what a wok is, it is a pot which has a round bottom, unlike the flat-bottomed pots in other parts of the world.
As a word, “wok” has origins in Cantonese, but in Mandarin it is “kuo”.
Now that you are up to speed, it would help to add that, in Western countries, the “wok” or rather its variant comes in the form of a flat bottomed pan. Bearing similarity to deep frying pans. You’ll get to know why in the course of this article.
For now, let’s jump into simple wok recipes for chicken.
1. Stir fry chicken recipe + vegetables.
This wok recipe for chicken is easy to make and takes very little time to prepare.
First off, you’ll need to prepare the sauce for your stir fry chicken. This is really crucial, and yes you can skip this step, but it’s best if you go through with it.
Preparing the sauce.
– In a medium sized mixing bowl, dissolve 1 tablespoon cornstarch in 2 tablespoons water. Use cold water for best results, then mix thoroughly until you achieve an even paste.
– In the same bowl, add ¼ a cup chicken broth, ¼ cup honey, 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil, 1 teaspoon pepper flakes (crushed) and 3 tablespoons soy sauce.
– Stir this mixture thoroughly until they are properly combined.
– Put the bowl with the sauce aside.
Grilling sides for chicken? Read it here.
Preparing the stir fry chicken.
- Start off by seasoning the chicken pieces with pepper and salt.
- Heat a large wok on medium high heat. Add a little olive oil or any other vegetable oil to the wok. (1 tablespoon will do)
- Swirl the oil in the wok, until the wok is evenly coated in oil.
- Add the chicken pieces to the wok, and let them cook for 5-7 minutes or until when they are cooked properly. If you are using chicken breast with bone pieces, let each side cook for 5-7 minutes, taking into account the fact that meat with bone needs more time to cook.
- Once the chicken pieces are properly cooked through, remove them from the wok and place them in a serving bowl and set aside.
- Add 1 tablespoon olive oil or vegetable oil to the wok, and reduce the heat to medium heat.
- Add the vegetables you may wish to have to the wok. In this instance, add the broccoli florets, diced or sliced carrots, and the cut bell peppers.
- Stir the vegetables in the wok and let them cook for a while until they are tender and crisp. Just how you like them.
- Once they are crisp and tender, add garlic and ginger (minced) and cook for an additional minute or two.
- Add the chicken pieces back to the wok and stir well.
- Take the stir fry sauce you prepared earlier on. Whisk the sauce thoroughly.
- Pour the sauce on the chicken and vegetables and stir.
- Bring the food to boil, then let it cook for 1-2 minutes.
- Serve with a side of your choice. You can serve your stir fry chicken with rice or chow Mein.
Warning
Fair warning though, with the pepper, you may want to go slow on it or abandon it altogether. This stuff is for the big boys and girls, but if you have the guts for it please, have it your way.
With this recipe, boneless, skinless chicken breasts are used. You can however use chicken breasts with bone and skin, or even chicken thighs. A point to note however is, chicken breasts or thighs with bone take more time to cook, so you might need to adjust for that.
Additionally, chicken breasts or thighs with skin pack more calories, something you want to watch out for. Especially if you’re conscious about the calories in your food.
2. Stir-fry chicken and vegetables Chinese style.
This method is similar to stir fry chicken with vegetables recipe but it has a twist to.
Unlike the other recipe, you’ll need a marinade to soak your chicken in before cooking.
So what do you need for this stir-fry marinade?
-Oyster oil
-Soy sauce
In a fairly sized mixing bowl, mix ½ a cup oyster sauce with 2 tablespoons of soy sauce.
Stir this mixture until it is properly combined.
Preparing stir-fry chicken and vegetables Chinese style.
- Add your chicken pieces to the mixing bowl. Mix, ensuring the chicken pieces are completely coated in the marinade. Let them sit a while.
- Heat a large wok on medium high heat.
- Add 2-3 tablespoons vegetable oil to the wok. Swirl the wok, to ensure the oil coats the wok properly.
- Add the chopped onions and minced garlic to the wok and stir. Cook until the onion turns golden brown. This should take 1-2 minutes.
- Add the chicken pieces and the marinade to the wok. Stir and let it cook for 10-12 minutes, or until the chicken has browned.
- Add about ½ a cup of water to the wok, as you season the food with pepper and salt, or whatever you prefer to add.
- Add your vegetables to wok and stir. Cover then let the vegetables cook until they become tender. This should take at least 10 minutes.
- Serve with a side of your choosing.
If you wish, you can thicken the sauce using cornstarch and water as in the first recipe.
Conclusion.
That’s it for simple wok recipes for chicken.
“Wok” variants, or rather those used in Western countries are generally flat bottomed; the reason for this being the need to have the pot make sufficient contact with the electric stove heating element.
As for the recipes, you may find some use olive oil. For best results, especially if you’re first trying it out, always use vegetable oil with a high smoke point, i.e. canola oil. This will help prevent your food from having a smoky, bitter flavor.
For the vegetables, use smaller broccoli florets. They cook much faster, and give you that much needed crunchiness you are after.
And one more thing, always use chicken broth and soy sauce that’s low in sodium. This is best for your health and wellbeing.
Read my other post on how to cook chicken wings.
