Asparagus & Chicken in Black Bean Sauce

Name: Asparagus and Chicken in Black Bean Sauce
Yield: 6
Cuisine: Chinese
Ingredients: chicken thighs, boneless, skinless; asparagus; peanut oil; sherry; cornstarch; soy sauce, tamari; sugar; black beans, fermented; garlic; brown sugar; soy sauce, dark; chicken broth; cornstarch

Yield

6 servings

Prep

20 min

Cook

10 min

Ready

30 min

Low Cholesterol, Cholesterol-Free, Trans-fat Free

Ingredients

Amount	Measure	Ingredient	Features
2	whole	chicken thighs, boneless, skinless	*
12	medium	asparagus	*
3	tablespoons	peanut oil or corn oil
Marinade
1	tablespoon	sherry
1	teaspoon	cornstarch
2	teaspoons	soy sauce, tamari
1	pinch	sugar	*
Sauce
2	teaspoons	black beans, fermented	*
3	cloves	garlic
½	teaspoon	brown sugar
2	teaspoons	soy sauce, dark
¾	cup	chicken broth
1	x	cornstarch make into paste	*

Ingredients

Amount	Measure	Ingredient	Features
2	whole	chicken thighs, boneless, skinless	*
12	medium	asparagus	*
45	ml	peanut oil or corn oil

Marinade
15	ml	sherry
5	ml	cornstarch
1E+1	ml	soy sauce, tamari
1	pinch	sugar	*

Sauce
1E+1	ml	black beans, fermented	*
3	cloves	garlic
2.5	ml	brown sugar
1E+1	ml	soy sauce, dark
177	ml	chicken broth
1	x	cornstarch make into paste	*

Directions

Marinating: With sharp paring knife, scrape chicken meat from thigh; slice into thin strips across the grain. (Breast meat is not preferred for this dish, as meat is too dry and spongy.) Combine sherry, soy, cornstarch and sugar in bowl; massage liquid into meat with your fingers. Marinate for 15 to 30 minutes.

Preparation: Wash asparagus; peel tough white outer skin off ends; slice on diagonal in 2½ inch sections. Rinse fermented black beans. In bowl, combine and mash black beans and garlic, brown sugar, black soy sauce and chicken stock; stir; reserve for 15 minutes.

Stir Frying: Add ⅔ of oil to hot wok; when oil is very hot, add chicken. Stir-fry for about 3 minutes on high heat - or until chicken begins to shrink and firm up. Remove chicken to holding bowl.

Reheat wok to high, add remaining oil. When oil is hot, add black bean sauce. Stir-fry for 1 minute. Add asparagus; mix with sauce. Stir sauce with asparagus. When sauce boils, add cooked chicken; toss to combine. Dribble in a little cornstarch paste if needed; cornstarch in chicken marinade might be enough. Toss ingredients until very little liquid remains and is reduced to glaze. Dish is ready when asparagus brightens. If you still have too much liquid, remove ingredients, continue to reduce sauce, then return ingredients to coat them with sauce. Serve in individual portions.