My Chicken Almond Stir Fry
Submitted by marlakay
Chicken almond stir fry with bok choy, snow peas, water chestnuts, and bamboo shoots in a light soy-ginger glaze, topped with golden toasted almonds.
YIELD
4 servingsPREP
10 minCOOK
20 minREADY
30 minA classic Chinese-American stir fry done in proper wok sequence. Chicken diced small, stir-fried fast, then tossed with bok choy, snow peas, water chestnuts, bamboo shoots, and celery in a light sauce that glazes everything without drowning it. Golden toasted almonds go on top at the very end so they stay crunchy.
The order of operations matters here. Almonds go in the hot oil first and come out golden after 2 minutes. Then ginger and garlic hit the wok for just 30 seconds to perfume the oil before being discarded. That flavored oil is what cooks the chicken and vegetables, building aromatic depth without leaving chunks of garlic in the finished dish.
Everything after that moves fast. Chicken stir-fries for 2 minutes, vegetables get tossed and coated for 30 seconds, then the soy sauce mixture goes in and the wok gets covered for a 2-minute steam. The cornstarch slurry finishes it with a quick glossy glaze.
The whole stir fry takes about 5 minutes of active wok time. Have everything prepped, diced, and within arm’s reach before you turn on the heat.
Kitchen Tips
- Cut everything into uniform ¼-inch dice. Equal sizes mean equal cooking times. Oversized pieces stay raw in the center.
- Only use about 1 tablespoon of oil. More than that and the vegetables fry instead of stir-frying.
- The wok must be screaming hot before oil goes in. A drop of water should vaporize on contact.
- Stir the cornstarch slurry right before adding it. Cornstarch settles in seconds.
Variations
- Pork or beef swap: Use the same cut size and timing. Both work well with this vegetable combination and sauce.
- Cashew version: Replace almonds with whole roasted cashews for a richer, softer nut.
- Add jicama: Dice jicama into the vegetable mix for a crisp, apple-like crunch that holds up well in the wok.
Ingredients
Directions
Rice: I cook mine in the microwave for 18 minutes, in a covered 2 qt corning dish.
Sauce: In a small bowl, mix half the stock with soy sauce, sugar and pepper.
In a separate bowl, combine remaining stock and cornstarch.
Set aside.
(I use 1 pk bovril chicken with ½ cup water for stock)
Stir Fry: Dice chicken (or pork or beef), mushrooms, cabbage, and water Chestnuts into ¼ inch cubes.
Keep chicken separate.
String and trim peas.
Combine diced vegetables, snow peas, bamboo shoots and celery.
I often vary my ingredients. I use as alternatives or additions, kale, sun chokes, jicama, or any other ingredient you like. Heat wok over high heat til drop of water sizzles into steam. Add oil, ( only use about 1 tablespoon) heat and add almonds; stir fry for about 2 min or til just golden. With slotted spoon, remove almonds and set aside. Reheat oil and add ginger and garlic and stir fry 30 seconds. Remove ginger and garlic and discard. Add chicken. Stir fry for 2 minutes. Add all vegetables and toss to coat with oil. Stir fry for 30 seconds. Add soy sauce mix. Cover and steam for 2 minutes or til vegetables are tender but crisp and chicken cooked through. Stir cornstarch mix and pour into wok. Stir fry uncovered for 30 seconds or til ingredients are glazed. Transfer to heated platter and serve topped with almonds. Serve over rice.
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