Credits
Recipe adapted from RecipeTinEats.
Ingredients
| amount | ingredient |
|---|---|
| 3 lbs | chicken breast |
| 2 T | ginger garlic paste |
| 3 T | soy sauce |
| 2 T | ketchup |
| 1 T | orange chicken sauce* |
| 3 T | Sriracha |
| 1 tsp | oil* |
Process
- thin the chicken breasts either by pounding with a meat mallet or slicing; your butcher may also be able to do it for you when buying
- mix marinade ingredients together in a bowl (or zip top bag) and add chicken, mix until the chicken is completely coated
- if using a bowl, cover with plastic wrap, making sure the wrap is actually touching the chicken so it doesn’t dry out; if using zip top bag, push excess air out and seal
- let chicken marinate in fridge for ~1 hour and up to overnight
Cooking the chicken
Stovetop
- set dry pan over medium heat; once hot, add a thin layer of oil
- gently lay chicken into the oiled pan in a single layer; do not flip chicken until a nice crust forms on the first side down
- do not overlap chicken
- do not overcrowd pan; you will have to do multiple batches
- flip when chicken releases easily from the pan and the first side is mostly cooked through, shouldn’t take more than 5 minutes, and may take less
- cook the other side for a few minutes, until the thickest part of the chicken is no longer pink
- remove from pan and place in serving plate; cover with aluminum foil to keep warm as you cook the rest of the chicken
bake in the oven
preheat oven: 450º F
- line baking pans or sheet with aluminum foil and place chicken breasts on it in a single layer
- do not overlap chicken
- make sure to shake off excess marinade so chicken isn’t “wet” going into the oven
- Bake chicken in oven for ~8-15 minutes; check at the earlier time so as not to overcook; assess done-ness by slicing into the thickest part to make sure it’s cooked through
Because this is a wet marinade, the chicken will kind of steam in the oven a bit. Still delicious, but you don’t get much of a maillard reaction. You could try broiling it instead, but I haven’t tried this and am not sure how well it would cook the chicken all the way through (probably be fine though).
The major benefit of baking vs other methods is its pretty hands off, despite the large amount of chicken, so you’re not tied to the stove. It’s also less messy, with easier clean up since there’s no oil splatters or smoke.
grill
- fire up the grill and heat to medium
- oil the grates and place chicken breasts over indirect heat, cook until one side is mostly cooked through and gets nice grill marks
- flip and cook the other side just until cooked through
Sous vide
- preheat sous vide bath to 150-155º F (or whatever your preference for chicken breast))
- shake off excess marinade from chicken and place in a silicone or zip top bag in a single layer
- submerge in bath for ~1 hour
Notes
- orange chicken sauce: I just pulled whatever “Asian” sauce was in the fridge…if I was in my own kitchen, I would probably use oyster, fish, or hoisin sauce; maybe a combination
- don’t think too hard about this one and use whatever you have on hand
- sesame oil is best, but I only had olive oil on hand so that’s what I ended up using
- chicken breast is easy to overcook, especially when thin-sliced, so keep a close eye on cook times (sous vide is the most forgiving)
- err on the side of less cook time
- you can remove chicken from the heat just when cooked and cover with foil so that the carry-over heat will gently finish it perfectly
Freezing tips
The marinade itself can be frozen in ice cubes, or you can freeze the chicken after covering it in the marinade. This is especially useful if you’ll be sous viding it afterwards, since you can take it from the freezer directly into the water bath.
See the freezing guide for tips and information on freezer-safe food storage.
Suggested uses
- on salads (especially with an Asian sauce like a Thai peanut dressing and fried noodle croutons)
- in sandwiches
- on pastas and noodle bowls
- eat it alone for a great, protein-rich snack
- shred it in tacos or burritos
