Chinese New Year is next week! I grew up celebrating it with my family since my mom served her mission in Hong Kong. And since January is so long and I need parties to plan to keep me sane, we celebrate it now too! There are actually a lot of fun activities and traditions that surround the holiday. This chicken recipe is more of an American Chinese dish but that’s how we roll!

Ingredients

• 2 lb chicken, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1/2 cup corn starch
• 1/4 cup oil, for frying
• 2 tbsp minced ginger
• 1 tsp red chili flakes
• 4 cloves garlic minced
• 1 tsp sesame seeds, optional for garnish

Sauce

• 6 tbsp rice vinegar
• 6 tbsp soy sauce
• 4 tbsp hoisin sauce
• 1/2 cup water
• 6 tbsp sugar
• 2 tbsp cornstarch

Directions

1. Cut chicken into 1-inch cubes. Toss each piece with cornstarch. Set aside. (I like to prepare the chicken ahead of time so that it can absorb any moisture)
2. In a separate dish, combine all the ingredients for your sauce together.
3. Preheat a non-stick skillet with oil. Cook each chicken piece until all the sides are golden brown. (Don’t crowd your pan, if you do the chicken will steam instead of fry) Remove the chicken from the pan. Leave about 1 tbsp of oil in the pan for cooking.
4. Add the garlic, ginger and pepper flakes. Sautee for about 30 seconds.
5. Add the sauce to the skillet and bring it to a simmer then add the chicken and toss to coat. Serve right away!