Hold on to your hats… I’m using chicken breast. And I’ve nailed the technique to get it juicy and tender and the best you’ve ever had. Sticky. Glossy. Glorious. This hoisin chicken stir-fry is sheer delight on a plate.
WATCH THIS RECIPE
Hoisin Chicken Stir-fry
PREP TIME
10 minutes
COOK TIME
5 minutes
SERVES
4
Ingredients
400g (14 oz) boneless chicken breast
2 tbsp vegetable oil
3 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
1 onion, sliced into wedges
2 capsicums (bell peppers), deseeded, cut into bite-sized pieces
3 spring onions (scallions), cut into batons
MARINADE
3 tbsp soy sauce
½ tsp dark soy sauce
1 tbsp Chinese Shaoxing wine
½ tsp bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
3 tsp cornflour (cornstarch)
HOISIN STIR-FRY SAUCE
3 tbsp hoisin sauce
3 tbsp Chinese Shaoxing wine
1 tbsp soy sauce
½ tsp dark soy sauce
2 tsp white vinegar
2 tsp sugar
1½ tsp ground black pepper
Steps
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Slice the chicken breasts against the grain on the diagonal to form wide strips that are no more than 3-4mm (about ⅛ inch) thick.
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Whisk together the marinade ingredients in a large bowl. Add the chicken and mix well with your hands to make sure each slice gets a little love from the marinade. Set aside for 10 minutes.
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To make the hoisin stir-fry sauce, mix the ingredients in a small bowl until combined.
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Heat the vegetable oil in a wok or large non-stick frying pan over high heat. Add the onion and stir-fry for 30 seconds or until just starting to char. Push the onion to the sides of the pan and add the chicken and marinade into the centre. Spread the chicken out as much as possible and leave for about 3–4 minutes, or until a crust begins to form. Then combine with the other ingredients in the wok.
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Toss through the garlic. Then add the capsicum. Stir-fry for another 30 seconds until fragrant. Add the stir-fry sauce (pouring it around the edges of the pan) and stir-fry for another 30 seconds or until everything is well coated, the sauce has thickened slightly and the chicken is just cooked. Toss through the spring onion. Serve immediately.
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Notes:
– The baking soda, cornflour and soy marinade is a triple-threat combo. Baking soda helps to keep the chicken tender and encourages faster browning, cornflour helps make the sauce thick and glossy, while the soy doesn’t just add salt but also gives you that crucial umami, savoury kinda vibe.
A favorite!
This recipe is quick, easy, and incredibly delicious. I’ve added it to my go-to list of recipes and make it almost weekly.
Yum!
This was so easy and good. The chicken is crazy tender using this method, I really couldn’t believe it. I used mirin instead of Shaoxing because it’s what I had on hand and it was very yummy.
The Chicken is shockingly tender!
Thanks for the great method to tenderize the breast fillet Marion xx