Garlic Chicken Stir Fry

Ingredients:

• 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast or thighs, cut into 1/8 inch strips
• 2 cup uncooked rice

Veggies:

• 2 tbs olive oil
• 1 cup Sugar snap trimmed
• 1 cup mushrooms, halved
• 1 yellow or red bell pepper, cored, seeded and thinly sliced
• 1 cup shredded carrots
• 1 cup green onions (mostly the white and partly white parts, save the green end to add on top)
• salt and pepper to taste
• 6 cloves of garlic, minced

Sauce:

• ¾ cup chicken broth
• 1½ tsp sugar
• 1 tbs soy sauce
• 2 tsp sesame oil
• 2 tsp cornstarch
• 1 tsp hoisin sauce
• 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper

Velvetting (optional):

• 2 egg whites, lightly beaten
• 4 tsp cornstarch
• 4 tsp Rice Wine (sherry or white wine can also be used)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp vegetable oil

Instructions:

• Cook 2 cups of uncooked rice according to the directions on the rice.
• Velveting the chicken:
  • Dry the strips of chicken.
  • In a small bowl, stir together egg white, cornstarch, rice wine, and salt until thoroughly mixed. Place sliced chicken in a bowl and pour cornstarch mixture on top, tossing to coat thoroughly. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
  • Fill the wok with water and bring to a boil over high heat, then add the vegetable oil. Add pork, stirring with chopsticks or a strainer to separate the pieces, and cook until pork is opaque and nearly cooked through, about 40 seconds. Drain work into a colander and shake well to remove excess water. Wipe wok clean and dry thoroughly.
• Place 1 tbs of oil in a large pan and heat over medium-high heat.
• Add the peas, mushrooms, carrots and bell pepper to the pan. Cook for 5 minutes or until vegetables are tender.
• While the veggies are cooking, in a small bowl, create the sauce by combining the chicken broth, sugar, soy sauce, sesame oil, hoisin, red pepper and cornstarch.
• Remove the vegetables from the pan; transfer to a plate and cover with foil to keep warm.
• Add the remaining tablespoon of oil to the pan over medium-high heat.
• Add the chicken to the pan in a single layer and season with salt and pepper to taste.
• Cook for 2-3 minutes or until chicken is browned and cooked through.
• Lower heat to medium, add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds.
• Add the vegetables back to the pan.
• Pour the sauce over the chicken mixture and bring to a simmer.
• Simmer for 1-2 minutes or until sauce has just thickened.
• Serve immediately, over steamed rice and a splash of hot sauce.

Notes:

• Servings = 3
• Original recipe
  • https://therecipecritic.com/garlic-chicken-stir-fry/
• Article about Velveting chicken:
  • https://www.seriouseats.com/2014/07/chinese-velveting-101-introduction-water-velveting.html
  • You can skip the velveting steps and just cook the chicken for 3-4 min instead.