Hunan Chicken combines thin browned chicken with broccoli, celery, red bell pepper, and baby corn in a glossy garlic-chili sauce. The sauce is mixed first, the chicken cooks alone, and the vegetables follow so each component keeps its texture before everything is reunited. The verified recipe serves four and records 15 minutes of preparation, 10 minutes of cooking, and 25 minutes total.
Hunan Chicken Ingredients
Stir Fry Ingredients: 1 tablespoon vegetable oil or cooking oil of choice; 2 chicken breasts, boneless skinless, thinly sliced; 1 cup cornstarch; 1 teaspoon salt; 1 teaspoon pepper; 1 tablespoon vegetable oil or cooking oil of choice; 2 tablespoons minced garlic; 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced; 1 ½ cups broccoli florets, cut into bite-sized pieces; 1 cup celery, thinly sliced; 1 red bell pepper, cut into bite-sized pieces; 1 can baby corn, drained and halved.
Hunan Sauce: 1 cup chicken broth; 2 tablespoons cornstarch; 2 tablespoons soy sauce (regular or low sodium, do not use sweet soy sauce or dark soy sauce); 1 tablespoon oyster sauce; 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar (or substitute with rice vinegar, apple cider vinegar, or white vinegar); 2 tablespoons honey or sugar; 2 teaspoons sambal olek garlic chili sauce or sriracha.
Garnish (Optional): Sesame seeds; Green onions, finely diced.
If you enjoy this recipe, you may also like Baked Rigatoni with Sausage.
How to Make Hunan Chicken
- Prepare the Hunan Sauce: In a small bowl, combine all of the Hunan sauce ingredients. Mix well and set aside.
- Coat the Chicken: Place the chicken, ¼ cup of cornstarch, salt, and pepper in a Ziploc bag. Shake to coat evenly. Alternatively, you can mix the cornstarch, salt, and pepper in a bowl and coat the chicken pieces by tossing them in the mixture.
- Stir Fry the Chicken: Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large skillet, frying pan, or wok over high heat. Add the chicken and stir fry until it starts to brown. Avoid overcrowding the pan and cook in batches if necessary. Remove the cooked chicken from the pan and set aside.
- Stir Fry Aromatics and Vegetables: Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil to the pan. Stir in the minced garlic and ginger, stir frying for about 5 seconds. Add the vegetables and stir fry for 2-3 minutes.
- Add Sauce and Chicken: Pour the prepared Hunan sauce into the pan. Let it bubble and thicken for 1-2 minutes. Reduce the heat to low and stir in the cooked chicken until evenly coated.
- Serve and Garnish: Serve the dish with rice or noodles. Garnish with sesame seeds and finely chopped green onions. Enjoy!
For storage details after serving, the USDA leftovers and food safety guidance.
Why the Order Matters
Whisk one cup chicken broth, two tablespoons cornstarch, two tablespoons regular or low-sodium soy sauce, one tablespoon oyster sauce, one tablespoon rice wine vinegar, two tablespoons honey or sugar, and two teaspoons sambal oelek or sriracha; set aside. Although the ingredient list records one cup cornstarch, the coating instruction specifically directs one-quarter cup: place that one-quarter cup with two thinly sliced chicken breasts, one teaspoon salt, and one teaspoon pepper in a bag or bowl and toss evenly. Heat one tablespoon oil in a large skillet or wok over high heat. Stir-fry chicken until it starts to brown, working in batches if needed, then remove it. Add the second tablespoon oil. Stir-fry two tablespoons garlic and one tablespoon ginger for about five seconds. Add 1.5 cups broccoli, one cup celery, one bite-size red bell pepper, and one drained, halved can of baby corn; stir-fry 2–3 minutes. Pour in sauce, bubble 1–2 minutes until thick, lower heat, and return chicken until coated. Serve with optional sesame seeds and green onion.
If you enjoy this recipe, you may also like Greek Meatball Pitas.
Critical Visual and Timing Cues
The source contains a real distinction that must stay visible: its ingredient list says one cup cornstarch, while its coating direction calls for one-quarter cup. Follow the explicit coating instruction rather than silently rewriting either record. Slice chicken thinly and keep the wok hot. If pieces crowd, batch them so they brown. Garlic and ginger get only about five seconds before vegetables enter, preventing scorching. Broccoli should remain green, celery crisp, and pepper defined after 2–3 minutes. Stir the premixed sauce again before pouring because cornstarch settles. It is ready after 1–2 minutes of bubbling when glossy sauce clings to a spoon and chicken.
Serving and Storage
Serve four portions while the sauce is glossy and vegetables remain crisp-tender. Rice or noodles are recorded serving choices but are not measured ingredients, so prepare either separately if desired. Sesame seeds and finely diced green onions are optional garnishes. Cool leftovers quickly and refrigerate airtight. Reheat briefly in a hot skillet with a spoonful of water or broth rather than prolonged simmering, which softens vegetables. The source estimates 480 calories per serving and does not provide numeric carbohydrate, fat, or protein values.
Practical Kitchen Notes
Use regular or low-sodium soy sauce, never sweet soy sauce or dark soy sauce. Rice wine vinegar may be replaced with rice vinegar, apple cider vinegar, or white vinegar. Honey and sugar are verified alternatives at two tablespoons. Sambal oelek garlic chili sauce and sriracha are alternatives at two teaspoons. Baby corn is drained and halved before cooking. The two tablespoons oil appear as two separate one-tablespoon additions: first for chicken, second for aromatics and vegetables. The dish contains chicken, soy, and oyster sauce; check packaged sauces for gluten and allergens.
Details Worth Preserving
Mix sauce before heating the wok so the short stir-fry never pauses. Use a large skillet, frying pan, or wok as recorded. Remove browned chicken completely before vegetables enter, then return it only after sauce thickens. Do not add carrots, onions, mushrooms, water chestnuts, or zucchini because none is part of the verified recipe. The optional serving starch is not cooked in the wok. Keep high heat for browning and vegetables, then reduce to low after the sauce bubbles. This order prevents dry chicken and gives cornstarch time to thicken without sticking.
Recorded Recipe Tips
- Use high heat when stir frying to ensure the chicken and vegetables cook quickly without becoming soggy.
- Prepare all ingredients in advance to keep the cooking process smooth and efficient.
Conclusion
Hunan Chicken makes 4 servings in 25 recorded minutes, plus any separately stated baking, chilling, rising, resting, or cooling time. Preserve every listed quantity and instruction for the intended result.
Frequently Asked Questions
- → How many servings does Hunan Chicken make?
It makes 4 servings and serves 4.
- → How long does Hunan Chicken take?
The recipe records 15 minutes of preparation, 10 minutes of cooking, and 25 minutes total, plus any separately stated baking, chilling, rising, resting, or cooling time.
- → Which soy sauce should be used for Hunan Chicken?
Use regular or low-sodium soy sauce. The verified recipe specifically says not to use sweet soy sauce or dark soy sauce.
- → How long should the vegetables stir-fry?
After the five-second garlic-and-ginger start, stir-fry broccoli, celery, red pepper, and baby corn for 2–3 minutes.