Cucumber and Chicken Stir-fry

Method

1. 01

   Step 1

   Cut the chicken thighs into pieces and wash them (soak them for 20 minutes if you have time, otherwise it's fine, since chicken thighs don't have as much blood and bits of meat).

   

2. 02

   Step 2

   Drain the washed chicken and add two tablespoons of salt, one tablespoon of pepper, one tablespoon of five-spice powder, one tablespoon of Sichuan peppercorn powder, one-third tablespoon of cooking wine and light soy sauce, and two tablespoons of cornstarch. Mix well and let it sit.

   

3. 03

   Step 3

   Slice the white and green parts of the scallion, and mince the ginger and garlic.

   

4. 04

   Step 4

   Wash three cucumbers and cut them diagonally into sections.

   

5. 05

   Step 5

   Then cut each section vertically into slices.

   

6. 06

   Step 6

   Add two tablespoons of oil to the pan

   

7. 07

   Step 7

   Add the marinated chicken to the cold oil

   

8. 08

   Step 8

   Stir-fry the chicken until it's just cooked through, then remove and drain the oil.

   

9. 09

   Step 9

   Heat a spoonful of oil in a wok again and cook until it's about 60% done.

   

10. 10

    Step 10

    Add scallions, ginger, and garlic (but not the scallion leaves; I accidentally slipped some in).

    

11. 11

    Step 11

    Sauté the scallions, ginger, and garlic until fragrant, then add the fermented bean paste and stir-fry evenly. (I don't like adding fermented bean paste because it makes the color look bad; if you don't like strong flavors, it's best not to add it.) Skip this step if you're not adding fermented bean paste.

    

12. 12

    Step 12

    After adding the drained chicken and stir-frying evenly, add a spoonful of dark soy sauce.

    

13. 13

    Step 13

    Add water until it covers about one-third of the chicken (I added water because the pot was too dry and I was worried the chicken would burn; you can skip this step).

    

14. 14

    Step 14

    Add the cucumber and stir-fry until the water evaporates (the cucumber should be almost cooked).

    

15. 15

    Step 15

    Remove from heat and plate