Chicken & Onion Stir-Fry – Juicy, Savory & More Delicious Than Takeaway
Some dinners require hours of cooking on a fancy weekend, and there are other dishes that you return to week after week, trying to squeeze in on busy nights. This stir-fry falls into the second category. The chicken remains absurdly tender, the onions perfectly soft yet crunchy, and covered in sauce to perfection, so that you’ll wish to serve it with extra rice.
This dish came into existence during those periods of crazy weekdays when I wanted something tasty and homemade but ready fast. The first time I prepared it, I had to rush while preparing the onions and just dumped their layers without separating them. Bad idea. Most of the onions remained raw in big chunks; the others were overcooked. Now I make sure to take a few seconds for each layer, and the stir-fry turns out perfect each time!
Juicy, savory, fragrantly delicious chicken & onion stir-fry that beats takeout hands down in taste and speed!
Ingredients
For the Chicken Marinade
- 1 pound (450 g) skinless chicken breasts or chicken thighs, sliced
- 1 tablespoon (15 ml) soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon (15 ml) oyster sauce
- 1 teaspoon (5 ml) dark soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons (30 ml) water
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon (4 g) sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon white pepper
- 1 tablespoon (8 g) cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon (5 ml) sesame oil
Baking soda – it’s an important detail for making chicken extremely tender and giving it a soft, restaurant-like texture.
For the Stir-Fry
- 1 1/2 onions (450 g), sliced into strips and layers separated
- 6 slices fresh ginger root
- 5 cloves garlic (15 g), minced
- 6 green onions, cut into 2-inch lengths
- 2 tablespoons (30 ml) neutral cooking oil
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar
- Pinch of salt
- 1 tablespoon (15 ml) rice wine (optional)
- Black pepper, ground
- Freshly crushed black pepper, to taste
Rice wine – an optional element giving extra depth of flavor and aroma to the onion and chicken. Skip it if you cook with non-alcoholic liquids.
For the Sauce
- 3/4 cup (180 ml) unsalted chicken broth or water
- 1 tablespoon (8 g) cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon (15 ml) oyster sauce
- 1 teaspoon (4 g) sugar
- 1 teaspoon (5 ml) dark soy sauce
Unsalted broth – it allows for better control over the final saltiness, especially when you use oyster and soy sauce, both rather salty ingredients.
Preparation Ingredients
Start by getting everything chopped and marinated so that nothing distracts you while you stir-fry.
Chop the fresh ginger into thin slices and finely mince the garlic. The combined aromas of these two ingredients tell me that the evening dinner will definitely be delicious. Cut the green onions into lengths, leaving stems apart from leaves as they cook at different speeds.
Slice the onions into thick strips and carefully separate the layers, placing them individually. It may take some time, but it’s crucial. During stir-fry, onions need to cook quickly and evenly, and not in chunks.
Slice the chicken breasts or thighs into thin slices against the grain for tenderness.
Pro Tip: To cut the chicken thinner, freeze it for about 15 minutes. Thawed chicken slices nicely.
Marinate The Chicken
Place the sliced chicken in a mixing bowl, along with soy sauce, oyster sauce, dark soy sauce, water, baking soda, sugar, white pepper, and cornstarch. Toss all the ingredients until evenly distributed.
Finish with a sprinkle of sesame oil and mix again.
The marinade should be slightly creamy rather than watery, absorbing all the savory aromas and forming a thin coating to protect the chicken during cooking.
The first time I cooked the stir-fry, I couldn’t wait for the chicken marinade. The taste was quite nice, yet the chicken turned out not as tender as it might have been. At least half an hour or 15 minutes of marination gives amazing results.
Leave the chicken in the marinade while you prepare the sauce.
Mix the Sauce
Combine chicken broth and cornstarch in a bowl until completely smooth. Add oyster sauce, sugar, and dark soy sauce to the sauce.
It might seem like a thin liquid at this point, similar to muddy chicken broth, which magically transforms into an absolutely gorgeous sauce within several seconds after entering the wok!
Cornstarch settles in a bowl very quickly, and it’s necessary to stir it again.
Pro Tip: Always mix cornstarch with cold liquid. Mixing cornstarch with hot liquid will immediately result in numerous lumps.
