Shandong-style Stir-fried Chicken

山东炒鸡

Chinese
Published

July 22, 2024

Shandong-Style Stir-fried Chicken (山东炒鸡) is a dish originated from my hometown, Shandong province in China. I learned this recipe from Chef Wang Gang and have tried it dozens of times. Here I’m sharing my version of this dish, not too different from Chef Wang Gang’s.

Serving Suggestions

It’s best cooked for 2-3 people as a shared main dish, and it goes perfectly with rice. Cook it for your family!

Another interesting option I discovered while I was in the UK is to serve it with wraps, which are easily available in British supermarkets. You can wrap the chicken with leftover fresh spring onions and garlic. It’s fantastic!

Checklist

Main Ingredient

Main Ingredient Amount Comments Alternatives
Fresh whole chicken 1/6 -1/5 whole chicken This dish prefers fresh slaughtered whole chicken which can be found in most places of China Any chicken meat (preferably with bones) like drumsticks and thighs
Thin-skinned chilli 1-2 pcs - Preferably a type of thin-skinned chilli in Zaozhuang, Shandong
Garlic 0.5-1 clove This dish needs generous amount of garlic to put in the end -

Supporting Ingredient

Supporting Ingredient Amount Comments Alternatives
Spring onion (大葱) 5cm Use the white part -
Ginger 1-1.5 slices To provide basic flavour -
Anise 0.5-1 pcs To remover odor -
Dried chilli (干辣椒) 0.5-1 pcs To add spiciness -
Bird’s eye chilli (小米辣) 0.5-1 pcs To enhance fresh spicy flavor Optional
Sichuan peppercorn (花椒) 10-15 To add a little numb flavor -
Coriander Any To add freshness Optional

Seasoning

Seasoning Amount Comments Alternatives
Oil 3 tbsp - Preferably peanut oil
Light soy sauce 2 tbsp - -
Chinese cooking wine (料酒) 1-1.5 tbsp To remover odor -
Yellow soybean paste (黄豆酱) 1-1.5 tbsp To add color -
Sichuan soybean paste (豆瓣酱) 0.5 tbsp To add color and spiciness Optional
Rice vinegar 0.5 tbsp To make meat tender -
Sesame oil 0.5 tbsp I personally think this is the key of the flavour -
Scallion oil 0.5 tbsp To enhance color Optional
Caster sugar 0.5 tbsp To enhance freshness Optional
MSG 0.5 tbsp To enhance Optional
Salt 0.5 tbsp To provide basic flavour -

Cooking Tools

Cooking Tools Comments Alternatives
Wok Preferably a round bottom wok -
Large frying spoon This is more convenient for stir-frying chicken -
Chopping knife For chopping chicken -
Chopping board For chopping chicken -
Cutting board For cutting vegetables and supporting ingredients -
Large container For washing and containing chicken -
Medium container For washing and containing thin-skinned chillies and garlic -
Kitchen roll For drying chicken pieces -
Large shallow bowl For serving the dish -

Method

It is basically stir-frying chicken with Chinese seasonings, however the chicken need some time to be cooked, so it is necessary to add some water and boil for a while. It takes time as it’s literally a stir-fry dish and the water has to be reduced.

flowchart TD
    prepare-chicken([Prepare chicken, 10 min]) -->stir-fry-chicken[Stir-fry chicken, 10-20 min]
    prepare-onion-ginger([Prepare onion & ginger, 3 min]) --> stir-fry-chicken
    stir-fry-chicken --> stew-chicken[Stew chicken, 20-40 min]
    prepare-chillies-garlic-coriander([Prepare chillies, garlic & coriander, 10 min]) --> reduce-water[Reduce water, 10 min]
    stew-chicken --> reduce-water
    reduce-water --> garnish[Garnish, 5 min]

    class prepare-chicken cold
    class prepare-onion-ginger cold
    class prepare-chillies-garlic-coriander cold
    class stir-fry-chicken cook
    class stew-chicken long-cook
    class reduce-water cook
    class garnish cold

    classDef cold fill:#90EE90
    classDef cook fill:#FFB6C1
    classDef long-cook fill:#FFA500

The estimated time is for serving 3 people. Total estimated time: 1-1.5 hours.

Preparation

Preparation Step Action Wait Until Tips
Prepare chicken Wash and chop the whole chicken into large pieces, dry with paper towel. - It’s best to use some force and make each cut in one go to avoid creating bone fragments when chopping chicken.
Prepare onion & ginger Chop the spring onion into chunks, slice the ginger - -
Prepare chillies, garlic & coriander Wash and cut the chillies, smash and peel the garlic, chop the coriander - -

Cooking

Cooking Step Action Wait Until Tips
Stir-fry chicken Heat oil 40% oil heat Be accurate about the amount of oil. The chicken releases oil during cooking
Fry anise 60% oil heat -
Fry spring onion and ginger Till fragrant -
Fry chicken, keep still without stirring, turn once Till it gets a bit brown The chicken releases water which makes it look like half frying half simmering. Be patient to wait until the liquid oily not watery.
Stir in dried chilli and Sichuan peppercorn Till fragrant Be careful with the amount of dried chilli if you don’t want it too spicy. Be accurate with the Sichuan peppercorn. As I’ve tried too much Sichuan peppercorn could ruin the original flavour of this dish.
Stir in Chinese cooking wine Till mixed well From the side of the wok
Stir in yellow soybean paste and Sichuan soybean paste, -
Stir in rice vinegar, light soy sauce Till mixed well -
Stew chicken Add water and boil Till boiled The amount of water determines the simmering time, and it should be adjusted according to the type of chicken. For example, chickens in the UK are more tender and don’t require long cooking times, so don’t add too much water. Cook the chicken until it’s just done; if cooked too long, it will become mushy. I recommend adding water to just cover for fresh chicken in China, and half cover for packaged chicken meat.
Remove the scum (if any) - -
Add salt, caster sugar, MSG - -
Put on the lid and simmer Till chicken is nearly done -
Reduce water & garnish Turn to medium heat, remove the lid Till half of the water is reduced -
Add bird-eyed chilli, thin-skinned chillies and smashed garlic Till water is reduced to a bit soup base This step requires careful timing and heat! For watery varieties of chilli (like peppers), if the heat is too low, more water will be released, and the water will never be reduced. On the other hand, don’t let the water dry out too much. The time of cooking chillies and garlic also needs to be just right. If it’s too long, they will become mushy instead of crunchy; if too short, they will have a raw taste.
Off the heat, drizzle light soy sauce, sesame oil, scallion oil, add coriander - -

Variations

You can add some potato chunks . The medium sized potato chunks need 15-20 mins to cook so add them when simmering with around 15-20 mins left.

Tip

Potato chunks absorb some spices so remember to add a bit more salt or soy sauce.

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