Stir-Fried Chicken With Mushrooms and Oyster Sauce

Shao Z.
  • Yield:Serves 2
  • Active time:20 minutes
  • Total time:50 minutes
  • Rated: 4.5
This recipe appears in:
Chinese Velveting 101: Stir-Fried Chicken With Mushrooms and Oyster Sauce Chinese Velveting 101: An Introduction to Water-Velveting

Stir-fried water-velveted chicken with an assortment of fresh and dried mushrooms. [Photographs: Shao Z.]

This quick and simple stir-fry features both fresh and dried mushrooms for maximum flavor and texture, and chicken that's been water-velveted—an easy technique that guarantees tender, silky meat.

Why this recipe works:

  • Marinating the chicken strips in a mixture of cornstarch, egg white, wine, and seasonings—a process known as velveting—guarantees silky, tender meat.
  • Par-cooking the meat in a bath of boiling water with just a little oil is much easier for home cooks than the more traditional hot-oil-bath method, with equally good results.

Note: To make egg white easy to measure, beat it with a fork until it has a thinner viscosity. Dried wood ear mushrooms can be found in most Asian markets.

Ingredients

  • For the Velveted Chicken:
  • 1 tablespoon egg white (see note above)
  • 2 teaspoons cornstarch
  • 2 teaspoons Chinese rice wine or sake
  • 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/2 pound chicken breast, sliced 1/8 inch thick
  • 6 cups water
  • 1 teaspoon vegetable, canola, or peanut oil
  • For Sauce and Stir-Fry:
  • 1 teaspoon cornstarch
  • 1 teaspoon sesame oil
  • 2 teaspoons oyster sauce
  • 1 teaspoon soy sauce
  • 1 medium clove garlic, finely minced
  • 2 tablespoons water
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable, canola, or peanut oil, divided
  • 1/2 pound mixed mushrooms, such as cremini, shiitake, enoki, and/or oyster, sliced about 1/4 inch thick
  • 1/4 cup dried wood ear mushroom, rehydrated in warm water for 15 minutes, then drained and large pieces halved (see note above)
  • Cooked white rice, for serving

Directions

  1. 1.

    For the Velveted Chicken: In a small bowl, thoroughly combine egg white, cornstarch, rice wine, and salt. Place chicken in a bowl and add cornstarch mixture, tossing to combine. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

  2. 2.

    Fill a wok with water and bring to a boil, then add oil. Add chicken and, separating pieces with chopsticks or a spatula, cook until chicken is white outside but still raw within, about 40 seconds. Drain chicken in a colander and shake off excess water. Wipe wok clean and dry.

  3. 3.

    For Sauce and Stir-Fry: In a small bowl, mix together cornstarch, sesame oil, oyster sauce, soy sauce, garlic, and water.

  4. 4.

    Heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in wok over high heat until smoking. Add fresh mixed mushrooms and season with salt. Cook, stirring and tossing, until mushrooms have released their water, about 3 minutes. Add rehydrated wood ear mushrooms and cook until mushrooms begin to brown, about 5 minutes. Transfer mushroom to a plate and wipe out wok.

  5. 5.

    Heat remaining 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in wok over high heat until smoking. Add chicken and stir-fry until chicken is almost cooked through, about 2 minutes. Return mushrooms to wok and stir to combine with chicken. Stir sauce add to the wok, tossing, until sauce thickens, about 1 minute. Transfer to a platter and serve with white rice.

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