Pepper and Chicken/Egg Stir-Fry Recipe
There was a small lunch place outside our school front gate in middle school. My friends and I used to get lunch boxes from them four days out of five. That place was always packed during lunchtime.
The staff there let us place our orders (writing what dishes we want on a small piece of paper) during the 10-minute break before the last class in the morning. They would pack our food and put the lunch boxes in a bag before lunch break. Then, we could walk right in and grab our food when morning classes end. No wait time.
I especially liked the pepper and chicken dish they made. The main ingredients are sliced chicken breast and green bell pepper. In China, people love whole chicken. We like to make soups with fresh chicken and stir-fried dishes with cut chicken. My family rarely cooks chicken breast at home.
I made this pepper and chicken dish a few times after moving to the States. It's still delicious and brings back so many memories. However, it always tastes different from the one I had in middle school. Maybe because I was hungry after four classes in the morning, and everything tastes good when you are hungry. Or perhaps it is because the chicken I got here is not "chickeny" and the pepper is not "peppery" enough. I will try farmer's market meat and produce next time.
PEPPER CHICKEN STIR FRY RECIPE Substitute chicken with eggs for a vegetarian option.
SERVES 2 ⼁丨 TOTAL 20 MIN ⼁丨CONTAINS SOY
10 to 12 oz chicken breast
1/4 green bell pepper or 1/2 small Italian pepper
1/4 red bell pepper or the equivalent of sweet pepper of other colors
2 slices of ginger, julienned
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and coarsely chopped
Light soy sauce
White pepper powder
Shaoxing cooking wine
Vegetable oil (corn, peanut, canola, soybean)
Cornstarch
Salt
Sugar
For the vegetarian option, use three large eggs. Beat eggs and add a pinch of salt and white pepper powder to the egg wash. Make scrambled eggs, then go to step 5. Overcook the eggs a little bit.
Instructions
1. Cut chicken breast into 1/8-inch thick fillets. Then cut fillets into 1 to 1.5- inch strips.
2. Marinade chicken with 2 tsp of cooking wine, 1/3 tsp of salt, 2 tsp of cornstarch, 1 tsp of soy sauce, and 1/4 tsp of white pepper powder. Use your hands to mix and ensure each piece of chicken is coated with cornstarch and seasoning. Set it aside for 10 minutes.
3. Cut pepper into a similar size as the chicken strips.
4. Add 2 tbsp of oil to a wok or a pan. When the oil is hot, add the chicken. Sitr-fry on high heat until cooked. Remove the chicken from the wok and set it aside.
5. Add ginger and garlic to the same wok, and infuse the oil with aromatics on low heat.
6. When you can smell the fragrance, turn the heat up to high. Add peppers and a pinch of salt. Stir fry peppers for 30 seconds for a crispy texture or 1 minute for a softer texture.
7. Turn the heat to low. Add chicken, 1/2 tbsp soy sauce, 1/3 tsp salt, and 1/3 tsp sugar. Mix well and serve hot.
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