Oriental Chicken Recipe

Prepare and marinate

Trim excess fat from chicken thighs and slice into 1/2-inch strips. In a medium bowl combine soy sauce, oyster sauce, rice wine, sesame oil, brown sugar, grated ginger, minced garlic, cornstarch and black pepper. Add chicken strips and toss to coat thoroughly. Cover and refrigerate at least 20 minutes, up to 2 hours.

Bring to room temperature

About 10 minutes before cooking, remove chicken from fridge to take the chill off so it sears evenly.

Prep vegetables

Peel the onion and cut into 1/2-inch thick rings or wedges. Core and slice bell peppers into 1/2-inch wide strips. Wipe mushrooms clean and halve larger ones so pieces are roughly uniform. Toss onions, peppers and mushrooms with 1 tablespoon vegetable oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper.

Grill or sear vegetables

Heat a large grill pan or skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Add vegetables in a single layer (work in batches if needed). Cook without moving for 2–3 minutes to develop char, then toss and continue cooking 2–3 more minutes until edges are browned and vegetables are tender-crisp. Transfer to a plate and keep warm.

Cook chicken

Wipe the pan lightly if it has too much residual oil; return to medium-high heat and add a thin film of oil if needed. Add marinated chicken in a single layer, leaving space between pieces. Let sear undisturbed 2 minutes, then stir and cook another 2–3 minutes until chicken is cooked through and edges are caramelized. If working in batches, combine chicken back into the pan.

Make sauce

Pour chicken broth into the pan with cooked chicken. Stir in hoisin sauce, rice vinegar and dark soy sauce, scraping up browned bits from the pan. Taste and adjust seasoning — add up to 1/4 teaspoon salt if needed.

Thicken sauce

Mix 1 teaspoon cornstarch with 1 tablespoon cold water to make a slurry. Slowly drizzle the slurry into the simmering sauce while stirring until sauce thickens and becomes glossy, about 30–60 seconds.

Combine with vegetables

Return the grilled onions, mushrooms and peppers to the pan and toss gently to coat everything evenly in the sauce. Cook together 1 minute to reheat the vegetables and marry flavors.

Finish

Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds and sliced green onions if using. Remove from heat.

Divide steamed jasmine rice or noodles among 4 plates or bowls. Spoon the Oriental chicken, mushrooms, onions and peppers over the rice. Serve immediately.