Szechuan Ginger Chicken
I’ve always enjoyed Asian cuisine. There’s one that I’ve been having since I was a child and it’s Chinese food. My father used to take us to Chinatown in Montréal. Was the food truly authentic? I doubt it but nonetheless it was delicious!
When I was living in Toronto running my event planning company, I took a trip to China. On behalf of a vineyard located in the Niagara-on-the-Lake region, I was representing their Ice wine at two separate functions; one held in Shanghai and the other in Beijing.
It was quite a cultural shock! Let’s keep in mind that I was there seven years prior to the Olympics in Beijing. I’m sure they did some major clean up beforehand but that was not the case seven years previous when I was there promoting the ice wine.
While I was there, they paired me with a personal assistant. I was glad I wasn’t totally on my own. He really helped me get around as well as informing me about tradition, culture, food, etc. It was… interesting if I may put it that way…
My introduction to Chinese food was more than I expected. What I was used to here in North America was much different than in China. Certain spices, herbs and ingredients I never heard of were introduced to me such as tien tsin peppers, doubanjiang, chinkiang vinegar (black vinegar), red wine vinegar, and much more…
Our “tame” Chinese foods at home were kind of boring in comparison with the real thing. On my return home, I called my friend Michael “Judge Eto” who is Chinese and we went to Spadina Avenue shopping for more traditional Chinese ingredients. After trying to create a few new dishes, this is what came out… my Szechuan Ginger Chicken!
This dish was among one of my first Chinese creations. Unfamiliar with many ingredients, I went into my kitchen with what I could find in my neighborhood and gradually started making recipes. I used what I knew and slowly integrated other unfamiliar ingredients.
Originally, I made my Szechuan Ginger Chicken with Sambal Oelek which technically is more Indonesian rather than a Chinese chili paste. Eventually I replaced it with doubanjiang which is a more traditional ingredient in Szechuan cuisine. This chili bean paste can be substituted with gochujang although its origin is Korean.
Can you use any of these three ingredients? Yes but each of them will bring a different flavor to the dish. Depending on where you live and how close you are to an Asian market, the availability of certain products may reflect your decisions on which ingredient to use. That is why I used sambal in my video as I know it’s probably the most common and easier to find.
As today is Chinese New Year, this Szechuan Ginger Chicken is the perfect dish to enjoy. Not overly spicy with great flavor, this quick and easy meal will definitely become a favorite of yours especially if you want to put some spice in your life…
Bon Appétit!
Here are more great Asian inspired recipes for you to try…
– Singapore Noodles
– Vietnamese Summer Rolls
– Dakgangjeong ~ Sweet & Spicy Crispy Korean Chicken
– Wonton Soup
– Asian Chicken Salad
– Beef and Broccoli Stir Fry
and for even more delicious chicken recipes, click on this link… Recipe Category • Poultry
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Szechuan Ginger Chicken
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Ingredients
- 2 large chicken breasts, cubed in bite-size pieces
- 2 tbsp. Shaoxing cooking wine
- 2 tbsp. cornstarch
- 2 tbsp. peanut or canola oil tips & tricks
- 1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes, divided
- 1 cup red onions, cubed
- 1 cup red peppers, cubed
- 2 1/2 tbsp. fresh ginger, minced
- 3 large cloves garlic, pressed
- 2 tbsp. brown sugar, such as demerara
- 1/4 cup orange juice tips & tricks
- 1 tbsp. low-sodium soy sauce
- 2 tsp. sambal oelek (chili paste)
- 2 1/2 cups rice, white or brown
- 3 large green onions, white & green parts separated
Directions
- In a medium bowl, combine cubed chicken, cornstarch and wine; toss to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and transfer to the refrigerator for 1 hour.
- In a deep skillet or wok over medium-high heat, add oil with ¼ tsp. red pepper flakes; toss to mix the ingredients.
- When hot but not smoking, working in batches, add the marinated chicken. Cook the meat until lightly browned and no longer pink, about 3 to 3 ½ minutes.
- Using a slotted spoon, transfer the cubes to a bowl; set aside. Add another ¼ tsp. red pepper flakes and cook the remaining chicken before transferring them to the bowl.
- When the chicken is done, add onions and red peppers; sauté 4 minutes. Add ginger and garlic; sauté for 1 minute.
- Return the chicken back to the skillet with any accumulated juices; stir again. Add brown sugar and stir-fry until the meat is caramelized, about 1 ½ minutes.
- Pour in orange juice, soy sauce, and sambal oelek; sauté the ingredients for 30 seconds. Add the white parts from the green onions and stir to combine.
- Serve over a bed of rice and garnish with the green parts of the green onions.
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