Meat + Poultry

Spicy Lemongrass Chicken

Name: Spicy Lemongrass Chicken
Total time: 25 min
Ingredients: 1 1/2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken thighs, fat trimmed, meat cut into 3/4-inch pieces; 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons canola oil; Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper; pepper; 2 plump stalks of lemongrass, tender white inner bulb only, minced; 1 medium red onion, quartered lengthwise and thinly sliced crosswise; 2 teaspoons minced garlic; 1/4 cup Chinese cooking wine, sake or water; 1/2 cup Vietnamese Stir-fry Sauce; 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon oyster sauce; 1 teaspoon Asian chili paste; 4 large scallions, cut into 1/2-inch lengths; 5 small dried red chiles; 1 large jalapeño, seeded and thinly sliced

5.0

(4,240)

5 Reviews

Charles Phan stir-fries chicken by itself until it's deeply golden and juicy, transfers it to a plate, finishes cooking the other ingredients, and returns the chicken to the wok so all the flavors meld.

By

Charles Phan

Updated on January 29, 2023

Total Time:

25 mins

Yield:

6 servings

Charles Phan has firm opinions about the right and wrong way to stir-fry. "A wok isn't like a salad bowl with a flame under it. You don't want to throw everything in at once and toss. You need to layer flavors by adding ingredients in the right order."

Ingredients

1 1/2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken thighs, fat trimmed and meat cut into 3/4-inch pieces
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons canola oil, divided
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 plump stalks of lemongrass, tender white inner bulb only, minced
1 medium red onion, quartered lengthwise and thinly sliced crosswise
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1/4 cup Chinese cooking wine, sake, or water
1/2 cup Vietnamese Stir-fry Sauce
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon oyster sauce
1 teaspoon Asian chile paste
4 large scallions, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
5 small dried red chiles
1 large jalapeño, seeded and thinly sliced

Directions

In a medium bowl, toss the chicken pieces with 2 tablespoons of the canola oil, salt, and pepper.
In a large skillet or a wok, heat 2 tablespoons of the canola oil until small puffs of smoke begin to appear. Add half of the chicken and stir-fry over high heat until browned in spots, about 3 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a plate. Repeat with the remaining chicken.
Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil in the skillet. Add the lemongrass, onion, and garlic; cook over high heat, stirring, until fragrant, 2 minutes. Add the wine and cook until slightly reduced, about 1 minute. Add the Vietnamese Stir-fry Sauce, oyster sauce, chile paste, scallions, dried chiles, and jalapeño; bring to a boil. Add the chicken to the sauce and simmer until heated through, then serve.

© Dana Gallagher