Stir-fry Onions
Heat a wok or frying pan over high heat. Add a tablespoon of cooking oil to the pan and immediately sprinkle in sugar and a pinch of salt before adding the onions.
Listen carefully as the onions sizzle in the pan. Stir them constantly for about 30 seconds. The onions should soften while remaining crunchy. Edges should become glossy and translucent, yet the center remains firm.
Pour a few drops of rice wine and stir again. The aroma rising from the pan is just amazing – crispy, fragrant onions with the scent of rice wine.
Remove onions from the pan. They’ll finish cooking with the sauce.
Stir-Fry the Chicken
Add another small amount of cooking oil if it dried out. Start by tossing sliced ginger into the pan. The aroma should appear within seconds of tossing the sliced ginger.
Toss the white stems of green onions and minced garlic into the pan right after the ginger. Garlic should not be overcooked, resulting in a bitter smell. Once you get the combined aroma – garlic softened by ginger – add the marinated chicken into the pan.
Leave the chicken to fry undisturbed for a minute to achieve the golden bottom crust. Chicken should not stick to the pan anymore.
Fry the chicken on all sides until it turns golden brown on the surface.
Sprinkle a small amount of rice wine and add oyster sauce, sugar, and dark soy sauce. The chicken will acquire a dark brown color and a deep savory aroma.
Pro Tip: Never crowd the wok while cooking. If it’s too crowded, the chicken will not have space to sear, resulting in an under-flavored dish.
Finishing Sauce
Stir the sauce ingredients one more time before adding to the pan. In just a few seconds, the liquid will bubble up and become a luxurious, glossy sauce covering everything inside.
The most beautiful moment in any stir-fry for me is watching the liquid transform into a sauce and filling the whole house with delicious aromas.
After the saute thickens, add the onions to the pan along with green onion leaves and black pepper.
Stir everything in the pan again to combine, turn off the stove, and serve hot.
The final product is supposed to be glossy without becoming watery. All chicken should be covered by sauce, and the onions should remain crunchy.
Tips & Mistakes
Overcooked Onions
This problem arises during the first stir-fry. As onions keep cooking during the sauce cooking process, reducing cooking time on the first stage will help keep them crunchy and flavorful.
Forgetting to Stir the Sauce
Cornstarch settles rather quickly. Don’t forget to stir the mixture of cornstarch and liquids to prevent creating a thin liquid in the pan and a thick cornstarch sauce in the bowl.
Using Cold Chicken Directly From the Refrigerator
Cold chicken will immediately cool down the pan, preventing proper browning of the meat. Bring chicken to room temperature at least 15 minutes before stir-frying.
Burning the Garlic
The smell of burnt garlic is horrible, and the dish will have bitter garlic notes. Make sure you toss the garlic constantly to avoid burning. Also, add chicken to the pan right after tossing the garlic.
Crowded Wok/Pan
Too much chicken does not allow it to sear properly, causing loss of flavor. If your pan is not large enough, divide the chicken into several portions and cook them separately.
Ways to Change It
Add Bell Peppers
Add sliced red or green bell peppers into the pan during the stir-fry. This ingredient gives an extra depth of flavor and color.
Spicy Version
A tablespoon of spicy chili sauce or several slices of fresh chilies will totally change the flavor of the dish. Especially nice for serving with jasmine rice!
Different Proteins
This dish will work perfectly with beef, shrimp, or even tofu slices. Soft tofu absorbs all sauces amazingly, especially if it’s slightly fried before stir-frying.
Storage & Serving
This chicken and onion stir-fry is best consumed fresh right out of the pan with hot steamed rice. The sauce will soak into the rice and create an incredible taste.
Store leftover stir-fry in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to four days. Reheat leftovers in the pan over medium heat, adding a tablespoon of water or broth to the pan to prevent sticking.
You can also freeze stir-fry for up to two months. Although the onions become less crispy after thawing, I often prefer freezing the chicken and sauce mixture separately and adding freshly-cooked rice to it during serving.
This dish tastes great for eating leftovers either as is with rice or stuffed into lettuce wraps.
This chicken stir-fry requires no special skills to prepare, but it tastes like a dish ordered from a takeaway place. Once you get the hang of cooking it, you will enjoy making this dish whenever you like. I hope it will become your favorite as well!
