I know I’ve given you a lot of baking recipes – still seems like Christmas Treats rule this house.  I’m changing it up a bit with this recipe which is one of my favorite dishes to make. It has some heat to it – lots of heat actually, but you can tone it down if you like. It’s also versatile in the sense that you can add any other ingredients you like to it. I love the sweet crunch of celery with the spicy soft chicken, but your favorite vegetable will work just fine. Peppers, zucchini, and even nuts such as peanuts or cashews tossed in at the last minute are also nice. This is my take on “take-out” food.

I’m using boneless skinless chicken thighs – my favorite cut of chicken. I find them moist and flavorful and you can do a number of things with them. You can of course use bone in for that extra boost of flavor – not to mention provide you those delicious bones to slosh in the gravy and chew on, but with this particular dish, it is not necessary. A bowl of rice with a couple of spoons (oh who am I kidding – a bowl full) of this chicken, is a fully satisfying meal. In this recipe I have used sambal oelek and sriracha to get some quick and flavorful heat, as well as gochujang sauce for some sweet heat.

I think what makes this dish however is the dry’ish sauce that is created by the de-glazing of the pan with that combination of sauces. Loads of garlic and ginger as well as green onions added to the de-glazed pan, make a formidable sauce in which to add the fried chicken pieces. I also added cashews for that nutty flavor that goes well with anything – unless you are allergic to them. I finished off the dish with chopped Thai chilies and more scallions. We used to have this with plain white rice, but have since switched to the more flavorful and better for you brown rice. I also like this dish with pasta – no sauce as there is enough from the chicken. Make this and be creative with additions. As always – enjoy!

8 boneless skinless thighs, chopped into 1”pieces
Marinade:
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp. dry sherry or Chinese cooking wine
1 tsp chili flakes
2 tbsp. cornstarch

6+ cloves garlic, thinly sliced
½”+ piece of ginger, chopped

Cooking Sauce:
2 tbsp. sambal oelek
2 tbsp. sriracha
2 tbsp. gochujang (double up on the sriracha if you can’t find this sauce, but almost any Asian grocery store will sell it)
1 tsp teaspoon soy sauce
1 tbsp. dry sherry
1 tbsp. sugar – (I prefer brown)
¼ cup water (maybe more as needed)

8 – 12+ Thai Chilies, sliced into rounds (or more if you like)
6 green onions, white parts separated from green, both chopped

Start by combining the soy, sherry, chili flakes – mix well and add to the chicken, toss to coat – set aside for about 30 minutes or more (but in the fridge if longer than 1 hour)
When ready to cook, add the cornstarch to the chicken and mix
Heat some vegetable oil in a pan or wok
Add the garlic and ginger – toss, about 30 seconds, remove and set aside
To the hot oil, add the chicken pieces a few at a time – adding them all at once will release too much water from the meat and will cause it to stew as opposed to sizzle and sear – you can do this in batches if making a larger quantity
Remove cooked chicken and set aside to drain on paper towels
Combine the sauce ingredients in a bowl and mix well – taste, adjust the seasoning if needed, taste again
Add this to the same pan and cook the sauce de-glazing at the same time – about 1 minute
Add the garlic/ginger from before, the Thai chilies and white parts of the onion – toss and stir
Taste, season and taste again – adjust for sweetness (sugar), saltiness (salt or soya) and heat
Add the chicken pieces to this mixture – stir to combine and coat
Remove from the heat and toss in the green parts of the green onion as well as chopped nuts
Lightly stir to mix and serve immediately