Thai-Style Chopped Chicken
Before the cultural appropriation police come knocking, know I make no claims of authenticity regarding this Thai-style chopped chicken, save one: it’s delicious.
This is an immodest claim, but the ingredients do all the work. And yes, the ingredient list is longish, but committed cooks likely have most of this stuff hanging around already.
Incidentally, the chicken here is ground, not chopped. But “Thai-Style Ground Chicken” sounded like something you’d be served in an institution, like gruel. Not that “Thai-style chopped chicken” will win any awards.
We all have better things to worry about.
Unrelated to anything in this post.
Whatever you call it, the recipe owes much to the classic Thai Lettuce Cups, where minced chicken is cooked in a tasty sauce and served atop fresh lettuce cups. Should you wish to serve Thai-style chopped chicken thus, I won’t stop you. We prefer our Thai-style chicken atop rice, or perhaps rice noodles, with a green salad alongside.
The salads pictured above were served at another meal. But they’re salads. You get the idea. Green healthy things.
A note on ingredients before getting down to it. There are two kinds of oyster sauce: the cheap and the expensive. The cheap stuff tastes of salt chemicals and will add nothing to your cooking. Believe me, I tried getting away with it. The expensive stuff is poorly pictured below. If budget permits, buy it. Once home, unscrew the cap, breathe deep (the gathering gloom, watch lights fade…), and dip in a clean fingertip. Taste. I rest my case.
I forgot to photograph the sweet soy sauce, also known as Kecap Manis. Happily cheaper than oyster sauce, sweet soy sauce keeps well and is useful in marinades and barbecue sauces.
Pretty filler picture.
Thai-style chopped chicken may be served over rice, rice noodles, or, most authentically, in fresh lettuce cups. If you are fortunate enough to have leftovers, they’re delicious at any temperature. No matter how much chicken I buy, we rarely have leftovers.
Thai-Style Chopped Chicken
Yield: 2-3 servings
Preparation time: about 25 minutes
Please see notes for discussion of variations and options.
1 pound/454 grams ground chicken, preferably with some fat
1-2 tablespoons minced garlic (to taste)
1/2-1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
the white parts of two scallions or green onions, minced, green parts saved for serving
1 tablespoon regular soy sauce
2 tablespoons sweet soy sauce
2 tablespoons oyster sauce
2 teaspoons chili oil
2 teaspoons sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon Shaoxing rice wine
1 tablespoon brown rice vinegar (regular unseasoned rice vinegar is fine, too)
one 8 ounce/227g can sliced water chestnuts, minced
good grinding white pepper (black, okay, too)
Peanut or grapeseed oil, for the pan
Optional additions:
Lemon or lime juice
Sriracha, hot pepper flakes, or thinly sliced chile peppers
the reserved scallion greens
To serve with the chicken:
Rice, rice noodles, and/or fresh lettuce cups
There are two ways to prepare Thai-style chopped chicken: the lazy way and the better way.
To cook Thai-style chopped chicken the lazy way, mix all the ingredients in a large bowl. Take your biggest heavy frying pan or wok, heat it, and pour in about two tablespoons of peanut oil. Empty the chicken mixture into the pan, taking care not to splatter yourself, and stir fry chicken until cooked through. Taste for seasoning, adding whatever you think is needed: more salt, a squeeze of lemon or lime juice, a pinch of hot pepper. Serve with rice, rice noodles, or lettuce cups.
To cook Thai-Style Chopped Chicken the better way:
Mince the garlic, ginger, and white parts of the scallions. Set aside. Mince the water chestnuts. Set aside. I generally use a large cutting board for both tasks.
In a 4 quart/liter bowl, mix the soy sauces, oyster sauce, chile oil, sesame oil, brown rice vinegar, and rice wine with the ground chicken.
Set a large wok or large, heavy frying pan on the stove over high heat. Add two tablespoons of cooking oil. Add the garlic, ginger, and scallion whites. Turn heat down to medium high and stir-fry for about thirty seconds.
Add the bowl of ground chicken, stirring to break up the meat, cooking for about a minute. When the meat has changed color and loses its raw look, tip in the water chestnuts, stirring continually.
If the mixture is drying out, add some rice wine. Stand back from the pan to avoid getting spattered.
Chicken will take between 5-7 minutes to cook through, depending on your pan and the burner heat. Meat should be completely brown without any pinkness.
Taste for seasoning, adding salt, pepper, a good squeeze of lemon or lime juice, and/or hot pepper mixture of your choice. Thinly slice or tear the green parts of the scallion and add to the dish, if desired.
Serve Thai-style chopped chicken with over rice, rice noodles or with lettuce.
Thai-Style Chopped Chicken may be refrigerated in a covered dish up to three days. Freeze up to two months.
Notes:
I use pre-ground chicken breasts in this dish, but ground chicken thigh is ideal. If you have the patience, buy whole thighs and grind them yourself using a food processor. If you are deft with knives, chop chicken very finely by hand, using a cleaver (or two cleavers, should you have them.)
Ground pork would also work here, as would five spice tofu. I have not tried any the meat substitutes currently on the market, so cannot say how they would taste here. If you want to try, let me know how it comes out.
Delicious vegetable additions: fresh sliced mushrooms, red peppers, bean sprouts. Swap the water chestnuts for canned sliced bamboo shoots. If fresh water chestnuts and/or bamboo shoots are available, grab them.
The spice element in this dish is personal, as always. I like flamingly spicy dishes; my spouse doesn’t share my proclivities. You can add freshly sliced hot chile pepper on the side for those who like chile heat, or put a bottle of Sriracha on the table.
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