Spicy Chicken Stir-Fry

I tried a Fine Cooking recipe for chicken stir-fry this evening, and was so proud of myself because it’s the first time that I’ve perfectly cooked every single element of the stir-fry. The chicken was nice and tender, and the veggies were still crisp – no limp broccoli here! I even made rice. Shocking.

I swapped out the veggies in the original recipe for those I liked better – broccoli, pepper, and onion. The hubby dubbed the stir-fry just “OK,” but I really liked it. Although they weren’t kidding with the “spicy” part. I ended up making a separate, milder sauce to add to the stir-fry after I tried it, both to make the dish a bit saucier and to dilute the spice. It really did the trick. So this recipe includes my version of the sauce.

And the best thing about the hubby just thinking it’s “OK” is that I get all the leftovers. Woo-hoo!

Spicy Chicken Stir-Fry
Serves 4

1 lb. chicken, cut in ¼” slices
Salt and white pepper
2 tsp. wok oil or vegetable oil, divided
1 small head broccoli, cut in bite-size florets
1 green bell pepper, cut in thin slices
1 small red onion, halved and thinly sliced
1 Tbsp. water
1 scallion, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp. grated fresh ginger

Sauce
3 tsp. cornstarch
3 tsp. soy sauce
½ c. chicken broth
½ Tbsp. hoisin sauce
2 Tbsp. dry sherry
1 Tbsp. honey
½-1 Tbsp. sambal oelek
½ scallion, thinly sliced
½ tsp. grated ginger
½ tsp. minced garlic

1. Combine sauce ingredients. Sprinkle chicken with salt and white pepper.

2. Heat wok over high heat for 2 minutes. Add 1 tsp. oil, then add chicken. Stir-fry about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until chicken is slightly browned and cooked through.

Remove chicken from pan.

3. Heat remaining 1 tsp. oil in wok. Add broccoli, pepper, onion, and water. Stir-fry 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add scallion, garlic, and ginger. Cook about 30 seconds, stirring. Return chicken to pan and stir-fry 1-2 minutes, or until veggies are crisp-tender.

4. Add sauce mixture to wok. Stir and remove from heat (sauce should thicken immediately). Serve over rice.