It is easy to make your Chinese food recipes at home! This Hunan chicken recipe is a stir-fried chicken dish with vegetables and a family favorite. The sauce is sticky and rich and this recipe will make you think you’re at a Chinese restaurant. It’s a quick and easy dish that can be made in one pan and takes less than half an hour to create. As you like, you can make this Americanized Hunan chicken as mild or spicy as you like. It goes well with a wide range of popular Chinese-style sides and will become your new favorite dinner every week. Everyone will agree that it’s way better than take-out!.
Hunan chicken has become a beloved fixture on Chinese restaurant menus across America. But what exactly gives this fiery dish its distinct flavor? In this article, we’ll break down the key ingredients that define authentic Hunan chicken and make it irresistibly addictive.
A Taste of Hunan Province
Hunan chicken comes from Hunan province in the south-central part of China. Hunan food is famous for using a lot of chili peppers, garlic, and shallots, which give many dishes a spicy and pungent flavor.
When it comes to Hunan chicken specifically the magic lies in the sauce. An authentic Hunan chicken sauce marries sweet salty, spicy, and sour elements to create a complex harmony of flavors. Let’s look at some of the classic ingredients that deliver this multi-dimensional taste.
Soy Sauce
Hunan chicken sauce is built on soy sauce, which gives it a salty and umami flavor. People like Chinese light soy sauce better than dark soy sauce because it has a cleaner flavor that isn’t too strong. The soy sauce melds beautifully with the other seasonings.
Rice Wine
Soy sauce is salty, and rice wine makes it a little less salty. It also gives the sauce a slightly alcoholic edge that makes the flavors stronger overall. Chinese Shaoxing rice wine is most commonly used.
Rice Vinegar
Adding rice vinegar to Hunan chicken gives it a bright acidity that cuts through the dish’s richness. It also provides a tangy contrast to the spicy chilies. Because it tastes complex and almost smokey, Chinkiang black rice vinegar has been used for a long time.
Chili Peppers
What would Hunan chicken be without heat? Chili peppers are indispensable, injecting the sauce with a fiery jolt. Small dried red chilies are commonly used, sometimes along with spicy chili oil. Sichuan peppercorns may also be added for their characteristic numbing effect.
Garlic
Lots of minced garlic is essential for infusing Hunan chicken with pungent, aromatic flavor. It’s often added toward the end of cooking to preserve its raw potency. Slow-cooked black garlic can also be used for a sweet, molasses-like depth.
Ginger
Ginger acts as the perfect spicy sidekick to garlic, amplifying the sauce’s vibrancy. Young ginger is preferred for its extra zing. It is typically julienned before being fried briefly in oil to mellow and concentrate its flavor.
Scallions
Scallions balance the assertive spices in Hunan chicken with their fresh, grassy flavor. Both the white and green parts are used to add textural interest and brightness.
Fermented Black Beans
Black beans lend an intense, salty savoriness to Hunan chicken. They are fermented and dried to develop deep umami notes. A small amount goes a long way in seasoning the dish.
Brown Sugar
A touch of brown sugar caramelizes the sauce, while also gently taming the heat of the chilies. It brings a subtle sweetness and complexity to the party.
Chicken
Boneless, skinless chicken thighs are preferred for their richer taste and tender texture after velveting, though breast meat also works. The chicken is usually cut into bite-sized pieces, marinated, then stir-fried to sear the exterior.
Vegetable Accents
Onions, bell peppers, celery, water chestnuts, and mushrooms can be stir-fried along with the chicken to provide crunch, moisture, and balanced flavors. Still, the sauce remains the spotlight.
So there you have it—the essential ingredients that give Hunan chicken its addictively spicy, complex and balanced flavor profile. With the right combination of soy, vinegar, garlic, chilies and more, you can recreate the iconic taste of Hunan cuisine right in your own kitchen. Just be ready for a thrill ride for your tastebuds.
How to Make Hunan Chicken Stir Fry
For more detailed instructions with weights and measurements, jump to the printable recipe card.
Put the chicken in a bowl with cornstarch, salt, and pepper. Then, add the chicken pieces and fry them in olive oil until they turn brown. Cook the vegetables: Stir fry the vegetables until tender, adding the garlic and baby corn afterwards and cooking for another minute. Make the Hunan chicken sauce: Whisk the broth, soy sauce, rice vinegar, honey, chili paste, and some cornstarch to make the spicy Hunan sauce. The finishing touches: Add the chicken and sauce to the pan and bring to a simmer, cooking until thickened. Serve over boiled or steamed rice, noodles or with your preferred side dishes.
Option without gluten: If you want an option without gluten, make sure that both the chicken broth and the soy sauce are gluten-free. A different protein: Thinly sliced chicken thighs, pork, beef, or shrimp would also work in this recipe. Asparagus, zucchini, mushrooms, green or yellow bell peppers, green onions, and carrots would all work in Hunan chicken. For a Szechuan touch, add cashews or peanuts for crunch. These are common in Szechuan cooking and taste great in many Hunan recipes. Make it sweeter: Add extra honey or swap half the soy sauce for oyster sauce. A splash of pineapple juice would also work.
Hunan Chicken Recipe FAQs
This Chinese-American dish originates from China’s Hunan Province. Hunan is known for its use of tart flavors and chili peppers. Hunan chicken is made with chicken and stir-fried vegetables, and thickened with cornstarch which gives it a sticky texture and rich flavor. It’s a popular restaurant pick and also super-easy to recreate in the comfort of your own kitchen!
You can make Hunan chicken as spicy or as mild as you prefer. If you make it as written, you can expect a medium heat, so reduce or increase the amount of chili paste to suit your palate.
Both of these Chinese cuisines are known for their spicy dishes. Hunan cuisine tends to use fresh chilies or chili paste while Szechuan cuisine typically uses dried chilies along with Sichuan peppers, along with lots of onions and garlic. Hunan recipes include plenty of vegetables while Szechuan dishes often have seeds such as sesame seeds or nuts like cashews or peanuts.
Best Hunan Chicken Stir Fry
FAQ
What is typically in Hunan chicken?
Hunan chicken typically features stir-fried chicken and vegetables in a savory, spicy, and slightly sweet sauce. The dish is known for its bold flavors, often incorporating fresh chilies, garlic, ginger, and a variety of vegetables like bell peppers, broccoli, and carrots.
What are the ingredients in Hunan food?
People love Hunan food because it has strong, spicy flavors that come from things like garlic, fresh and dried chilies, and fermented black beans. Key components of Hunan dishes also include soy sauce, oyster sauce, rice vinegar, and often a touch of sweetness from honey or sugar.
What are the allergens in Hunan chicken?
This dish also has allergens in it, like soy, wheat, sesame, and egg, so people who are allergic to those things should stay away from it. A serving of Hunan Chicken from Panda Express contains 13 grams of fat. This fat content combines both saturated and unsaturated fats.
What are the little black beans in Hunan chicken?
Fermented black beans are the key flavor contributor to this Hunan Chicken recipe. Known as Dòu Chǐ/豆豉, they are black soybeans preserved with salt and spices. You can find them in many regional Chinese cuisines, including Hunan, Sichuan, and Cantonese.