Chicken Asparagus & Red Pepper
Submitted by sass_ee40
Ginger-soy marinated chicken stir-fried with crisp asparagus, red bell pepper, and onion in sesame and chili oil with a splash of port wine. A vibrant Chinese-style wok dinner served over rice.
YIELD
4 servingsPREP
15 minCOOK
25 minREADY
1 hrsThe 30-minute marinade is what separates a good stir-fry from a great one.
Thin strips of chicken breast soak in fresh ginger, garlic, soy sauce, port wine, and sesame oil, building layers of savory, slightly sweet flavor before the wok even gets hot.
Once the flame is roaring, everything moves fast: onion and red pepper strips get a quick toss and steam, then the marinated chicken hits the sizzling sesame-chili oil and cooks in just two minutes.
A cornstarch slurry pulls it all together into a glossy sauce that clings to every piece of bright green asparagus and ruby-red pepper.
Kitchen Tips
- Pound the chicken breasts thin before slicing crosswise. This gives you tender, quick-cooking scaloppine-style strips.
- Peel the asparagus stalks for even cooking. The tough outer layer on thicker spears can stay fibrous in a fast stir-fry.
- Use real chili oil for authentic heat. A few drops go a long way, so start small and adjust.
- Stir-fry the vegetables first and remove them, then cook the chicken. This prevents the asparagus from going limp while the chicken finishes.
Ingredients
Directions
POUND THE CHICKEN BREASTS as you would for scaloppine, then slice them crosswise at ½-inch intervals.
Marinate chicken for 30 minutes at room temperature in a mixture of the ginger, garlic, soy sauce, port and 1 tablespoon of the sesame oil.
Trim the coarse stem ends from the asparagus.
Peel the asparagus and slice them crosswise, slightly on the diagonal, into 1-inch lengths.
Peel and halve the onion, then cut each half into thin slices.
Core, seed and slice the red bell pepper lengthwise into ¼ inch strips.
Set a wok or large skillet over high heat. Add the chili oil and 1 tablespoon of the remaining sesame oil and heat the oil for about 1 minute, until ripples appear on the wok bottom.
Add the onion and red pepper and stir-fry the mixture for 1 minute.
Cover the wok and allow the mixture to steam for 1 minute.
Using a slotted spoon, remove the vegetables from the wok to a heatproof plate.
Add the remaining sesame oil to the wok, pour in the chicken and marinade, and stir-fry over high heat for 2 minutes.
Blend in the cornstarch mixture, stirring it for about 1 minute, until the sauce has thickened and becomes clear.
Return the vegetables to the wok, toss the mixture lightly for about 30 seconds, and serve.
Accompany the chicken with fluffy boiled rice.
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