How Japanese cook a tasty Stir-Fry. Chicken Breast and Vegetables Stir-Fry

Hi everyone, it's Kunihiro. Thank you for coming back to my kitchen. Today I'm going to show you how to make a quick and tasty chicken and vegetable stir-fry. This dish is easy to make and packed with protein and nutrients. It's perfect for those days I want to eat healthy without spending too much time in the kitchen. So let me show you how to make it. First, I'll So here I have 300 grams of skinless chicken breast, 1 tablespoon of soy sauce, 1 tablespoon of sake, 1 tablespoon of potato starch, and some salt. And for the vegetables, I have about 200 grams of cabbage, 1 green bell pepper, half a carrot, 60 grams of bean sprouts, 2 cloves of garlic, and 10 grams of fresh ginger. And for the sauce, I have half a tablespoon of soy sauce, one and a half tablespoons of oyster sauce, and 1 tablespoon of sake. For seasoning, I'll use salt and black pepper. And at the end of the cooking process, I'll thicken the sauce with potato starch. So I have half a tablespoon of potato starch and 1 tablespoon of water. All right, let's start by preparing the chicken breast. Some of you may already know this, but the chicken breast can be separated into three parts, each with the grain running in a different direction. So slicing against these grains helps the chicken remain tender even after cooking. First, let me cut it into three parts. Then we'll slice them into thin pieces. The grain runs this way in this part, so we'll slice against the grain like this. Aim for a thickness of about 5 millimeters. In this piece, the grain runs this way, so we'll angle the knife this way and cut. And as you reach the thinner part of the meat, you must tilt the knife more to achieve a consistent cross-section. Cutting into similar sized pieces is crucial because they cook evenly in the pan. In this last part, the grain runs this way, so we'll angle the knife this way and cut. And once again, as you reach the thinner part of the meat, be sure to tilt the knife a little more and continue cutting. Next, transfer the chicken pieces into a bowl, ensuring they're in a single layer like this. This way, you can easily see how much salt you are applying when seasoning. Then sprinkle two pinches of salt over the chicken pieces. Please imagine you are applying the second pinch to the other side of the chicken, so it's the same as seasoning both sides of the chicken pieces. After that, add one tablespoon of sake to eliminate any unwanted chicken smell and to help soften the meat. Then add one tablespoon of soy sauce to give the chicken a nice soy sauce aroma. Then please rub everything in thoroughly. And when the chicken absorbs all the liquid, it's done. So set it aside and let it marinate for 10 to 15 minutes. While waiting for the chicken, we'll finish the rest of the preparation. First, let's cut the cabbage. Please remove the core first. Then, with your hands, separate the the outer, middle, and inner layers. Start with the outer part and cut it into bite-sized pieces. Next, take the middle part and cut it into bite-sized pieces as well. The inner part is already in bite-sized pieces, so simply separate the layers. This way, you'll have evenly sized pieces of cabbage for your stir-fry. After cutting, separate all the layers so they will cook faster in the pan. If you find any thick hard stems like this one, please remove them as these parts take much longer to cook compared to the thinner parts. But don't throw them away. You can still use them by slicing them thinly. Next, please wash the cabbage and drain the water. Since excess moisture can make the stir-fry soggy, you need to drain the water well at this point. If you don't have a spinner, you can cover the strainer with a bowl and shake it like this. It works just like a spinner. And your cabbage is done. Next, let's prepare the green bell pepper. Wash it first and then cut it in half. Then, remove the stems and the seeds using your hands. And when cutting the bell peppers, place the outer side facing down to prevent your knife from slipping. Then, cut it into bite-sized pieces like this. Once done, you can keep them together with the cabbage since we'll add them to the pan at the same time. Next, wash the carrot and cut off the top end. You don't have to peel the skin. Then, slice one end of the carrot thinly to create a flat surface. Place the carrot on this flat surface so it doesn't move. Then, cut it into thin slices. Then, line them up like this. Exclude the end pieces since they are a little slippery and cut them into thin strips. Then, cut the end pieces as well. Transfer all the carrot strips to a bowl and it's done. Next, we'll chop the garlic. Start by crushing the garlic cloves with the side of the knife. Then, cut them thinly. Gather them and cut them again to make a rough chop. Transfer the chopped garlic to a small dish and the garlic is done. Next, cut the ginger into thin slices. Then, line up the slices and cut them into strips. Keep the ginger strips together with the chopped garlic as we'll add them to the pan at the same time. You don't have to wash the bean sprouts since it's been washed and salted. Next, let's combine the sauce ingredients