Princess Chicken (Asian-Style Recipe)

If you’re in the mood for a dinner fit for royalty, you have to try out this easy princess chicken recipe! 

This is the perfect replacement for expensive takeout, and it tastes better, too.

The chicken is marinated with a sweet and savory glaze that’s out of this world.

And with dried peppers and peppercorns, there’s a little heat behind the soy and sake glaze.

Prepare your tastebuds for one tasty meal and make this princess chicken tonight.

Easy Princess Chicken Recipe

There’s never a lack of great Asian cuisine, and this recipe is no exception!

If you’ve never had it, princess chicken is a common takeout dish that’s simple to make at home.

The recipe begins by marinating the chicken in a combination of soy sauce, ginger, sake, and cornstarch.

Once that flavor has been absorbed, it’s stir-fried until tender and lightly browned.

A wok is the preferred pan for properly preparing this meal, but any large pan will do.

As long as you have plenty of room, this chicken will turn out great!

Ingredients 

• Boneless Chicken – You can’t have princess chicken without the chicken! Any cuts will do, from breasts to thighs. Just be sure you remove any skin and bones.
• Cornstarch – This will help to thicken up the sauce so it’s not too runny. Without it, you’ll find the liquid components don’t hold together.
• Salt, Soy Sauce, Ginger, Sesame Oil, Hot Red Peppers, and Szechuan Peppercorns – All these seasonings create the flavor profile of your dish. For a more savory dish, you can increase the soy sauce or sesame oil. For more heat, add more peppers and peppercorns!
• Sake – Rather than the typical drinking sake, use a cooking rice wine, aka sake! Mirin, Shaoxing wine, or sherry will do the trick. 
• Sugar – A little sugar in this savory sauce has a couple of uses. It will help to thicken the sauce, so it sticks nicely to the chicken. It also adds a touch of sweetness to balance the salty and spicy components. 
• Oil – You want to select an oil with a higher smoke point, so you can stir fry easily. Canola, peanut, and grapeseed are some of my favorites!
• Chopped Peanuts – These are totally optional, but add a bit of crunch to the final dish. You can add more or less to your preferences!
• Rice – No great chicken stir-fry can be served without a bed of rice. Depending on your grain will change the texture of the cooked rice. Short grains are stickier, while long grains are more tender and fluffy.

How to Make Princess Chicken 

This recipe is quite simple to make and has three main steps.

First, prepare the chicken, then the art of stir-frying begins! After the chicken is cooked through, add the sauce and let it thicken.

There’s plenty of time to prep other ingredients while the chicken marinates to make a full dinner in just 45 minutes.

Step 1 – Prepare the chicken and sauce.

After removing any skin, bones, and tendons from the chicken, then chop it into pieces. Try to keep the chicken to about 1-inch squares. 

Then, combine cornstarch and soy sauce in a medium bowl and add the chicken.

Be sure each piece of chicken is coated, and let sit for 30 minutes. 

While the chicken sits, prepare the stir-fry sauce and set it aside. This allows the flavors to marinate together before adding to the hot pan.

If you’re making rice with this dish, this is a good time to start.

Depending on how you prepare the rice (in a rice cooker or on the stovetop) it will take 20-30 minutes to cook. 

Step 2 – Cook the chicken.

Heat the oil in the wok and gently stir-fry the chicken until it’s lightly browned. Remove most of the oil, and set the chicken aside. 

Add dried peppers and peppercorns to the oil and fry briefly until fragrant. Be careful not to burn your spices! 

Add the chicken back to the oil and spices along with minced ginger, and stir-fry it for about another minute.

If you’re adding any vegetables, stir-fry them before adding to the sauce.

Step 3 – Sauce the chicken. 

Add the stir-fry sauce to the wok with the chicken and spices.

Continue to stir gently until the sauce thickens and sticks to the chicken. 

If you heat the sauce too long, it will become very sticky. Be sure not to burn it, as the sugar in the sauce lowers the flash point!

Stir in the peanuts just before serving over hot rice.

How to Store 

Princess chicken is a great recipe to use for prepping delicious lunches. 

If you plan to make this meal for future lunches, reserve the stir-fry sauce until it’s time to eat.

It will thicken up when you warm up the chicken and keep the chicken from drying out. 

If you happen to have leftovers, they will keep in the fridge for 3-4 days.

Be sure you store them in an air-tight container, separate from the rice. 

Otherwise, the rice will soak up all the sauce and dry out the chicken!

Can You Freeze Princess Chicken? 

Making meals ahead of time helps to take pressure off the dinner table.

This recipe is perfect to prepare for a quick dinner in a flash!

Much like lunch prepping, you need to freeze the chicken and sauce separately.

When you’re ready to heat up the frozen meal, heat the chicken in your wok, or skillet. 

Then, add the sauce to the chicken and stir-fry until it’s thick and delicious. You’re ready to serve!

You can keep this recipe in the freezer for 2-3 months, stored in airtight containers. 

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