Chicken Chop Suey

Chicken Chop Suey

Ingredients

For the chicken and marinade:

  • 1½ to 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken, white and/or dark meat

  • About 3 tablespoons Shaoxing rice cooking wine or dry sherry

  • 2 tablespoons light soy sauce

  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch

  • 1 teaspoon white pepper or fine black pepper (optional) 

For the sauce:

  • 1 cup chicken broth or bone stock

  • 2 tablespoons oyster sauce

  • 1 tablespoon black vinegar or rice vinegar

  • 1 tablespoon Shaoxing or dry sherry 

  • 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce (sweet, thick)  

  • 1 tablespoon light soy (not low-sodium, thin consistency, salty)

  • 1 tablespoon light brown sugar

  • 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil

  • 1 teaspoon white pepper or fine black 

  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch mixed with a splash of water for a slurry 

For the vegetables:

  • 4 tablespoons peanut or other neutral oil 

  • 1 white onion , thinly sliced

  • 2 small-medium carrots, peeled and thinly sliced on a bias

  • 2 ribs of celery with leafy tops, thinly sliced on a bias 

  • 2 baby bok choy, quartered lengthwise, greens separated and stems thinly sliced

  • 1 leek, halved and cleaned, thinly sliced on a bias

  • 2 large cloves garlic, chopped or sliced 

  • 1 can bamboo shoots 

  • One 5-ounce can baby corn

  • Thin Chinese noodles or white rice, for serving

Directions

Serves: 4 to 6

For the chicken, thinly slice the meat on an angle. Combine the wine or sherry and soy sauce with cornstarch to make a slurry and season chicken with pepper, if using. Add chicken to plastic bag, add the slurry and combine, let stand until vegetables are prepped. 

For the sauce, combine the ingredients in small bowl and whisk up again just before adding to dish to re-combine the starch, which may settle.

For the vegetables, heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, and add 2 tablespoons oil, 2 turns of the pan. In batches, cook half the chicken, browning on both sides, 4 minutes total, remove, repeat. Add remaining oil and onion and soften a couple of minutes, add the crunchy vegetables and cook to soften 3 to 4 minutes more, add leek or any leafy greens and garlic and toss 2 minutes, add bamboo, baby corn, chicken and sauce and heat through to combine 2 minutes. Serve with thin noodles or rice.