in advance to avoid In a bowl, add half a tablespoon of soy sauce for its aroma. Then, add one and a half tablespoons of oyster sauce for a rich savory flavor and a hint of sweetness. Finally, add one tablespoon of sake to enhance the depth of the dish. Please mix everything until well combined. And there you have it. The sauce is ready. Finally, add one tablespoon of water to half a tablespoon of potato starch and mix them together. We'll add this mixture at the end of the cooking process to thicken the sauce and help it bind with the other ingredients, making your final dish much more flavorful. By the way, this mixture will start to separate over time, so make sure to mix it again before adding it to the pan. Alright, now that we've finished all the other preparations, let's return to the chicken. By this point, it should have been marinating for about 10 to 15 minutes and should be just right. Now, add a tablespoon of potato starch to the chicken and rub it in. Coating the chicken with potato starch helps to retain moisture even after cooking. Okay, this is good. The chicken has been coated evenly and is ready to cook, so let's move on to the actual cooking process. Alright, I'm at the stove now. To make stir-fry easier, keep all your ingredients within reach. This way, you can cook at a steady pace and stay focused on adding each ingredient at the right time. Alright, first, please add a tablespoon of cooking oil to a large frying pan and turn the heat to medium-low. Once the frying pan is heated well and the oil has become runny like this, we'll start by cooking the chicken breast. Place the chicken pieces in the frying pan and cook each side for about 2 minutes until they become brown. Once you've placed the chicken pieces in the pan, be sure to separate them, as the potato starch coating can cause them to stick together. Now that you've reached this point, please let them cook without moving them too much. If you touch them too often, they won't get a nice sear. Two minutes later, flip the chicken over and cook the other side for two more minutes. At this point, some pieces might not be browned much, but go ahead and flip them over. After flipping, you can move those less browned pieces to the center of the pan, so all the pieces will cook evenly. And after two minutes, remove all the chicken pieces from the pan and set them aside. Now, we'll cook the vegetables using the same frying pan, so please add another tablespoon of cooking oil and increase the heat to medium. Then, add the carrots. We'll start with harder vegetables and then cook the softer ones. Please saute the carrots until they start to soften a little. It takes about one minute. It's been about one minute, and the carrots have softened a little. Now, please add the chopped garlic and the ginger strips to the frying pan. I'm adding them at this point because adding them too early can cause them to burn. Please cook them until fragrant, which usually takes only about 20 seconds. And once the ginger and garlic have become fragrant, add the cabbage and bell peppers, and cook them until they become almost tender, which takes about a minute and a half. Please stir-fry by mixing to ensure the oil coats them evenly. Tossing the vegetables occasionally can help as well. Just be careful not to overdo it, as that can lower the pan's temperature and extend the cooking time, so you can toss them every 20 seconds. After about a minute and a half, when the cabbage and bell peppers are almost tender, please add the bean sprouts. Immediately after, season the vegetables with two pinches of salt to enhance their flavors. Keep stir-frying them for 30 seconds until the bean sprouts start to soften a little. After 30 seconds, when the bean sprouts have started to soften a bit, put the chicken pieces back into the pan. Please push everything to one side of the pan, then give the sauce a final mix and add it to the open space. Let it sizzle and develop a smoky flavor. Once the sauce reaches a boiling state, mix everything together so the sauce spreads evenly throughout. You can toss them a few times here, and when the sauce has spread evenly, grab the potato starch mixture, mix it one last time, and add it to the pan. Then quickly mix and toss everything until the sauce thickens and all the ingredients are well coated. Finally, sprinkle a pinch of ground black pepper to spice things up a little. Mix it one last time, and that's it. So turn off the heat and transfer everything to a serving plate. And there you have it. Your delicious chicken and vegetable stir-fry is done. The vibrant colors of the vegetables and the perfectly cooked chicken make this dish look absolutely mouth-watering. The flavors are well balanced, with the ginger and garlic adding a wonderful aroma, and the sauce tying everything together beautifully. Served with rice and miso soup, it makes a complete and satisfying meal. Please enjoy. Alright, that's it for today. I hope you enjoyed watching today's video. So if you did, please hit the like button and leave a comment below. I always enjoy reading your comments and getting ideas for future recipes. Thank you so much for watching, and I'll see you soon in my next video. Bye-bye.