Ginger Chicken: The Restaurant Style Recipe
Ginger chicken is an Asian recipe with fresh ginger root. A spiced, simple and quick recipe to prepare, it has also some very beneficial features for health: ginger, in fact, has antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and digestive healing properties. You can easily found it at the supermarket, both fresh and ground. I prefer to use the fresh root because during the cooking it releases a very fresh scent which can recall lemon, and it is less spicy than the ground ginger. In the recipe that I propose you, I cut the chicken breasts to create some strips, but you can also choose to cut it into small pieces, or to use chicken legs. I also prepare a typically oriental sweet and sour sauce with apple vinegar, soy sauce, and a spoonful of cornstarch, which makes the chicken soft and juicy.
How to make Ginger Chicken
Wash the ginger root and peel it. In a frying pan heat a bit of oil and fry the thinly sliced ginger and some chopped onion (1) until they soften. Rinse the chicken breast slices, and dry them with a cotton cloth. Cut the chicken into long thin strips. Put the chicken into the frying pan (2) and cook it a little, before adding the apple vinegar (3).
Pour also the soy sauce (4), add the curry and cook for about 5 minutes. Put 1 tablespoon of cornstarch in half a glass of water and let it melt. Pour the melted cornstarch in the frying pan (5) and cook for 5 minutes, until the sweet and sour sauce has thickened (6). Serve your ginger chicken with a sprinkling of chopped parsley.
Tips
If you use ground ginger, add 1 teaspoon of it during the chicken cooking.
If you do not like the oriental sweet and sour taste, you can also cook ginger chicken in a traditional way, sprinkling it with lemon juice or with 1/2 glass of wine.
To give it a special touch, you can also add some dried fruit such as almonds and walnuts.
For this recipe you can use the cornstarch melted in 1/2 glass of water but you can also use flour, or you can just flour the chicken and then add water or vegetable broth during cooking.
Instead of curry you can use paprika or turmeric, and you can also add sesame seeds to give the dish more crispness.
What to serve with ginger chicken
Variations
Ginger Chicken with Lemon
The recipe for ginger chicken and lemon is very fast. In a frying pan heat up a bit of oil and add a clove of garlic and some grated ginger. Add the floured chicken cut into small pieces, and sprinkle it with lemon juice. Cook for 10 minutes, add salt and pepper and your chicken is ready. You can accompany it with pilaf rice.
