Ginger and soy chicken stir-fry

The ginger makes the dish. Cut into thin slices and fried in the oil for a minute, until the edges turn golden, it loses its raw heat and becomes almost sweet. I use a thumb-length piece per person, which seems like a lot until the first mouthful.

This stir-fry is close to Cantonese ginger and spring onion chicken (geung chung gai), which Hong Kong restaurants often serve in a clay pot. In a wok, it takes twenty minutes. A short cornflour marinade keeps the chicken tender, and the sauce, soy sauce with a little oyster sauce, only just thickened, coats the pieces without drowning them.

Ginger and soy chicken stir-fry

Marinated chicken thighs seared over a high heat, then coated in a light soy sauce with plenty of fresh ginger and spring onion.

• Prep: 20 min
• Cook: 12 min
• Total: 32 min
• Difficulty: Easy
• Cuisine: Chinese
• For 4 people

For 3 or 4 people, use a 32cm wok and sear the chicken in two batches, so it browns instead of releasing its juices.

Ingredients

For the chicken

• 600g boneless chicken thighs (skinless, or chicken breast)
• 1 tbsp light soy sauce
• 1 tbsp Shaoxing rice wine (or dry sherry)
• 2 tsp cornflour

For the sauce

• 2 tbsp light soy sauce
• 1 tsp dark soy sauce (for colour)
• 1 tbsp oyster sauce
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp cornflour
• 4 tbsp cold water

To cook and serve

• 50g fresh ginger (a piece about 6cm long)
• 6 spring onions
• 3 garlic cloves
• 2 tbsp neutral oil (groundnut or sunflower), 1 tablespoon per batch of chicken
• 1 tbsp neutral oil (for the aromatics)
• 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
• 300g jasmine rice (uncooked, to serve)

Equipment

• 32cm wok
• Wooden or metal spatula
• 2 bowls (marinade and sauce)

Method

1. Start the rice

Rinse 300g jasmine rice until the water runs almost clear and put it on to cook. Including its resting time, it will be ready at the same time as the chicken.

2. Marinate the chicken

Cut the chicken into 2cm pieces. Mix it with 1 tbsp light soy sauce, 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine and 2 tsp cornflour, until the marinade has been absorbed. Leave for 15 minutes.

3. Prepare the aromatics and sauce

Peel the ginger with the edge of a spoon and cut it into thin slices. Cut the spring onions into 4cm lengths, keeping the white and green parts separate, and slice the garlic. In a bowl, mix 2 tbsp light soy sauce, 1 tsp dark soy sauce, 1 tbsp oyster sauce, the sugar, 1 tsp cornflour and 4 tbsp water.

4. Sear the chicken

Heat the wok over a high heat until it's lightly smoking. Sear the chicken in 2 batches: for each batch, add 1 tablespoon of oil, spread the pieces out in a single layer and leave them to brown for 2 minutes without touching them. Turn them, give them another 2 minutes, then set aside on a plate.

5. Fry the ginger

Turn the heat down to medium and add 1 tbsp oil. Fry the ginger for 1 minute, until the edges turn golden. Add the white of the spring onions and the garlic and stir for 30 seconds, without letting the garlic brown.

6. Thicken the sauce

Return the chicken to the wok over a high heat. Stir the sauce, as the cornflour sinks to the bottom, and pour it all in at once. Mix for 1 minute, until it thickens and coats the chicken in a glossy layer.

7. Finish and serve

Add the green of the spring onions and mix for 20 seconds, just to wilt it. Off the heat, drizzle with 1 tsp sesame oil and serve straight away with the rice.

Wok tips

• Get everything ready before you turn on the heat: chicken marinated, aromatics cut, sauce mixed. Once the wok is hot, the dish takes ten minutes and there's no time left to chop anything.
• Chicken thigh stays tender even when it's seared a little too long. With breast, cut bigger 3cm pieces and take them out of the wok as soon as they're golden.
• If the chicken releases water and turns white instead of browning, the wok is overloaded or not hot enough. Two batches of 300g solve it, on gas and on induction.
• In a well-seasoned carbon steel wok, the chicken comes away on its own after 2 minutes. If it sticks, wait another 30 seconds before turning it, and see how to season a wok if it keeps happening.

Variations

• With vegetables: 200g mangetout or a red pepper cut into strips, stir-fried for 2 minutes just after the ginger.
• Hotter: 2 fresh red chillies, sliced, added with the garlic, or 1 teaspoon of chilli sauce in the sauce.
• No Shaoxing wine: dry sherry in the same amount, or simply 1 tablespoon of extra water in the marinade.
• With beef: 500g flank steak, thinly sliced across the grain, marinated the same way and seared for 1 minute a side.

Storage

Two days in the fridge in a sealed container. Reheat for 2 minutes in the wok over a medium heat with 1 tablespoon of water to loosen the sauce. Keep the rice separate.

315 kcal, 31 g protein, 6 g carbs, 18 g fat. Per serving, without the rice, including all the cooking oil. Oyster sauce from the USDA table (it isn't in CIQUAL), Shaoxing wine counted as sake. With 75g uncooked jasmine rice, add about 260 kcal.

The wok for this recipe: The Miguri Induction Wok. Iron, Ø 32cm, free lid.

Frequently asked questions

Chicken thigh or breast for a stir-fry?

Thigh, which has more fat, stays tender over a high heat and forgives an extra minute. Breast works too, as long as you cut it into bigger pieces and don't cook it for more than 4 minutes.

What does the cornflour in the marinade do?

It forms a thin coating around each piece, which holds in the juices as it cooks and helps the sauce cling. Two teaspoons are enough for 600g chicken.

What's the difference between light and dark soy sauce?

Light soy sauce adds salt and flavour. Dark soy sauce, thicker and less salty, is mainly there for colour. If you only have ordinary soy sauce, use it in place of the light and leave out the dark.

Can you make this stir-fry on an induction hob?

Yes, with a compatible flat-bottomed wok. Preheat it for 2 minutes on full power before adding the oil and keep the batches small: the hob takes longer than gas to get back up to temperature.