This homemade Ginger Chicken is amazingly easy to make right at home, with a delicious spicy ginger sauce. You might like it more than the restaurant version.
Well today I was craving ginger chicken all day. I was busy all morning working away, so when hubs called me and asked if I wanted him to pick up some lunch for us, I immediately said ginger chicken. Well as luck would have it our favorite little Chinese spot was closed.
Well I still wanted ginger chicken, so I remembered I had taken some chicken out to make something for dinner later and decided to make ginger chicken. And you know what I’m glad that place was closed because this was the lunch of my dreams!
The thing is I wanted to make it just like they have it at this little restaurant, they cut their chicken in long thin strips, the chicken strips are then breaded and fried and then they’re drenched in this amazing spicy ginger sauce.
What is Ginger Chicken?
Ever heard of ginger beef? It’s a Canadian Chinese dish that combines crispy beef with a super aromatic, tasty, sticky sauce. We’re subbing the beef for chicken today because it tastes so good with a bit of poultry.
Ingredients
Chicken
- Chicken – Chicken breast, boneless and skinless and cubed up.
- Eggs – The binder for our dredge, this ensures our dredge completely sticks to our chicken.
- Vegetable oil – For frying up our chicken, choose something mild tasting like canola.
- Garnish – Chopped green onions and sesame seeds – the finishing touch for any ginger chicken dish!
Breading
- Flour – All purpose is all we need to take this dish to the next level!
- Spices – Smoked paprika, garlic powder, and ground ginger are all we need today.
- Cornstarch – This is the key to achieving a crisp crunchy coating on our chicken.
- Seasoning – Salt and pepper to taste.
Sauce
- Sauce – We’re using soy sauce and sriracha for some salt and some heat.
- Honey – We need a hint of sweetness in our sauce and the texture of this honey lends itself to creating a flavorful glaze.
- Aromatics – Fresh ginger and garlic.
- Heat – Include a bit of red pepper flakes – if you can handle it.
- Seasoning – Freshly ground black pepper – no salt needed since we’re getting plenty from our soy sauce!
What cut of chicken works best?
This dish works great with both chicken breast and chicken thighs, as long as it’s skinless and boneless. It’s all up to you whether you like white or dark meat most. Chicken thighs are usually juicier than breasts, but they both taste delicious!
How to make Ginger Chicken
- Prep the dredge: Whisk the eggs in a shallow plate. In another shallow plate whisk together all the breading ingredients. Dip the chicken pieces in the egg wash then dredge them through the flour and make sure each piece is fully coated in flour.
- Cook the chicken: Fill a Dutch oven or a deep frying pan with vegetable oil, about 1 1/2 inches deep and heat. When the oil is hot, add chicken to the pan, a few at a time, and fry it for about 3 or 4 minutes until it’s golden brown, make sure the chicken is cooked inside. Repeat this until all the chicken is fried.
- Form the sauce: To make the sauce whisk all the sauce ingredients together in a small bowl. Drizzle the sauce over the chicken. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and green onions if preferred.
Find the oil that works for you
Most foods are fried between 350 F to 400 F degrees so you need to choose oils with a smoke point above 400 F degrees. For this dish I used vegetable oil because it’s a neutral tasting, all-purpose oil good for anything from frying to baking. Here are some other options if you’d prefer to go a different route:
- Peanut oil – it has neutral taste and a high smoking point which makes it perfect for high-temperature cooking.
- Safflower oil – it’s almost flavorless, has a high smoke point of 520 F degrees. This oil is a great substitute for vegetable oil and because it doesn’t solidify when chilled, it’s great for salad dressings as well.
- Avocado oil – this is a new favorite oil of mine. It has a high smoke point of 520 F degrees, but it has a light, slightly nutty flavor.
How to serve
My favorite way to serve this is over cooked rice such as Jasmine rice or Basmati rice. You could also serve it over noodles – the world is your oyster!
Leftovers
I usually just store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge. It should last 3 to 4 days.
Freezing
Store it in airtight containers or freezer bags in the freezer for 3 to 4 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight then reheat in the microwave. The chicken will be a big soggy so if you want to keep it crispy, store the sauce separately from the chicken.
Craving More Asian Inspired Dishes? Try These:
- Kung Pao Chicken
- Easy Beef And Broccoli Stir Fry
- Instant Pot General Tso’s Chicken
- Chow Mein
- Chicken Lo Mein
- Sweet And Sour Chicken
- Asian Style Pepper Steak
- Sticky Honey Soy Chicken Wings
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Ginger Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 ½ lb chicken breast boneless and skinless and cut into thin long strips
- 2 large eggs
- vegetable oil for frying
- 1 tbsp sesame seeds optional
- 2 green onions chopped, optional
For chicken breading
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 tbsp cornstarch
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp salt or to taste
- ½ tsp pepper or to taste
For Sauce
- ½ tsp red pepper flakes
- 2 tbsp honey
- ½ cup soy sauce low sodium
- 1 tbsp sriracha sauce
- 1 tsp fresh ginger minced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- ½ tsp pepper
Instructions
- Whisk the eggs in a shallow plate. In another shallow plate whisk together all the breading ingredients.
- Dip the chicken pieces in the egg wash then dredge them through the flour and make sure each piece is fully coated in flour.
- Fill a Dutch oven or a deep frying pan with vegetable oil, about 1 1/2 inches deep and heat. When the oil is hot, add chicken to the pan, a few at a time, and fry it for about 3 or 4 minutes until it’s golden brown, make sure the chicken is cooked inside. Repeat this until all the chicken is fried.
- To make the sauce whisk all the sauce ingredients together in a small bowl. Drizzle the sauce over the chicken. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and green onions if preferred.
Recipe Notes
- Storage: I usually just store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge. It should last 3 to 4 days.
- Freezing: Store it in airtight containers or freezer bags in the freezer for 3 to 4 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight then reheat in the microwave. The chicken will be a big soggy so if you want to keep it crispy, store the sauce separately from the chicken.
- Please keep in mind that nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary greatly based on products used.
