When I think of ginger chicken I think of the local Hawaiian plate lunch variety: deep fried pieces of chicken smothered in a sweet and sticky sauce that has a very slight, almost imperceptible, ginger taste. This, my friends, is nothing like that. Here, boneless pieces of chicken are stir fried with plenty of ginger matchsticks, onions and red bell pepper. It’s healthy, quick and tasty.
Ginger is not only the flavoring, but it serves as one of the dish’s vegetables as well. It’s got a nice peppery bite to it that is mellowed slightly by cooking; it ends up being almost caramelized. Choose whatever kind of chicken you like; I’m generally a fan of the dark meat, so I went with boneless thighs, but chicken breast would work equally well. Serve atop a bowl of brown rice for a healthy, one-dish meal.
Ginger Chicken
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients:
* 3 Tablespoons vegetable oil
* 4 cloves garlic, smashed and then minced
* 1 1/2 cups peeled, matchstick sized pieces of ginger
* 1 pound boneless chicken (your choice of white or dark meat)
* 2 Tablespoons fish sauce
* 2 Tablespoons gluten-free soy sauce
* 1 Tablespoon palm sugar (can substitute white sugar)
* 1 large onion, sliced into wedges
* 1 red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded and cut into thin strips
* 4 scallions, thinly slices
Directions:
Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and ginger and cook until browned, about 4-5 minutes. Add the chicken, fish sauce, soy sauce, and palm sugar and cook until the outside of the chicken is no longer pink.
Stir in the onion and bell pepper and cook, stirring frequently, until the vegetables are tender crisp and the chicken is cooked through.
Serve atop a bowl or rice and garnish with the chopped scallions.