Quick and Easy Chinese Chicken in Oyster Sauce

Name: Quick and Easy Chinese Chicken in Oyster Sauce
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 4-6 servings
Ingredients: 400g chicken chopped into bite-sized pieces - boneless thighs are best, otherwise breast; 2 tablespoons soy sauce; 1 tablespoon rice wine (sub other white wine or apple juice); 1 teaspoon sesame oil; 1 tablespoon cornflour; 1 1/2 tablespoons cornflour; 1/3 cup water; 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce; 2 tablespoons oyster sauce; 1 tablespoon sherry (dry) if you have it; 1 teaspoon sugar; 1 teaspoon sesame oil; 1 garlic clove (minced); 1 teaspoon ginger (minced); 2 green onions (sliced on the diagonal into 1-inch pieces); 3 to 4 dried Chinese mushrooms (softened in warm water and sliced). Alternatively, shitake, or sliced chestnut mushrooms. Sliced white button if nothing else.; 1 can bamboo shoots (or 1 can baby corn, drained); 2-3 cloves of garlic, bashed; 2 mugs of rinsed long grain rice, preferably Jasmine

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Servings: 4-6 servings

Forget sending out for Chinese, this is a quick and easy meal packed full of flavour that let's you create that authentic taste in the home in no time.

Tags:

Asian Chinese Chicken

Ingredients

400g chicken chopped into bite-sized pieces - boneless thighs are best, otherwise breast

For the Marinade:

2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon rice wine (sub other white wine or apple juice)
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon cornflour

For the Sauce:

1 1/2 tablespoons cornflour
1/3 cup water
1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
2 tablespoons oyster sauce
1 tablespoon sherry (dry) if you have it
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon sesame oil

For the Stir-Fry

1 garlic clove (minced)
1 teaspoon ginger (minced)
2 green onions (sliced on the diagonal into 1-inch pieces)
3 to 4 dried Chinese mushrooms (softened in warm water and sliced). Alternatively, shitake, or sliced chestnut mushrooms. Sliced white button if nothing else.
1 can bamboo shoots (or 1 can baby corn, drained)

For the Rice:

2-3 cloves of garlic, bashed
2 mugs of rinsed long grain rice, preferably Jasmine

Method

Start off with the marinade as you need to leave the chicken to rest for a while. Add the soy sauce, rice wine and sesame oil to a bowl. Add the chicken and toss to coat. Sprinkle cornflour across the meat and toss again. Marinate the chicken for 10 to 15 minutes.

Get the rice on next as this will take the longest. Heat about 2 tbsp neutral oil on a gentle heat and add the garlic, stirring constantly to avoid sticking/burning until the colour just starts to turn. Add the rice and stir thoroughly to coat the grains. Using the same mug, add 2 mugs of boiling water and cover. Keep on a low to medium heat - just enough to maintain the boil and no more. Don't remove the cover until 15 min in. Turn off the heat and quickly fluff the rice and immediately return the lid to continue steaming the rice. Alternatively, just use a rice cooker - they make life so much easier.

While the chicken marinates, make the sauce: dissolve the cornflour in the water, then mix it with all of the other sauce ingredients in a clean bowl.

Heat a wok or deep heavy skillet on high and add 1 tablespoon neutral (e.g. rice bran) oil. When the oil shimmers, add the garlic, ginger, and green onion, then stir-fry for about 1 minute or until fragrant and just starting to brown.

Remove the aromatics with a slotted spoon.

Add the chicken and stir-fry, stirring frequently, until the chicken changes colour, about 3 to 4 minutes.

Remove the chicken from the wok and discard the unused marinade.

Add the remaining oil, return the garlic, ginger, and green onion to the wok, and stir-fry the mushrooms and bamboo shoots or baby corn for 1 minute.

Return the chicken to the wok.

Make a well in the middle and add the sauce, giving it a quick re-stir before combining it with the chicken and vegetables.

Stir-fry for an additional 1 to 2 minutes, or until the sauce thickens and coats all of the ingredients.