Ginger Scallion Chicken Stir-Fry

About This Recipe

This stir-fry leans on the classic Cantonese pairing of ginger and scallion, an aromatic combination used across many Chinese dishes, here built into a quick, satisfying chicken dinner that comes together in well under 30 minutes. The chicken is briefly marinated in a simple mixture of soy sauce, rice wine and cornstarch, a technique called velveting that keeps thin-sliced chicken tender and silky rather than tough after the intense heat of stir-frying. Ginger and scallions are added generously, cooked just long enough to release their aroma into the oil without burning, giving the finished dish a fragrant, slightly sharp backbone that pairs perfectly with steamed rice.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 500 gboneless chicken thigh(thinly sliced)
• 1 tbspsoy sauce(for marinade)
• 1 tbspShaoxing wine(for marinade)
• 1 tbspcornstarch(for marinade)
• 3 tbspvegetable oil(divided)
• 1/4 cupfresh ginger(thinly julienned)
• 6scallions(cut into 2-inch pieces)
• 3 clovesgarlic(sliced)
• 2 tbspoyster sauce
• 1 tbspsoy sauce(for sauce)
• 1/2 tspsugar
• 1/4 cupchicken stock

Instructions

1. 1

   Marinate the chicken

   Toss sliced chicken with soy sauce, Shaoxing wine and cornstarch; let sit 15 minutes.

2. 2

   Sear the chicken

   Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a hot wok and stir-fry the chicken in batches until just cooked through, about 3 minutes per batch; remove and set aside.

   Cook the chicken in batches rather than all at once — overcrowding the wok drops the temperature and steams the meat instead of searing it.

3. 3

   Cook the aromatics

   Add the remaining oil to the wok and stir-fry the ginger for 30 seconds until fragrant, then add scallions and garlic, cooking 1 minute.

4. 4

   Combine and sauce

   Return the chicken to the wok, add oyster sauce, soy sauce, sugar and chicken stock, tossing everything together over high heat for 1-2 minutes until the sauce thickens slightly and coats the chicken.

5. 5

   Serve

   Serve immediately over steamed rice.

Variations

• •

  Ginger scallion sauce alone, without the chicken, is a classic accompaniment to poached or steamed chicken (as in Hainanese chicken rice).

• •

  Beef or shrimp can replace chicken using the same technique and marinade.

• •

  Adding sliced bell pepper or bok choy makes for a more substantial, vegetable-forward version.

Storage

Refrigerate up to 3 days in an airtight container; reheat in a hot wok or skillet to help restore some of the dish's original texture.

Frequently Asked Questions