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Thai Garlic Pepper Chicken

Thai Garlic Pepper Chicken

Thai Garlic Pepper Chicken – so simple and so tasty. Thai cooking places emphasis on lightly prepared dishes with strong aromatic components and a spicy edge. Thai chef McDang characterizes Thai food as demonstrating “intricacy; attention to detail; texture; color; taste; and the use of ingredients with medicinal benefits, as well as good flavor”, as well as care being given to the food’s appearance, smell and context.

 

Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 8 ounces chicken breast, partially frozen and sliced into thin bite-sized pieces
  • 4 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • Dark mushroom-flavored soy sauce, as needed for color, about 1 tsp.
  • 3/4 tsp palm sugar
  • 3/4 tsp freshly-ground white pepper (preferred) or freshly-ground black pepper or more to taste
  • 1 tsp Nam Pla (fish sauce) – TFD strongly prefers Red Boat 40° brand
  • 1 tsp. oyster sauce – Lee Kum Kee makes a good product
  • 2 tbsp peanut oil or more as needed
  • 1 tsp. Sichuan peppercorn oil (highly optional – this is not traditional at all, but TFD enjoys it in this recipe. If you want the original, omit)
  • 3 tbsp homemade chicken stock (preferred) or water
  • Cilantro leaves and stems, to garnish

Instructions

  1. Mix chicken with oyster sauce, soy sauce, palm sugar, fish sauce, and white pepper. Set aside while you fry garlic.
  2. In a small pot or wok, add the garlic, then add just enough peanut oil to cover the garlic.
  3. Fry garlic over low heat (gentle bubbling) until the garlic turns golden brown and the bubbling has mostly stopped, about 5 minutes. Drain garlic from oil, reserving the oil.
  4. In a wok, add about 2 Tbsp of the garlic oil and heat over high heat. Pour a tablespoon or so of the remaining garlic oil into the marinated chicken and stir. Add chicken to hot wok.
  5. Cook until the meat is done (about 5 minutes); if the meat begins to stick add a little chicken stock or water about 2 tbsp at a time. Add Sichuan peppercorn oil (if using) and more water, if needed and stir to combine.
  6. Stir thoroughly, allow to heat through then serve on a bed of rice, garnished with the coriander.