What is Hunan Chicken ?
Hunan chicken is a spicy dish of chicken and vegetables popular in Chinese-American cuisine. It is based on the cooking style of the Hunan region of southeastern China, particularly along the Xiang River. People may be confused that what the difference is between Hunan cuisine and Sichuan cuisine, for the characteristics of them are hot and spicy. Sichuan cuisines are widely used chili peppers, especially prickly ash, giving it a distinctively spicy taste which leaves a slight numb sensation in the mouth, while Hunan cuisine doesn’t has.
The history of the cooking skills employed in Hunan cuisine dates back to the 17th century. The first mention of chili peppers in local gazettes in the province date to 1684, 21st year of the Kangxi Emperor. During the course of its history, Hunan cuisine assimilated a variety of local forms, eventuall evolving into its own style.
Hunan Chicken Recipe
Ingredients
For Chicken marinate & fry
500g boneless chicken cut in to ½ inches thick strips
Salt to taste
½ teaspoon black pepper
2 tbsp cup cornstarch
Vegetable oil for Frying
ingredients for the Sauce
1 tbsp cornstarch
1 tbsp of Honey
1 tbsp of Soy Sauce
½ cup of Chicken Broth
2 tbsp of Oyster Sauce
2 tbsp of Shaoxing Wine
2 tbsp of red chilli paste or (hot sauce)
for stir frying
2 cups of broccoli florets
½ cup of baby corn
1 red bell pepper deseeded & diced
1 tsp garlic chopped
½ tsp chopped ginger
2 tbsp of chopped celery stick
½ cup of vegetable oil
¼ tsp of Black Pepper
½ tsp of Chili Flakes
Salt to taste
NSTRUCTIONS
Mariniate the Chicken
In a large bowl marinate the chicken with salt, pepper and cornstarch & keep aside.
Fry the chicken
Heat olil in a wok then transfer the marinated chicken into the oil, fry chicken until golden brown then strain out and keep aside
for Hunan Sauce
In another bowl, add ad all the Hunan sauce ingredients & Whisk to combine nicely and Keep it aside.
Stir-Frying
In a large pan heat 2 tbsp of oil and add chopped garlic and ginger, stir fry for 30 seconds or until fragrant,
Add the vegetables: chopped celery sticks, red bell pepper, baby corn, and broccoli florets.
Cook while stirring for 5 minutes or until all the vegetables are slightly wilted. Next, season with salt pepper and chili flacks stir to combine.
Add fried chicken strips in to the pan and mix well.
Add the prepared Hunan sauce into the pan and stir to combine and coat with all the ingredients and the fried chicken pieces.
Cook for 3-4 minutes more, check the consistency of sauce and seasoning.
Turn of the heat and serve hot with rice or noodles