Ta Chien Chicken [Recipe]
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Chicken is an ingredient you can have a thousand recipes for, and it still won’t be enough. I love to try out different cuisines, ideas, and pairings, and this dish has it all. I’ve tried making this Ta Chien Chicken recipe only once up until now, so this was one of those taste-buds-awakening moments. And it was an amazing experience that I would love to share with you!
I served it with stir-fried vegetables for a pop of color on a base of egg noodles. This is a super filling and delicious lunch that touches all the right spots with its complex flavor profile. I hope you’ll like it as much as I do!
What Is Ta Chien Chicken?
Ta Chien Chicken comes from Chinese cuisine, so it’s rich in spices and flavors. You’ll get incredibly juicy chicken chopped in cubes over veggies bathed in sauces. The key for those flavors is marinating the meat in the sauces and crisping it in a burning hot pan.
This meal is ready in a swift, so it’s a super convenient option for a quick dinner. You will need a few special sauces, though, as without them, the taste is just not it. When it comes to taste, it’s everything: savory, spicy, tangy, with sweet notes, and deep umami flavor.
Ta Chien Chicken Ingredients
This dish has a few special ingredients that are maybe not staple in your household, but they are worth trying. For me, this was the first time to cook with some, and I can confirm they make the taste skyrocket. Let’s write them down!
- Chicken – Use boneless chicken thighs, as they have the perfect texture for this meal.
- Oil – Go for any frying oil; I used sunflower because of the neutral taste. For a finishing touch, I used chili-garlic oil to drizzle on top before serving. This gives the finishing kick, especially to noodles.
- Egg white – Egg white is there to create velvety consistency of marinade so liquid sauces won’t slip from the chicken. Also, it tenderizes the meat.
- Corn starch – Corn starch has a similar role to egg white because these two are chief in the famous “velveting chicken” process.
- Soy sauce – Soy sauce brings the umami taste to the table, along with saltiness and a touch of sweetness.
- Spices – Salt and pepper the chicken tights, but keep in mind that sauces are salty as well. I like to use a pinch of chili and granulated garlic for noodles.
- Ginger – Ginger gives a spicy kick and leaves a warm sensation, with being a bit sweet.
- Hoisin sauce – Besides its saltiness, hoisin sauce has a zing to it and some sweet notes. If you can’t find it, BBQ sauce is a good substitute as the flavor profiles are similar.
- Chili sauce – If you want heat, add your favorite chili sauce. You can skip it, though, if you want to soothe the final flavor.
- Chicken broth – The chicken broth is a fine base, so you don’t dilute the overall taste of the sauce.
- Noodles – I opted for classic egg noodles because I find them perfect here.
- Vegetables – Zucchini, red, and green bell pepper were my choices. You can alter it as you wish, but red bell peppers are a staple.
How to Make Ta Chien Chicken?
You need no special skill to prepare this scrumptious dish!
Step 1: Marinating the Chicken
Chop the boneless chicken thighs into ½ inch cubes, and place them into a bowl. Keep in mind that sauces are already salty, so hold back when sprinkling salt and pepper. Now add the next ingredients into the same bowl: egg white, corn starch, and soy sauce.
Use your fingers to mix the marinade and coat the chicken evenly. Set on the side.
Step 2: Chopping, Frying, and Simmering
Mince fresh ginger and some garlic, plus chop celery stick very finely. In a nonstick skillet, pour sunflower or any other frying oil and heat it up to high temperature. Arrange marinated chicken and fry it quickly to crisp it up.
A few minutes in the pan will be enough to form the crunch and adopt dark brown color. Take out the chicken and in the same pan, golden minced garlic. Add ginger and celery, fry for 2 minutes while stirring occasionally.
Mix up hoisin and chili sauce into the pan, as well, and add crisped chicken. Give it a proper stir and combine meat and sauce well. Pour in some chicken broth, and simmer lightly. Spice more according to your taste – but make sure you test it first!
When the broth is half reduced, mix up cornstarch in water and combine it with the sauce. Simmer a bit till you have a smooth, creamy consistency. Simmering will take about 10 minutes or so.
Step 3: Preparing the Sides
While the chicken is simmering slice zucchini, red, and green bell pepper. Ignite a bit of vegetable oil in a skillet and fry peppers first. When they soften, add zucchini, salt, and pepper, and finish frying.
This will take about 10 minutes. Boil some water and cook the noodles in it, 5 minutes is enough. Season it to taste – I usually add salt, chili, and garlic powder.
