Hunan Chicken

4.68 from 28 votes

This Hunan Chicken is a spicy, simple, saucy stir fry has to be next on your list for dinner! Enjoy it with your favorite rice or noodles, or all on its own. It's sure to be a hit at your next takeout fakeout night! Turn the heat up or down as much as you can handle.

Prep Time15

Cook Time15

Total Time30

Course: Dinner, Lunch

Cuisine: Asian

Keyword: hunan chicken

Servings:

Calories: 373kcal

Equipment

14-inch Wok

Ingredients

For the stir fry

1 pound chicken breast boneless and skinless, cut into bite-sized pieces
⅓ cup cornstarch
½ teaspoon pepper or to taste
2 tablespoon sesame oil
1 medium carrot sliced 1/4" thin diagonally
1 stalk celery sliced into 1/2" pieces diagonally
1 red bell pepper sliced into 1/2" strips
½ red onion sliced into 1/4" thin strips
2 cups broccoli florets
3-6 dried chilies whole, as per your spice preference
1 tablespoon garlic minced
1 tablespoon ginger minced
¼ cup peanuts roughly chopped

For the sauce

¼ cup soy sauce low sodium
½ cup chicken broth low sodium
2 tablespoon oyster sauce
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2 teaspoon chili garlic sauce aka sambal oelek

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Cook the chicken: Add the chicken, cornstarch, and pepper to a mixing bowl. Toss well to completely coat each piece of chicken. Heat the sesame oil in a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Add the chicken pieces, working in batches if needed. Cook until browned on all sides. Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside.
Cook the veggies: If needed, add more sesame oil. Add the carrot, celery, bell pepper, broccoli, onion, and chilies to the pan. Sauté, stirring occasionally, until the veggies soften, 4-5 minutes.
Make the hunan sauce: Whisk all the sauce ingredients together in a bowl.
Incorporate the sauce: Stir the garlic and ginger in with the veggies and sauté for another 30 seconds. Pour the sauce into the skillet and reduce the heat to medium. Stir constantly until the sauce thickens.
Finish: Add the chicken back to the skillet and toss well to coat in the sauce. Garnish with chopped peanuts and serve over noodles or rice.

Notes

Nutritional information does not include rice.
Prep all your ingredients and make the Hunan sauce first. This is the most time consuming part. Once this is done, cooking is a piece of cake.
Customize the heat level. You may like it really spicy or really mild. Simply use as many dried chilies as you like and adjust amount of chili garlic sauce to your preference.
Don’t overcook the veggies. You only want them to soften a bit, but you still want them to be crispy and fresh.
Freeze your chicken breast for a few minutes before cutting it, to make it easier to cut into cubes or thin slices.
Notice I don't add any salt to this dish and that's because there should be plenty of sodium from all the other ingredients, however, taste and adjust seasonings to your liking.
Leftovers: Transfer leftovers to an airtight container and store for 3-4 days in the fridge. You can reheat in the microwave, or you can use a skillet over medium heat. If you find the sauce is drying out a bit using a skillet, add a splash of water or broth to bring it back to life.
Freezing: This makes for a great, easy freezer meal for busy weeknights! It will last 2-3 months. Reheat either using the microwave, or let it thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat in a skillet.

Nutrition