Canton Chicken & Snow Peas
Submitted by alz97
Cantonese chicken and snow peas stir-fry: chicken velveted for silky tenderness, then tossed with snow peas, bamboo shoots, and shiitake in a glossy oyster sauce. Restaurant-style stir-fry, easily made gluten-free.
YIELD
6 servingsPREP
30 minCOOK
30 minREADY
1 hrsThis is the kind of clean, glossy stir-fry you’d order at a good Cantonese restaurant, and the secret to its silky chicken is a technique called velveting. Marinating the chicken in soy, sherry, cornstarch, and a little oil coats each piece in a protective layer, so it stays tender and smooth instead of drying out when it hits the hot wok.
The vegetables stay crisp by going in fast and in order: earthy rehydrated shiitake mushrooms and bamboo shoots first, then quick-cooking snow peas for just a minute so they keep their snap and color. The chicken cooks separately and rejoins at the end.
A prepared cooking sauce is the stir-fry cook’s best friend. Mixing the water, sherry, oyster sauce, sugar, sesame oil, and cornstarch ahead means you can add it in one go and it thickens into a glossy glaze in seconds, no scrambling while the wok is screaming hot. Keep the heat high and everything moving. Swap tamari for the soy sauce to make it gluten-free, and toast some cashews or almonds to fold in at the end for the classic nutty version. Serve over steamed rice.
Pro Tips
- Velvet the chicken: let it marinate in the cornstarch-soy mixture so it stays silky and tender in the wok.
- Mix the cooking sauce before you start. Stir-frying moves fast, and you want it ready to pour in one shot.
- Keep the heat high and the food moving, adding a few drops of water if the pan goes dry.
- Add the snow peas last and briefly so they stay crisp and bright green.
Variations
- Cashew or almond chicken: toast the nuts in oil until golden and stir them in just before serving.
- Use tamari in place of soy sauce to keep it gluten-free.
- Add sliced carrots, water chestnuts, or baby corn for more vegetables.
Ingredients
Directions
Cover mushrooms with warm water, let stand for 30 minutes, then drain. Cut off and discard stems; squeeze mushrooms dry, thinly slice and set aside.
In a bowl, combine soy, cornstarch, sherry, water and pepper. Add chicken and toss to coat, then stir in 1½ teaspoon of the oil and let stand for fifteen minutes to marinate.
Prepare cooking sauce:
Mix together wateaar, sherry, oyster sauce, sugar, sesame oil and cornstarch and set aside.
Place a wok or wide frying pan over high heat. When pan is hot, add 2 tablespoon of the oil. When oil begins to heat, add garlic and stir once. Add chicken and stir-fry until chicken is opaque (about 3 minutes). Remove chicken from pan.
Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil to pan. When oil is hot, add mushrooms and bamboo shoots. Stir-fry for one minutes, adding a few drops water if pan appears dry. Add snow peas and stir-fry for 1½ minutes, adding a few drops more water if pan appearas dry.
Return chicken to pan. Stir cooking sauce, add to pan, and cook, stirring guntil sauce bubbles and thickens.
Variations:
Cashew or Almond Chicken - first toast ½ cup cashews or blanched almonds in 1 tablespoon salad oil over medium-low heat until golden; remove from pan and set aside. Stir in nuts just before serving.
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