A family favorite. I like the texture of hand minced chicken much better than that of ground chicken. It’s very quick and easy to do if you have a good sharp knife. It is important not to overcook chicken breast meat or it will be dry and tough. My method of letting the minced chicken sit undisturbed in a single layer until almost cooked through will keep it moist and tender….our home cooktops just don’t get hot enough to stir-fry effectively most of the time.
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4 large boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 tablespoons peanut oil
salt
1 can bamboo shoots, diced
1 can water chestnuts, diced
1/2 cup scallions, sliced
3/4 cup celery, diced
3 tablespoons oyster sauce
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes, or more to taste
1 teaspoon cornstarch dissolved in 1 tablespoon water
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
1 tablespoon white sesame seeds
salt and pepper to taste
lettuce leaves for wrapping
Sauce:
1/4 cup Hoisin sauce
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon sesame oil
Trim chicken of all visible fat and, using a large knife, slice lengthwise and then crosswise to get 1/4 inch minced pieces. Season with 1 tablespoon soy sauce, a sprinkle of salt and pepper, and set aside. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in wok or large skillet until very hot. Sprinkle the oil with a pinch of salt and add 1/2 of the minced chicken and quickly spread it out to cook evenly. Let cook undisturbed for about 2-3 minutes or until the the chicken is golden brown on the bottom. Then toss the minced chicken around a for a few seconds (at which point the chicken will be almost cooked through) then remove to a platter while you repeat with the remaining chicken. After the last of the chicken has been cooked and set aside, stir fry the bamboo shoots, water chestnuts, scallions and celery for 2 minutes, adding a bit more oil only if necessary. Return chicken to the pan. Add the oyster sauce, soy sauce, sugar, red pepper flakes, and cornstarch mixture and cook, tossing constantly, until chicken is cooked through and all ingredients are nicely glazed. Remove from heat and drizzle with sesame oil and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Taste and season with salt and black pepper if necessary. Mix sauce ingredients together in small serving bowl. Arrange serving platter with lettuce leaves, minced chicken and sauce.
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