Empress Chicken

This Empress Chicken is my take on a popular Chinese-American dish, where crispy chicken gets tossed with a sweet, savory and tangy sauce, along with a variety of veggies. The addition of dried chili peppers give it just enough kick for the perfect balance.

Who’s ready for some Chinese takeout? I’ve got a better idea. How about a homemade version that’s much fresher and tastier? That’s where my Empress Chicken comes in.

I’ve always been partial to stir fry dishes where the meat is fried up crispy like General Tso’s, Kung Pao Chicken and even the Indo-Chinese fusion Dragon Chicken. The extra calories are well worth the extra satisfaction.

Ingredients

• Chicken – I prefer boneless skinless thighs for this recipe. You can use breast meat, but I would recommend a slightly longer marination (about 30 minutes) to help tenderize it.
• Sauces – Soy, rice vinegar and honey. A nice balance of flavors. The soy and vinegar go in the marinade as well as the sauce.
• Corn starch – Both as a thickener in the sauce and as a coating to give the chicken its crunch.
• Egg – This is part of the marinade and helps the corn starch adhere to the chicken.
• Chicken broth – The base of the sauce, give it its volume.
• Vegetables – Broccoli, carrot and bell pepper. Some takeout places omit the vegetables, but I find they help round out the dish.
• Aromatics – Garlic, ginger and scallion.
• Dried chilis – You can find these in any Asian market. If you don’t have them on hand, you can use some crushed red chili flakes for the heat factor.
• Oil – A high smoke point oil like peanut or canola are best for stir fry.
• Sesame seeds – For garnish.

Easy Empress Chicken Recipe

In a large bowl, I first whisk together the chicken marinade ingredients, then toss the chicken pieces well with the marinade.

While chicken is marinating, I whisk all sauce ingredients together in a bowl until well combined and prep the remaining ingredients.

When ready to cook, I heat ½ inch oil in a wok or large skillet over medium-high heat to about 350°F. Working in batches, I cook the chicken pieces, tossing frequently, in the hot oil until cooked through and golden brown, about 4-5 minutes, then remove to a paper towel lined plate to drain.

I remove all but about 2 tablespoons of oil from the pan, then add veggies and dried chilis and stir fry for 4-5 minutes until the vegetables begin to soften. Next, I add ginger, garlic and the white parts of scallions, toss, and sauté for 1 minute.

Then I add cooked chicken pieces along with prepared sauce, toss everything together, and cook for 1-2 minutes, until the sauce thickens.

To finish up, I garnish with the green parts of the scallions and sesame seeds.

Serving Suggestions

I usually keep it simple and serve my Empress Chicken with some steamed white rice. If you want to get a little fancier, try our restaurant style Pork Fried Rice instead. Other great sides are a cup of Wonton Soup or some refreshing Cucumber Salad.

Another delicious stir fry from the GypsyPlate kitchen. I always love them for weeknight dinners.

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Try these other great stir fry recipes!
Mie Goreng
Beef Bulgogi
Hibachi Chicken
Pork Stir Fry
Yakisoba
Thai Basil Beef
Tomato Egg Stir Fry

Empress Chicken Recipe

Yield: 4 servings

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes

This Empress Chicken is my take on a popular Chinese takeout dish, where crispy chicken gets tossed with a sweet, savory and tangy sauce, along with a variety of veggies.

Print

Ingredients

Chicken

• 1.5 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into bite-sized chunks
• 2 Tbsp soy sauce, divided
• 2 Tbsp rice vinegar, divided
• 1 large egg
• ½ cup + 1 Tbsp corn starch, divided

Sauce

• 1 cup chicken broth
• ¼ cup soy sauce
• 3 Tbsp honey
• 2 Tbsp rice vinegar
• 1.5 Tbsp corn starch

Stir fry

• 2 cups broccoli florets
• 1 carrot, sliced
• 1 bell pepper (red, orange or yellow), cut into small chunks
• 6-8 Asian dried chilis
• 3 scallions, cut into 1 inch lengths (white and green parts separated)
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 Tbsp fresh ginger, minced
• vegetable oil, for frying
• sesame seeds, for garnish

Instructions

1. In a large bowl, whisk together chicken marinade ingredients: 2 Tbsp soy sauce, 2 Tbsp rice vinegar, 1 egg and 1 Tbsp corn starch. Toss chicken pieces well with marinade.
2. While chicken is marinating, whisk all sauce ingredients together in a bowl until well combined and prep remaining ingredients.
3. Heat ½ inch vegetable oil in a wok or large skillet over medium-high heat to about 350°F. Working in batches, cook chicken pieces, tossing frequently, in the hot oil until cooked through and golden brown, about 4-5 minutes. Remove to a paper towel lined plate to drain.
4. Remove all but about 2 tablespoons of oil from the pan. Add broccoli, carrot, bell pepper and dried chilis. Stir fry for 4-5 minutes until the vegetables begin to soften. Add ginger, garlic and the white parts of scallions, toss and sauté for 1 minute.
5. Add cooked chicken pieces along with prepared sauce. Toss everything together and cook for 1-2 minutes, until the sauce thickens.
6. Garnish with the green parts of the scallions and sesame seeds. Serve immediately with warm rice.

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Welcome to GypsyPlate! I'm Alpana, former wordwide tour manager and professional caterer, now full time blogger. I love exploring cuisines from around the world, and my recipes have been featured on sites such as MSN, Parade, Brit + Co, CNET and AOL. You can explore my entire collection of sortable recipes in my Recipe Index or learn more about me here.