Great Chicken Stir-Fry Made Easy
There are three secrets to making a great stir-fry.
1. Have EVERYTHING all set to go as the cooking process goes very quickly. Waiting to cut one of the ingredients can not only lead to over cooking of those ingredients that had just been stir-fried, it can also upset the natural cooking rhythm that happens during the constant motion of the stir-frying process.
2. Use cooking oil that is appropriate to handle the high temperature that is created during the stir-fry process. For a list of high heat oils from which to chooses, see page 170 in New Good Food: Essential Ingredients for Cooking and Eating Well or page 109 in New Good Food: Shopper's Pocket Guide to Organic, Sustainable, and Seasonal Whole Foods.
3. Be inventive. Go beyond the typical ginger and garlic flavors so commonly used in stir-fries. This particular recipe is one of my many variations on chicken stir-fry that I make. In fact, each week, it seems as though we have a new favorite chicken stir-fry recipe which emerges out of what veggies we have in the refrigerator at the time, not to mention what particular seasoning suits me at the moment. So, go ahead, explore the possibilities!
Serves 3–4
- Wok (using a wok really does make a difference; a frying pan just doesn't yield the same texture and flavor results)
- Stir-frying tongs or spatula
- 2–3 tablespoons refined high oleic safflower or sunflower oil
- 1/2 cup dried mushrooms blend ("Forest Blend" from Purcell Mountain Farms includes whole and sliced shiitake, porcini, oyster, bolete and wood ear)
- 3/4–1 cup hot water
- 1/2 small onion, thinly sliced (about 1 cup)
- 1/2 teaspoon thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon rosemary
- 1/2 pound cremini mushrooms, thinly sliced (about 1 cup)
- 1 yellow squash, halved and thinly sliced (about 1 cup)
- 2 celery stalks, thinly sliced (about 1 cup)
- 1 zucchini, halved and thinly sliced (about 1 cup)
- Green cabbage, thinly sliced (about 2 cups)
- 3/4 lb boneless chicken thighs, cut into small pieces
- Tamari soy sauce
- Toasted sesame oil
- Cooked pasta (farfalle is nice) or rice (jasmine or basmati)
Substitute Ingredient
- Use 1/4 cup dried black trumpet mushrooms instead of Forest Blend.
Rehydrating the mushrooms:
Pour hot water over dried mushrooms in a bowl, adding enough to cover the mushrooms. Let soak for 30 minutes. Then remove the mushrooms and strain the soaking liquid through a coffee filter or very fine sieve to remove any grit. Set aside soaked mushrooms and filtered soaking liquid.
Stir-frying:
Heat a wok over high heat until a drop of water sizzles upon contact. Add 2 teaspoons of high oleic safflower oil, swirling it briefly around the wok to heat it.
Then add the sliced onion, stirring and tossing them constantly for about 2 minutes. Then add the fresh mushrooms, stirring constantly for 1 minute, followed by the hydrated mushrooms, continuing the stirring motion for an additional 1 minute, ending with a shake of the tamari soy sauce. As the veggies cook, push them up along the sides of the wok.
Then add the celery, stir-frying for a minute, and then adding the herbs. Next add the cabbage, stir-frying for 2 minutes. Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of toasted sesame oil, cover, and let the veggies briefly steam for 2 minutes. Remove veggies into a bowl and set aside.
Add 1 teaspoon of high-oleic oil to the wok, swirling along the sides to heat it up. Then add the yellow squash, followed by the zucchini, stir-frying each for 1-2 minutes. Then lightly sprinkle tamari soy sauce over the veggies. Remove veggies from the wok, adding them to the other cooked veggies, and set aside.
Add 2 teaspoons of high oleic oil to the wok and add the chicken thigh meat, stir-frying for about 6 minutes until it loses all traces of pink. Sprinkle with tamari soy sauce and add the soaking water from rehydrating the dried mushroom. Bring it to a boil and cover the wok, braising the meat for about 5 minutes. Uncover the wok to reduce liquid.
Then add the cooked veggies to the meat, mixing thoroughly while warming up the veggies. Drizzle with 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil and serve over cooked pasta or rice.
