What is Chili Paste?
This easy Chicken Stir Fry is just like that. It is made with really simple vegetables, a delicious sauce, and it comes together in under 30 minutes. The sauce has a salty soy base with just the hint of sweetness from Teriyaki Sauce. It’s rounded out really well with garlic, ginger, and some chili paste.
Water: While this may sound weird for a sauce, the added liquid without added taste works perfectly here.Teriyaki Sauce: This great condiment has a blend of a few different flavors that work very well in this recipe. We have a great homemade version which can be easily tweaked for lower sugar, less sodium, and gluten free.Soy Sauce: I would honestly put soy sauce in everything if I could. I’m calling for the low sodium kind. If you don’t have that use 1/4 cup soy sauce, and then fill up to the 1/3 cup mark with water. (Or use 59.14 ml of regular soy sauce and 19.72 ml water.)Hoisin Sauce: The main ingredient in this very unique condiment is fermented soy bean paste. It brings a nice tang to this sauce.Garlic: I just think garlic belongs in almost everything.Ginger: We are adding the perfect amount of ginger to this so it isn’t too strong, but adds a nice background flavor.Chili Paste: Read more on this amazing ingredient below.Corn Starch: This is what will thicken the sauce and take in from really liquidy to a nice rich sauce that coats everything perfectly.
Some alternatives and additions would be:
MushroomsOnionsSnap PeasBaby CornZucchini or Yellow Squash
Please keep in mind that if you add squash to this recipe, you will be bringing quite a bit of water to the party. You may need to drain the skillet once the vegetables are tender before you add in the sauce. If you are concerned about heat, I would suggest starting with only 1 teaspoon, tasting it, and adding a little more if isn’t too spicy for you. My kids are pretty sensitive to spice and they love this recipe as is. There are two great solutions to my ginger problem. The first is to freeze your fresh ginger. You can still peel it and grate it while it is frozen and it will last up to three months in your freezer in an airtight container. The second solution is what we go with. We buy a tube of freshly grated ginger and measure it in tablespoons. It works fantastic in recipes like this. When reheating it, you can add it to the rice and reheat both together at half power for three minutes in the microwave, stirring half way through. Or you can put the stir fry (separate from the rice) in a skillet and reheat it over low heat until it is warmed through. Remember to always only reheat the amount of leftovers you want to eat in that sitting. Leftovers should not be put back in the refrigerator after reheating. They should only be reheated once.
