Hoisin Chicken
Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cook Time: 25 minutes | Total Time: 40 minutes | Serves: 6
Oh, my word. Ever moved? The boxes are piled. You ask yourself, “Where are my pots and pans?” for a week and half. You’re still going to church in the same few outfits because your bins of clothes are under everything in the furthest corner of your garage. Can anyone relate?
I, fortunately, still had some pantry items unloaded in our new home and my one pan from the three-week limbo at the Airbnb, so I wasn’t completely unequipped, except the lid did get packed away. (Even now, I’m pushing the package of keto buns away from my computer mouse so I can get this typed up in some peace, since I have no official place for them right now.)
We had eaten out so much since we’ve moved, and I was starting to itch to put my cooking skills back to work in my new kitchen, so I began looking for a semi-easy recipe that I thought would please my husband and myself. I wanted some inspiration rather than sit and dream up something from nothing, so this recipe was adapted from cookincanuck.com. I wanted a slow cooker recipe, but I ended up making it on the stovetop with a “few” tweaks here and there. I have listed some optional ingredients for crunch, if you like that texture with Asian dishes. I sure do!
I first made this recipe with only the sauce, chicken, and water chestnuts. It was very beige. I’ve added carrots to the recipe to add some color and nutrition.
Speaking of color and nutrition… see that gorgeous slaw on the side? It is my Crunchy, Cold Asian Slaw. Check out the recipe! It is so good on its own, too, as a star dish. Mmmmm.
Enjoy!
Hoisin Chicken
Ingredients
Sauce:
- 1/2 cup Hoisin sauce
- 1/3 cup low-sodium soy sauce
- 1/3 cup low-sodium chicken broth or sauce
- 2 - 3 tablespoons sweet red chile sauce, (or garlic-chile paste), see Notes
- 1 tablespoon fresh ginger root, grated on a zester, or finely minced
- 1 tablespoon fresh garlic, grated on a zester, or finely minced
- 1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
Chicken:
- 1 - 2 tablespoons neutral oil, (avocado, vegetable, etc.)
- 2 1/2 - 3 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces
- 2 cups carrots, sliced
- 1 8-ounce can sliced water chestnuts, drained
- 1/2 cup green onions, green and white parts, sliced into 1" slices
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds, optional
- 2 cups peanuts, optional
- Jasmine rice, cooked, for serving
Instructions
- Whisk all the Sauce ingredients in a 2-cup measuring cup or small bowl and set aside.
- In a wide, shallow skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over medium-high heat.
- Once the oil is hot, add half of the chicken. Cook until browned and just cooked through. Remove onto a plate or bowl. (Adding all the chicken at once would steam the chicken and no browning would occur.)
- Add the carrots and cook until almost tender, about 5 to 7 minutes.
- Add the remaining chicken to the carrots; cook until the chicken is browned and just cooked through, adding more oil as necessary.
- Add water chestnuts and the previously cooked chicken, and any of its juices, back to the pan.
- Stir the sauce to recombine and add to the pan.
- Stir well to coat all the ingredients and allow the sauce to come up to a boil to thicken.
- Be sure your chicken is fully cooked at this point. Taste for seasoning and adjust as desired.
- Sprinkle with green onions, sesame seeds, and peanuts if desired.
- Serve with hot Jasmine rice.
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