Stir Fried Garlic Chicken (Printable)
Tender chicken tossed in a bold garlic sauce with crisp vegetables, ready in just 30 minutes.
# What You'll Need:
→ Chicken & Marinade
01 - 1.1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into bite-sized strips
02 - 1 tablespoon soy sauce
03 - 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine (or dry sherry)
04 - 1 tablespoon cornstarch
→ Vegetables
05 - 1 red bell pepper, sliced
06 - 1 cup snow peas, trimmed
07 - 3 green onions, sliced on the diagonal
→ Garlic Sauce
08 - 5 cloves garlic, finely minced
09 - 2 tablespoons soy sauce
10 - 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
11 - 1 teaspoon sesame oil
12 - 1 teaspoon sugar
13 - ¼ cup chicken broth
→ Cooking
14 - 2 tablespoons neutral oil (canola or peanut oil)
15 - Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
# How to Make It:
01 - In a mixing bowl, combine the chicken strips with 1 tablespoon soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, and cornstarch. Toss until evenly coated and set aside to marinate for 10 minutes.
02 - In a small bowl, whisk together the minced garlic, 2 tablespoons soy sauce, oyster sauce, sesame oil, sugar, and chicken broth until well blended. Set aside.
03 - Heat the neutral oil in a large wok or skillet over high heat until shimmering. Add the marinated chicken in a single layer and stir-fry for 2–3 minutes until just opaque and lightly golden. Remove the chicken from the wok and set aside on a plate.
04 - In the same wok, add the minced garlic and stir-fry for 30 seconds until fragrant. Toss in the sliced red bell pepper and snow peas, cooking for 2 minutes until crisp-tender.
05 - Return the chicken to the wok and pour in the prepared garlic sauce. Toss everything together vigorously for 1–2 minutes until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce thickens to a glossy coating.
06 - Add the sliced green onions and a generous crack of black pepper, stir to combine, and remove from heat. Serve immediately alongside steamed jasmine rice.
# Expert Tips:
01 -
- The sauce coats everything in this glossy, garlicky glaze that makes people think you ordered takeout when really you just tossed a pan around for fifteen minutes.
- Five cloves of garlic might sound aggressive until you realize that is exactly the right amount and possibly not enough.
02 -
- Overcrowding the wok will steam the chicken instead of searing it, so cook in two batches if your pan is not wide enough to spread everything in a single layer.
- Having every ingredient prepped and measured before you turn on the stove is non negotiable because once the heat is on, things move faster than you expect.
03 -
- Let your wok or skillet get truly smoking hot before the chicken goes in, because that searing heat is the difference between restaurant quality stir fry and a sad plate of steamed meat.
- Pat the marinated chicken pieces slightly with a paper towel before they hit the oil to minimize splattering and get a better crust on the outside.