This is an amazing dish that would pair very well with rice or any other grain and some sautéed vegetables. I served this last night with quinoa pilaf and sautéed baby bok choy. The baby bok choy was flowering so that made a really vibrant garnish. This dish is very easy to make and delivers a nice sweetness with a kick.
Meat
The meat of choice for this dish is boneless chicken breast, which is tender and healthy low-fat cut. You could opt out for chicken thigh for a juicier texture. I started off by slicing each breast in half, lengthwise. Then marinating it with rice vinegar, salt, pepper, chili powder, and Chinese five spice powder. After marinating for half an hour, it is seared in olive oil on both sides.
Bok Choy
Bok choy is a cruciferous green vegetable also known as Chinese cabbage. Bok choy is very healthy as it is full of fiber, minerals and antioxidants. It is very easy to cook and provides tons of health benefits.
Sauce
The sauce is made in the same pan as the chicken. After you remove the chicken all that flavor is still in the pan. So to that you add more olive oil if needed, then the ginger, garlic, sugar, peppers, soy sauce, rice vinegar, water, cornstarch and bring it to a sweet simmer.
| Ingredient | Quantity |
| Chicken breast, halved | 1.5 – 2 lbs |
| Olive Oil | 2 TBSP |
| Rice Vinegar | 1 TBSP |
| Salt | 1 Tsp |
| Pepper | 1 Tsp |
| Chili Powder | 1/2 Tsp |
| Chinese five spice | 1/4 Tsp |
| Sesame seeds | Garnish |
| Sauce: | |
| Garlic, minced | 2 cloves |
| Ginger, peeled and minced | 5-10 grams |
| Fresno pepper, sliced | 1-2 peppers |
| Water | 1/2 cup |
| Rice Vinegar | 1 TBSP |
| Chili flakes | 1 Tsp |
| Sriracha sauce | 2 TBSP |
| Soy sauce | 1 TBSP |
| Brown sugar or Honey | 3 TBSP |
| Cornstarch | 1 Tsp |
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 170F.
- Season the chicken breasts with salt, pepper, chili powder, chili powder and rice vinegar, mix well. Put the chicken in the fridge to marinate for 30 minutes.
- After the chicken is done marinating, pour the olive oil into a pan on medium-high heat and then sear the chicken breasts until brown on both sides. After all of the chicken is seared, hold it in an oven safe pan in the oven.
- In the sauté pan on medium heat, add more olive oil if needed, then add the garlic, ginger, Fresno peppers and sauté for 1-2 minutes to release the flavor and aromas.
- Then add the water, sugar, chili flakes, soy sauce, rice vinegar, sriracha sauce, and cornstarch, stir and simmer on low until it starts to thicken.
- Add the chicken to the pan with the sauce and coat the chicken with the sauce.
- Enjoy this with your choice of sides.
Brainstorm:
Vinegar. There are a few other vinegars that you could use instead of rice vinegar, like black vinegar or red wine vinegar. each of these will alter the flavor a bit because of the different grains used and the fermentation times.
Meat. I stated earlier that you could do this with the breast instead, but you could also cook a whole chicken like this too, After fabricating and cooking the chicken pieces, you could slow cook them in the oven with the sauce. You can use beef for this dish using sirloin, flank or skirt steak.
I hope you all enjoy this recipe and leave feedback on what you thought if you recreate this lovely dish.
Have a great day readers and home chefs!
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