Step 4: Serving
On a plate, place the noodles first, and top them with saucy chicken and stir-fry vegetables. Drizzle it with chill-garlic oil and sprinkle with some chopped spring onion. Enjoy!
What to Serve with this Dish?
I served it with veggies and egg noodles, but if you’re not in the mood for that, here are some more ideas!
Rice
Rice is a traditional side of this dish. The chicken alone is glazy and has a specific flavor, so you can serve simple white rice, not abundant with spices. You can cook it or fry it – anything is delish!
Broccoli
Ta Chien chicken is usually served on a bed of steamed broccoli. You can fry it a bit, too, to crisp it up. I love to spice it up with garlic, as I find them much tastier like that.
Carrots
Honey-glazed carrots are super flavorsome with the chicken. They infuse the sweet-spicy sauce and go from bland to scrumptious really quickly. When coated in honey they blend with other flavors perfectly.
Water Chestnuts
These chestnuts are something that is served with this chicken traditionally. I couldn’t find them, but if you can – don’t skip it! They are everything: sweet, nutty, and tangy.
Rice Noodles
Rice noodles are also a fine side dish to serve with chicken. They are very light and almost tasteless, so they pair with full-flavored chicken exquisitely. Noodles will absorb all the flavors, so they are a good base to go for.
How to Store Leftovers?
Portion the chicken if you made a large batch, and refrigerate it for three days maximum in airtight containers. The chicken will be luscious even after a few days because it sits in spicy sauces. When you’re warming it, do it only once, and remember it burns easily, so be careful.
If you storing the sides, as well, place them in different Tupperware dishes. You can ice the chicken for three months, but when you’re heating it up, add some chicken broth. The chicken broth will keep the succulency and provide even heating.
Did you like this recipe? Let me know what you think in the comments below!
Ta Chien Chicken
Equipment
- nonstick skillet
Ingredients
Ta Chien Chicken
- 2 chicken thigh (boneless)
- 2 tbsp sunflower oil
- 1 egg white
- 2 tbsp corn starch (1 for the marinade and 1 for the sauce)
- 1 tsp soy sauce
- 1 pinch salt (or more to taste)
- 1 pinch pepper (or more to taste)
- 1 tsp ginger (fresh and minced)
- 1 tbsp celery (fresh and chopped)
- 4 cloves garlic (sliced)
- 1 tbsp Hoisin sauce
- 1 tbsp chilli sauce
- 1 cup chicken broth
Side Dishes
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 pinch pepper
- 1 pinch chilli flakes
- 1 pinch granulated garlic
- 1 block noodles
- ½ red bell pepper
- ½ green bell pepper
- ½ zucchini
- 1 tbsp chilli-garlic oil (For serving.)
Instructions
Marinating the Chicken
- Chop the boneless chicken thighs into ½ inch cubes, and place them into a bowl. Keep in mind that sauces are already salty, so hold back when sprinkling salt and pepper.
- Add the next ingredients into the same bowl: egg white, corn starch, and soy sauce.
- Use your fingers to mix the marinade and coat the chicken evenly. Set on the side.
Chopping, Frying, and Simmering
- Mince fresh ginger and some garlic, plus chop celery stick very finely.
- In a nonstick skillet, pour sunflower or any other frying oil and heat it up to high temperature. Arrange marinated chicken and fry it quickly to crisp it up.
- A few minutes in the pan will be enough to form the crunch and adopt dark brown color. Take out the chicken.
- In the same pan golden minced garlic. Add ginger and celery, fry for 2 minutes while stirring occasionally.
- Mix up hoisin and chili sauce into the same pan and add crisped chicken.
- Give it a proper stir and combine meat and sauce well. Pour in some chicken broth, and simmer lightly. Spice more according to your taste – but test it first!
- When the broth is half reduced, mix up cornstarch in water and combine it with the sauce. Simmering will take about 10 minutes
Preparing the Sides
- While the chicken is simmering slice zucchini, red, and green bell pepper.
- Ignite a bit of vegetable oil in a skillet and fry peppers first.
- When they soften, add zucchini, salt, and pepper, and finish frying. This will take about 10 minutes.
- Boil some water and cook the noodles in it, 5 minutes is enough. Season it to taste – salt, chili, and garlic powder.
Serving
- On a plate, place the noodles first, and top them with saucy chicken and stir-fry vegetables.
- Drizzle it with chill-garlic oil and sprinkle with some chopped spring onion. Enjoy!
Nutrition
Before diving into the nutritional details, please review our Nutritional Disclaimer page for important context and clarifications.
