My college roommate, who later served as my maid of honor, gave Bill and me a wok for our wedding gift. A couple of years later, she shared a gingery Chinese sauce recipe she’d developed, and all these years later I am still using both to make my own version of a delicious gingery chicken and vegetables stir-fry.

To make the sauce, I mix the soy sauce and cornstarch in a microwavable bowl and heat it until the cornstarch dissolves. Next I add the remaining ingredients, making sure the water is very hot and mix well. Once mixed, I set the sauce aside for later.

 

Gingery Chinese Sauce Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup low-sodium soy sauce
  • 3 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 2 low-sodium chicken bullion cubes
  • 1 teaspoon ginger
  • enough hot water to make 2 cups sauce

 

As I’ve mentioned in other chicken recipes, the only chicken I use is Smart Chicken from Harris Teeter.  Smart Chicken is both hormone and antibiotic free, it’s air-chilled (no water added), and has been trimmed of all fat, skin, and connective tissue.  Chicken is one of those meats that I have trouble eating after I’ve worked with it raw, and the less I have to mess with it, the better I can stomach the finished product.  It’s more expensive, but for me, it’s worth the extra cost.

PackagedChicken
 

Once the chicken is clean and cut into squares, I set it aside while I clean the broccoli and remove it from the larger stem. Next I wash the snow peas and clip off the ends, clean and slice the mushrooms, open and drain the sliced water chestnuts, and wash and slice the scallions. Keep in mind that you can add any other of your favorite vegetables to this recipe.

When everything is ready to go, I heat about 2 tablespoons peanut oil in the wok over very high heat. Once the oil is hot, I add the chicken, tossing it constantly for a few minutes until it is cooked and no longer pink inside. Satisfied that it is thoroughly cooked, I remove the chicken from the wok and set it aside.

I put the vegetables in the wok according to how long I think they’ll take to cook, starting with the broccoli, then the other veggies, and finally adding the mushrooms to the mixture last.

 

Once the vegetables are cooked, yet still slightly crisp, I add the chicken back into the wok, followed by the sauce. I stir until everything is well mixed, cover, and allow to simmer until the sauce bubbles.

 

Stir-Fry Ingredients:

  • 4 prepared chicken breasts, cut into pieces
  • 4 heads broccoli with large stems cut away
  • 2 cups snow peas
  • 1 package button mushrooms, sliced
  • 1 8-oz can water chestnuts
  • 1 bunch scallions
  • 2 tablespoons peanut oil

 

I serve the gingery chicken and vegetable stir-fry on a small amount of long grain white rice, cooked according to the package (usually about 20 minutes), but you can serve this alone or on wild rice.

 

For your convenience, I’ve made a recipe card for you to print out and file with your other favorite recipes. Enjoy!

[yumprint-recipe id=’7′] 

  • Questions:
  • What is your favorite Chinese dish?
  • Do you cook in a wok?
  • Have you tried Smart Chicken?