Description
Chinese almond chicken unites tender chicken pieces with crispy roasted almonds in a savory sauce that mixes smoothly faster than you’d think. Your dinner table gets a restaurant-quality dish when you combine soy sauce, ginger, and garlic with simple pantry ingredients that make this go-to recipe something you reach for again and again.
Ingredients
Scale
Chicken and Marinade:
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 teaspoon ginger, minced or grated
- 1 chicken breast, cut into small cubes
Sauce:
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 1/4 cup chicken broth
- 1/4 cup sherry wine or white wine
- 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
Stir-Fry Mix-ins:
- 4 ounces almonds, slivered or halved
- 3 tablespoons oil, divided
- 4 ounces snow peas, sliced
- 5 ounces water chestnuts or bamboo shoots, drained and sliced
Instructions
- Combine 3 tablespoons soy sauce with 1 teaspoon cornstarch in a large bowl, stirring until the cornstarch dissolves completely.
- Mix your minced 2 garlic cloves and 1 teaspoon grated ginger into the soy mixture.
- Add your cubed chicken breast to the bowl and let it marinate at room temperature for 15 to 20 minutes.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together 1 teaspoon cornstarch, 1/4 cup chicken broth, 1/4 cup sherry wine, and 2 teaspoons sugar, then set this sauce mixture aside.
- Heat your wok or large frying pan over medium-high heat for about 1 minute until hot.
- Add 4 ounces of slivered almonds to the dry wok and toast them for 4 to 5 minutes at medium-high heat, stirring frequently until they turn golden and fragrant, then transfer to a clean plate.
- Pour 1 tablespoon oil into your wok and heat it for 30 seconds over medium-high heat.
- Add 5 ounces of drained and sliced water chestnuts and 4 ounces of sliced snow peas to the hot oil, cooking them for 30 seconds at medium-high heat while stirring, then remove to a plate.
- Add the remaining 2 tablespoons oil to your wok and heat for 30 seconds over medium-high heat.
- Add your marinated chicken to the hot oil and cook for 2 minutes at medium-high heat, stirring constantly until the pieces turn white and firm throughout.
- Return the almonds and vegetables to your wok, pour in the sauce mixture, and stir everything together over medium-high heat for about 1 to 2 minutes until the sauce thickens and coats all the ingredients.
- Transfer your dish to a serving plate and serve it alongside rice, noodles, or lettuce.
Notes
- Toast your almonds in a dry pan first to bring out their flavor, and watch them closely since they go from golden to burnt quickly.
- Marinate the chicken for the full 15 to 20 minutes so it absorbs the soy and garlic flavors throughout, not just on the surface.
- Keep all your ingredients prepped and ready before you start cooking, since the wok moves fast and there’s no time to chop once things heat up.
- If you’re cooking for a gluten-free diet, swap regular soy sauce for tamari or coconut aminos to keep the same savory depth.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 8 minutes
- Category: More Fried Chicken
- Method: Frying
- Cuisine: Chinese
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 2
- Calories: 540 kcal
- Sugar: 6 g
- Sodium: 1100 mg
- Fat: 38 g
- Saturated Fat: 5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 33 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 22 g
- Fiber: 4 g
- Protein: 36 g
- Cholesterol: 75 mg