Poultry ⁽²⁰⁾

This Korean Chicken Stir Fry is easy to cook on a busy weeknight, and it’s packed full of flavor. With lean chicken and 5 different vegetables, it’s also a healthy meal your whole family will love.

If you don’t have a wok, do not worry. You can make this in a large saute pan over a smaller burner, creating a hotter spot in the center while it stays a bit cooler around the edges of the pan.

4 generous servings or 6 more modest servings.

This includes: 

2 Fresh Chicken Breasts, cubed

8 oz Kalbi Sauce

1 onion

1 red bell pepper

1 green bell pepper

Large head of broccoli

10-12 oz carrots

1 quart of cooked jasmine rice with parsley

What You Will Need

Cutting board, for the vegetables

5 Tablespoons vegetable oil, divided

1 large wok or 12” saute pan

Spatula or wooden straight-edged spatula

Tongs

½ cup water

Mise en Place

It is always a good idea to prep all your ingredients (mise en place) before starting to cook, but it is especially important with a stir fry since it goes so quickly.

1. Place chicken into a zip lock bag and pour in ¼ cup of Kalbi marinade.
2. Press out as much air as you can, zip the bag, and massage to evenly distribute the marinade. Set aside while you prep the vegetables.
   
3. Slice onion in half from top to bottom. Peel off the papery skin and discard. Cut off stem and blossom ends. Cut ¼” slices from top to bottom so you end up with almost half-moon shapes. Set aside.
4. Wash and dry red and green bell peppers. Set the red pepper upright on your cutting board. Slice straight down around the sides of the pepper, rotating the pepper as you make each cut. You will end up with “slabs” of pepper, and you’ll be left with the stem end, blossom end, and seeds untouched. Slice each piece of pepper into about ⅓” slices. Repeat with the green pepper.
5. Rinse and dry the broccoli. Cut off the very thick stem holding the head together. Cut the remaining broccoli into bite-sized florets, discarding any stem thicker than ½”.
6. Slice the carrots on the bias (diagonally) into ¼” slices.
7. Spread the rice out on a large, microwave-safe plate and cover with a moist paper towel.

How to Make Korean Chicken Stir Fry

1. Heat your wok or saute pan over medium-high heat until very hot.
2. Add 2 ½ Tablespoons of oil to the pan and heat for another 30 seconds.
3. Using tongs, and working in batches, place about ⅓ of the chicken pieces into the pan. Don’t crowd the pan. Saute the chicken pieces on one side until nicely golden brown, about 3 minutes. The sugar in the marinade will ensure the chickens gets some nice caramelization.
4. Turn the chicken pieces and cook until almost done, another 2 minutes. Remove to a plate and repeat with the remaining chicken pieces.
5. Once you have cooked all the chicken, the pan will have a lot of deeply browned residue in it. Add the water. It will boil almost immediately. Scrape the pan with your wok spatula or wooden spatula to get all the browned bits off the pan. Add this little bit of water to the remainder of your marinade.
6. Wipe the pan clean, place it back over medium-high heat, and add the other 2 ½ Tablespoons of oil.
7. Begin adding your vegetables in order from the ones you want most done to the ones you want least done, keeping them moving with your wooden spatula, and adding the next vegetable every 1 ½ minutes. If you like your broccoli more done, start with the broccoli. If you like very soft onions, start with the onions. The order they were added for the photos was carrots, onions, broccoli, and then the peppers.
8. Once you have the last of the vegetables in the wok or saute pan, add the chicken back to the pan and pour in the other 3/4 cup of the Kalbi sauce then mix all together.
9.  Reheat the rice in the microwave, covered with the paper towel about 2 minutes.
10. Stir fry another 2 minutes to reheat the chicken and allow the sauce to reduce slightly and coat all the meat and vegetables.
11. Plate individually or serve family style with the remaining Kalbi sauce on the side and Enjoy, Dinner Done Easy!

Dinner Done Easy: Korean Chicken Stir Fry

By Jenni Field/Pastry Chef Online