Chicken Stir-Fry

From the book The Basic Gourmet by Diane Morgan, Dan Taggart, Kathleen Taggart, and Georgia Vareldzis

Serves

Introduction

You don’t need remarkable skill to succeed in stir-frying, just a little patience and a sharp knife! Most of the work is done in advance of the cooking, sadly devoid of any glamour. So give your knife or slicing cleaver a few swipes on the sharpening steel and get out the cutting board, because that is where the action starts. This simple but tasty stir-fry is fine accompanied with cooked rice or noodles—hot or at room temperature, plain or tossed with a little sesame oil. Believe us—it’s also good with a baked potato.

Ingredients

	6	scallions
	2	cloves garlic, peeled
	2	slices unpeeled fresh ginger root (about the size of a quarter)
	1	red bell pepper, seeded, deveined, and cut into ½-inch dice
	1	medium zucchini
	½	cup plus 3 tablespoons low-sodium chicken broth
	2½	Tbsp. good-quality light soy sauce
	2	Tbsp. dry sherry
	1½	tsp. unseasoned rice vinegar
	1½	tsp. granulated sugar
	1½	tsp. Asian sesame oil
	1	lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast or thigh, cut into ½-inch dice
	2	Tbsp. cornstarch
	¼	cup corn oil

Steps

Slice green scallion tops and set aside on a small plate. Mince white part of scallions, garlic, and ginger and set aside in a small bowl. Cut zucchini in half lengthwise, then cut into ¼-inch slices. In a small bowl, combine ½ cup of the chicken broth, soy sauce, sherry, rice vinegar, sugar, and sesame oil. Place cornstarch and the 3 tablespoons chicken broth in a small jar and cover with a tight-fitting lid.
Heat a 12- to 14-inch wok or large sauté pan over medium-high heat until you can feel the heat from the pan. Swirl in corn oil, heat 10 seconds, then add minced scallions, garlic, and ginger. Stir almost constantly, with a wooden spoon or wok spatula, until the garlic just begins to color a bit. Toss in bell pepper and stir-fry for 1 to 2 minutes until its color brightens. Add zucchini and chicken broth mixture. Bring to a boil and add chicken pieces. Cook for 1 minute, stirring occasionally, bringing sauce back to a boil. Give the cornstarch mixture a shake to combine well, then pour a little at a time into the chicken mixture while you stir, stopping when you have thickened but not solidified the sauce! (It will thicken a bit more as it cools.) Stir in scallion tops and pour into a warmed serving dish.

Notes

All manner of other vegetables could be added. Instead of zucchini, try broccoli or cauliflower florets, slices of bok choy, carrot slices, snow peas, sugar snap peas, and so forth. Cook until vegetable is just crisp-tender, then add chicken and continue the recipe.
For a spicy dish add 1 teaspoon Chinese chili paste or hot chili oil.
Add 1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro leaves with the scallion tops.

This content is from the book The Basic Gourmet by Diane Morgan, Dan Taggart, Kathleen Taggart, and Georgia Vareldzis.