This quick and easy Sesame Ginger Chicken Stir Fry employs not one, but two kinds of chicken – boneless, skinless breasts and smoked chicken sausage, for depth of flavor and texture. I love Chinese-style sausage, and this recipe is a nod to the many varied flavors and varieties of Chinese sausages out there. This simple skillet comes together so fast and is packed with flavor thanks to a sauce built on powerhouse fridge and pantry staples. Read on for a few simple MKL stir fry tips, or you can just jump ahead to the recipe itself.

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What is a stir fry?

Don’t take it from me, here’s the word from Wiki: “Stir frying is a Chinese cooking technique in which ingredients are fried in a small amount of very hot oil while being stirred or tossed in a wok. The technique originated in China and in recent centuries has spread into other parts of Asia and the West. It is similar to sautéing in Western cooking technique.” – wikipedia

It is very similar to sautéing, stir frying is, in that you’re essentially tossing some foods around in a pan with some sort of fat being employed as a cooking medium, anchoring the whole lot and giving the proteins and vegetables something in which to render, caramelize, and crisp right up. I stir fry weekly, I’m proud to report, and the possibilities are truly only limited by your imagination.

Why does the oil need to be very hot?

Great question! Okay, so the reason that you do need to be a bit patient when cooking with oil, allowing it to get to to its full potential heat-wise, is because the food will sort of sink into it, rather than cook on it, if that makes any sense at all. If oil is too cold (typically, less than 350 degrees F), any food that touches it will basically just soak it up. If you’ve ever had a really soggy, super heavy doughnut, then this mistake is probably what contributed to that. The oil wasn’t hot enough and the dough soaked up too much of it, thus getting in the way of delicious. Sad, really.

So, this same is true when stir frying. It doesn’t take much cooking oil, but what oil you do use needs to be screaming hot so the food will truly cook as it needs to. If the oil isn’t hot enough, the stir fry will soak more of it up and wind up greasier than you’d like.

What is the best oil for stir frying?

Because of their need for super-high heat cooking, the best oils for stir frying are understandably those that carry a high smoke point. So, we’re talking your vegetable oils, canola oils, and grape seed oils. We are not talking about extra virgin olive oil or fancy nut or seed oils (like almond, sesame, or walnut) . No, just reach for a flavorless, high heat tolerant cooking oil and you’ll be good to go.

Contrary to what many seem to think, sesame oil isn’t meant for cooking – especially not as a cooking fat for stir frys. You could raise its smoke point with the addition of one of the aforementioned oils (canola, vegetable, etc). But it really shines brightest when used as a finishing flavor-explosion (like the extra virgin olive oil in my Chicken Paillard, for example. Or my Korean Style Braised Beef, Kung Pao Chicken, Crispy Ginger Beef Bibimbap, Easy Asian Chicken Noodle Soup, Crispy Szechuan Beef with Peppers, or Kinda Sorta Dan Dan Noodles). Toasted sesame oil is incredibly potent stuff – a little goes a long way. So, a very small drizzle into a sauce or stir fry, as a flavor mechanism not a cooking vessel, is a very nice addition, but just exercise caution and be conservative. That gorgeous toasted sesame flavor makes its presence known in a hurry.

What you’ll need for this easy chicken stir fry

This recipe uses not one but TWO types of chicken, to built texture, depth of savory flavor, and interest as well. We’ll use both boneless, skinless chicken breasts and some smoked chicken sausages as well, both readily available and both perfect vehicles for the killer stir fry sauce.

This sauce is VERY tasty, IIDSSM, and it’s made from some classic Asian pantry and fridge staples (soy sauce, sweet chili sauce, garlic, sesame ginger dressing). I love me a quick and tasty pantry sauce, as exemplified in my favorite pantry pasta, Chicken Paillard, Indian Butter Chicken, and Chicken That said, look below for some substitution suggestions, as there are other tasty routes that lead to what is essentially the same winner-winner chicken (stir fry) dinner here.

INGREDIENTS

½ cup mayonnaise

½ cup sweet chili sauce, divided

2.5 teaspoons garlic powder, divided

Salt and pepper, to taste

2 tablespoons cooking oil (olive oil, canola, etc.)

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts halved crosswise and cut into bite-size pieces

4 smoked chicken sausages, sliced (any kind you like)

2 cups shredded carrots.

¼ cup soy sauce

¼ cup store-bought sesame ginger dressing (you can sub tahini or a tahini dressing, if you like)

Cooked Jasmine rice or rice noodles, for serving

Chopped scallions and/or cilantro for serving

How to make this Sesame Ginger Chicken Stir Fry

We’ll brown the proteins, whip up a quick stir fry sauce and drizzling mayo, cook some rice and BOOM – dinner is served.

DIRECTIONS

In a small bowl, stir together the mayo, ½ teaspoon of the garlic powder, and 2 tablespoons of the sweet chili sauce. Season lightly with salt and pepper, and taste it. Adjust as you see fit. If you want a thinner, more “drizzleable” sauce, you can add a little bit of water.

Add about 2 tablespoons of cooking oil to a large skillet set over medium-high heat. When it’s hot, add the chicken, season lightly with salt, lots of pepper and 1 teaspoon of the garlic powder. Brown the chicken all over; 3 to 4 minutes total, stirring occasionally. Transfer to a plate.

Add the chicken sausages and shredded carrots to the pan, still over medium-high heat. Cook until browned and crispy; 6 to 8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the chicken breast pieces back into the pan.

Meanwhile, in a bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, 2 tablespoons of the sweet chili sauce, 1 teaspoon of the garlic powder, and 2 tablespoons of the sesame ginger dressing. Add to the pan, now over medium heat and stir to coat and combine. Taste and season/add more of anything to suit your preferences. Simmer for 4 to 5 minutes to thicken slightly and serve over the cooked rice, topped with the sweet chili mayo and chopped scallions and cilantro.