easy szchuan chicken

Do you love Chinese take out, but don’t love the questionable ingredients they use? Take out used to be on repeat a few times a month, and it was great to have the night off from cooking, but I never felt good after eating it. I tried making different concoctions using good ingredients, but it always fell short.

Then, I tried this Szchuan Chicken and everything changed! It is better than take-out, so simple to make and hits all of the UMAMI…five basic tastes together with sweetness, sourness, bitterness and saltiness, otherwise known as perfection.

What makes this even better, is that it is a weeknight meal that takes as long as the rice takes to boil. I use chicken thighs, and that does take more time because I am crazy about getting all of the fat off and cleaning, but it is more tender and tastier in my opinion! I have tried it with chicken breasts, and that works fine too, it is just a preference. Some advice I will give you is, make more than you think you need! Leftovers might be better.

INGREDIENTS

• 3 lbs chicken thighs or boneless breasts

• 3 red chilies, sliced into thin strips

• 2 inch piece fresh ginger, grated

• 1/2 cup chopped green onion

• 2 Tbs. avocodo oil

• 1 tsp. sesami oil

FOR THE SAUCE

• 3/4 cup Coconut Aminos

• 1/4 cup Pinapple juice

• juice of 1 lime

• 1 Tbs. rice vinegar

• 2 Tbs. Fish sauce

• 1 Tbs. honey

• 1 Tbs. Arrowroot powder (to thicken)

INSTRUCTIONS

• To start, preheat your wok or a 12-inch pan on high heat. Once hot, add in a teaspoon of the toasted sesame oil. and 1 Tablespoon of avocado oil. Meanwhile, season the chicken pieces with a pinch or two of white pepper and kosher salt, toss to combine.

• Working in batches of two, add half of the chicken in an even layer and stir-fry for about 2-4 minutes or until golden brown and cooked through.  Transfer to a plate and repeat with the remaining chicken.

• Once chicken is cooked, remove from pan and put to the side. Add remaining Tablespoon of avocado oil to the pan along with grated ginger, green onion and red chilies. Sauté until soft. Remove from pan and put to the side with chicken.

• In a separate bowl, combine all of the ingredients to make the sauce. Add Tablespoon of arrowroot powder last and whisk to combine without lumps.

• Slowly pour sauce into hot pan, it will start thickening quickly, then add chicken and veggies

• Quickly stir fry all ingredients together, making sure to coat the chicken and veggies

• Reduce heat to simmer, cover and cook for 3-5 minutes, making sure the chicken is cooked through.

Serve with Organic white rice or rice noodles

Enjoy!