Our 3 Favourite Oriental Chicken Recipes

Often, meat is a key ingredient in East Asian dishes. Chicken is one of the most commonly used meat ingredients, and is enjoyed with noodles, rice and on its own. Here are three of our favourite oriental recipes using chicken.

Thai Green Curry

This dish is enjoyed for its creamy texture, yet fiery kick. Using ready made oriental pastes can save a lot of time and will knock a lot of ingredients off the list!

500g chicken breast, cut into strips

400ml tinned coconut milk

2 tbsp Thai green curry paste

2 tbsp Thai fish sauce

1 tbsp oil

1 tbsp sugar

100g mushrooms, sliced

50g green beans

Method

1. Heat up the oil in a large pan or wok, and add in the Thai green curry paste. Stir fry this for about a minute before adding in the strips of chicken, ensuring that they are fully coated in the paste. Stir fry until the chicken is cooked.
2. Mix in the fish sauce, coconut milk, sugar and mushrooms, and bring to the boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
3. Add in the green beans and simmer for another couple of minutes, stirring often. Serve with Thai rice.

Sesame Chicken

Sesame Chicken is a Chinese dish popularised by takeaways and restaurants throughout the Western world. As we well know, takeaway food can be particularly greasy, and not all that healthy, which goes against many of the principles held by Chinese cookery. Here is our healthier take on sesame chicken, simple enough to enjoy at home:

Ingredients

4 skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips

32g flour

32g sugar

4 tbsp soy sauce

2 tbsp sesame seeds, toasted

½ tsp dark sesame oil

¼ tsp black pepper

Method

1. Fill a plastic food bag with the flour and pepper and add the chicken strips. Seal the bag and shake, so that the chicken is well coated in the flour and seasoning.
2. Heat a little oil or cooking spray in a nonstick frying pan or wok, over a high heat.
3. Add the chicken pieces and cook for around four minutes. Ensuring that they are not pink, place the cooked chicken pieces on a plate and set aside.
4. Add the soy sauce and sugar to the pan and heat until the sugar is dissolved, stirring occasionally. Mix in the sesame oil and toasted sesame seeds.
5. Add the chicken to the sauce mix and coat well. Serve immediately.

Chicken Satay

Chicken satay is a great appetiser or starter course to kick off an oriental inspired feast! Make sure you have some skewers to hand to make these properly.

Ingredients

Chicken:

4 chicken breasts, cut into strips

125 ml coconut milk

1 tbsp fish sauce

1 tbsp chopped fresh coriander

2 tsp curry powder

1 tsp sugar

½ tsp salt

½ tsp pepper

Sauce:

130g smooth peanut butter

125 ml chicken stock

3 tbsp soy sauce

2 tbsp rice vinegar

1 tbsp sesame oil

2 tbsp sugar

1 tsp grated ginger

Method

1. The first step is to marinade the chicken in the chicken ingredients. To do this, thoroughly combine the coconut milk, fish sauce, sugar, coriander, curry and seasoning in a bowl. Put the chicken in a big plastic food bag and pour the mixture over it.
2. Seal the bag, and rub the marinade into the chicken. Put the bag in the fridge and leave to chill for around three hours, but occasionally shake up the bag to ensure that all of the chicken is thoroughly covered.
3. Next, make the sauce by combining all of the sauce ingredients in a pan, and bring to boil. Whisk the mixture until it is smooth, for around two minutes. Remove it from the heat and leave it to cool.
4. Removing each slice of chicken from the marinade, pop a skewer into each and lay on a preheated grill for around 6 minutes. Turn half way through cooking to ensure that it is fully cooked throughout. Serve with the sauce.

What is your favourite Asian-inspired chicken recipe? Let us know!