Chicken Stir Fry

Authentic stir-fry is very hard to recreate at home. Traditionally, it is cooked in a very hot wok with a high smoke point oil. This method keeps the vegetables lightly cooked and crisp and gives the protein a great maillard reaction without overcooking. Most people don’t have access to a burner at home that will properly heat a wok to more than 600o F reliably. Also, cooking this way can be messy with hot oil splattering out of the pan, getting your cooktop really dirty, and maybe burning your skin if it lands on a bare spot. I use a combination of techniques and ingredients to mimic restaurant style stir-fry. I admit it isn’t as good, but it is less work, cleaner, and healthier too.

Cooking the chicken really couldn’t be much easier. I use a heating immersion circulator to bring a container of water to a precisely set temperature. I add chicken to a Ziploc bag with a few tablespoons of soy sauce for flavoring, squeeze as much air as possible, and then put the sealed bag in the water bath. This cooking technique is called the Sous Vide method. It is virtually fool proof for cooking whatever you put in it. The temperature of the water is controlled by the circulator and the timing is very forgiving. I use chicken thighs for this recipe, set the water temperature to 1650 F, and let the meat cook for 1-3 hours. When the chicken is removed from the bag it is perfectly cooked edge to edge at the perfect temperature. I use an Anova brand appliance but there are many options, some even under $100.

Getting crisp, slightly cooked vegetables is pretty easy too. I buy bagged frozen stir-fry vegetable mix, toss the veggies with a little avocado oil, and put them in an air fryer. Cube the chicken and add to the air fryer for the last couple of minutes to get a nice browning. I serve the stir-fry with riced cauliflower that I buy in the microwaveable bags for easy prep. Flavor this dish to your liking with soy sauce, cayenne pepper, Sriracha or whatever you like and as always Eat With Love!