A really quick and tasty dish from Nigel Slater to add a bit of excitement to a pack of chicken thighs.
Five-spice Chicken and Pea Shoot Salad – to serve 2
For the salad:
- A few handfuls of young salad leaves
For the chicken:
- 40g fresh ginger, finely grated
- 1 small red chilli, finely sliced
- 2 tsp Chinese five-spice powder
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 tbsp groundnut or other flavourless oil
- 400g diced raw chicken meat (we used thighs)
- ½ tsp caster sugar
- juice of a lime
Stir the ginger, chilli and 5-spice powder together in a large bowl. Crush in the garlic, pour in the oil, and mix well. Add the chicken and toss together.
Heat a wok to very hot. Add the chicken and dressing and fry over a high heat for 6-7 minutes or until cooked through (put a lid on to ensure the chicken cooks through). Add the sugar, stir-fry for another minute, then add the lime juice and a generous amount of salt.
Add the salad leaves to the wok, and toss for a few seconds, or until starting to wilt, then tip everything out onto plates.
Nigel suggests scattering with sprouting seeds or cress before serving (we didn’t have any).
Wine Suggestion: To balance the 5-spice but not overwhelm the flavours, we’d suggest a New World Pinot Noir from a good area, like California or Oregon. You’ll get lots of juicy fruit and a wine that’s not too heavy for this light dish.
(Original recipe from Nigel Slater’s The Kitchen Diaries II, Fourth Estate, 2012.)
Jono & Jules do food & wine 