You’ve got to try this scallion chicken recipe! Ready in under 20 minutes from prep to table. It is budget-friendly and tastes amazing. 👌
About this Recipe
Homemade dishes often rely on humble ingredients but still taste incredible, and this one is no exception. Chicken, scallions, and a few kitchen staples are all it takes.
In Western cuisine, chicken breast is considered a premium cut, but in Asian cooking, chicken thigh takes the spotlight. It’s favoured for its ability to remain tender, juicy, and resistant to overcooking, unlike breast meat which can easily become dry or tough.
Scallion, also known as spring onions or green onions, are a staple in Chinese cuisine. Their sweet and oniony flavours are a perfect complement to meat dishes.
During my recipe testing, I found it pairs well with any carb option—whether it’s rice, noodles, or pasta. Alternatively, it’s perfect for a high-protein meal all on its own.
Ingredients
- Chicken: For this recipe, chicken thigh is the preferred cut, whether it’s with skin on or off, and with or without the bone. I did try chicken breast, but they turned out tough, so I wouldn’t recommend using them.
- Scallion: The white and green parts of scallions have different cooking times, so we separate them and add the white parts first.
- Soy sauce: In this recipe, I used two types of soy sauce: regular and dark. The regular soy sauce provides saltiness, while the dark soy sauce adds colour and a slightly caramelised flavor. If you don’t have dark soy sauce on hand, you can simply omit it and use the half amount of regular soy sauce instead.
- Oyster sauce: Oyster sauce acts as a flavour enhancer, often replacing MSG in modern Chinese cooking. However, if you don’t have it, it’s not a deal-breaker.
Instructions
- Step One: Preparing
Mix the chicken thighs with soy sauce, oyster sauce, pepper and corn starch, then marinate for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, cut the scallions, separating the white parts from the green parts.
- Step Two: Pan frying chicken
Add the chicken pieces to a non-stick pan with oil over medium heat, and pan fry until fully cooked.
- Step three: Adding scallions
Add the white parts of the scallions to the chicken and cook until softened. If you’re using larger chicken pieces or pieces with bones, cover the pan with a lid and cook until the chicken is thoroughly cooked. Finally, add the green parts of the scallions and stir for 10-20 seconds to cook them.
- Step Four: serving
Sprinkle more pepper powder or scallions if desired and serve with rice or noodles.
Cooking Tips
- Food safety: When cooking chicken dishes, safety comes first. Make sure the chicken is fully cooked through. If you’ve cut the pieces larger, you’ll need to cook them for a bit longer.
- Non-stick pan: A non-stick pan works best for this dish, especially since we use corn starch in the recipe.
- Sugar: You can add sugar or honey if you prefer a sweeter taste, but I find that scallions become sweet enough once cooked.
I hope you enjoy this delicious scallion chicken recipe. It’s quick, budget-friendly, and bursting with flavour, making it the perfect addition to your midweek meal rotation.
Happy cooking! 🤗
Scallion Chicken
Ingredients
- 400 g Chicken thighs (cut into small pieces)
- 2 cup scallion (chopped)
- 4 tablespoon oil
- 2 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1/2 tablespoon dark soy sauce
- 1/2 tablespoon oyster sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper powder (more or less to your liking)
- 2 tablspoon corn starch
Instructions
- Step One: Preparing – Mix the chicken thighs with soy sauce, oyster sauce, pepper and corn starch, then marinate for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, cut the scallions, separating the white parts from the green parts.
- Step Two: Pan frying chicken – Add the chicken pieces to a non-stick pan with oil over medium heat, and pan fry until fully cooked.
- Step three: Adding scallions – Add the white parts of the scallions to the chicken and cook until softened. If you’re using larger chicken pieces or pieces with bones, cover the pan with a lid and cook until the chicken is thoroughly cooked. Finally, add the green parts of the scallions and stir for 10-20 seconds to cook them.
- Step Four: serving – Sprinkle more pepper powder or scallions if desired and serve with rice or noodles.
Recipe Notes:
- Food safety: When cooking chicken dishes, safety comes first. Make sure the chicken is fully cooked through. If you’ve cut the pieces larger, you’ll need to cook them for a bit longer.
- Non-stick pan: A non-stick pan works best for this dish, especially since we use corn starch in the recipe.
- Sugar: You can add sugar or honey if you prefer a sweeter taste, but I find that scallions become sweet enough once cooked.
Nutrition Information:
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Delicious and easy recipe
I used this recipe as the base for my own riff on it and turned out amazing. Stir fried 2 red peppers first with a splash of soy. Then proceeded according the recipe (with a bit less corn starch) and added the peppers back in. Made a 2nd batch of the marinade ingredients (minus cornstarch) so I’d have more sauce, deglazed the wok with Shoa Hsing rice wine, and added Trader Joe’s Thai Wheat Noodles and the extra marinade. Yum!! Will definitely make again.
The picture looks saucy, mine did not come out saucy. Had to make a sauce for over the rice.
Thanks for sharing! Does it keep long?
This looks so good! What a great combination of flavors!
What is the difference between regular and dark soy sauce? I only see one type in the store!
Typically, we use regular soy sauce, but dark soy sauce brings a rich color and a hint of caramelized flavor. It’s also less salty than the regular kind.
This received rave reviews from my picky husband even after I accidentally added far more pepper than the recipe called for. It’s getting added to the rotation (though I’m going to shoot for actually the right amount of pepper next time)!
It is great to hear that you enjoyed this recipe! 🙂
Amazingly tender chicken – an easy and delicious recipe
I made this tonight but only had 1/4 cup of scallions and added carrot, broccoli and regular onion plus cashews. My family loved it!
made mine with chicken breast and came out delicious
Perfect combination. I love the combination of chicken and scallion, yum!