A quick and easy stir fry for dinner is always a good way to go. This sesame ginger chicken stir fry requires a bit of prep and marinating time. But cooking time is a breeze at less than 10 minutes!
Tips on Meal Prepping
Meal prepping is a way of life. It does not just involve cooking all on one day and then you’re done for the week.
Tip #1: Try to sneak 10-30 minutes in the morning or evening to chop up vegetables, aromatics, and marinate meat. That way, when lunch or dinner time come around, you only need another 10-30 minutes to quickly cook.
Tip #2: Add stir fries into your weekly meal prep. They are healthy, quick, easy, and delicious.
Tip #3: Add variety into your meals. If you only meal prep 1 dish, you will become bored very easily. The key is to have 2-3 dishes that you can alternate so that you have enough variety in your meals.
Tip #4: Aim to cook/meal prep every other day. That way you have fresh meals, but you don’t tire yourself out by cooking every single day.
Tip #5: Stews and soups are a great meal prep idea. Just chop everything up, do a quick saute (if needed), and then you let it simmer on low while you get on with your day.
Tip #6: Use your oven. Roasting a bunch of meat and veggies is a yummy and healthy way to easily meal prep.
When to Use Sesame Oil
There are certain types of Asian cuisine that utilize sesame oil and certain instances in which it really enhances the flavor of the dish. But please don’t assume that you’re making good Asian food just because you’re putting in sesame oil. That is one of the biggest mistakes you can make.
Many Asian dishes rely on other flavorings (e.g., ginger, garlic, galangal, kaffir lime leaf, lemongrass) for their umami and if you add sesame oil, it can be overpowering and make for a strange tasting dish. For example, Thai and Vietnamese foods do not rely much on sesame oil. So if you add sesame oil to a pad Thai dish or to your pho broth, your flavors will be off. That is not to say you shouldn’t be creative when you’re cooking Asian food. There is lots of room to play with fusion style cooking. But just be aware that sesame oil needs to be used carefully and cautiously, not gratuitously into every stir fry like you see on cooking shows. Sesame oil pairs nicely with ginger and soy sauce in this sesame ginger chicken stir fry.
So when do you use sesame oil?
-dipping sauce, e.g., dumpling chili sauce, ginger scallion oil
-add a splash onto a bowl of congee
-add some to salt for Korean bbq dipping sauce
-in many Korean dishes
-in some Chinese dishes, e.g., 3 cups chicken, marinating meats for stir fry, seasoning for dumpling filling
For stir fry dishes that do not involve sesame oil, check out my steak stir fry, Thai beef stir fry
Sesame Ginger Chicken Stir Fry
Ingredients
- 2 lb chicken thighs cut into thin slices
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp dark soy sauce
- 1 tsp regular soy sauce
- 2 tbsp oyster sauce
- 2 tsp sugar
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 1 tbsp corn starch
- 1 tbsp canola oil
- 4 inch piece of ginger
- 1 bunch green onion
Instructions
- Marinate chicken strips in salt, soy sauce, dark soy sauce, oyster sauce, sugar, sesame oil, and corn starch. Allow to sit at least 30 minutes.
- Then heat a large cast iron skillet or wok to high heat. Add oil. When oil is shimmery, add in ginger. Allow ginger to saute for 2 minutes. Then add in marinated chicken.
- Allow to brown 3 minutes per side without touching. Then begin to turn chicken over and stir around in the skillet. Cook for another 3-5 minutes, or until chicken is just cooked through. Then add in green onion and saute for another minute.
- Serve with steamed white rice.
One thought on “Sesame Ginger Chicken Stir Fry”