Chicken with choy sum and Chinese olives

This recipe features Chinese olives, a unique Southern Chinese ingredient that resembles the shape and texture of the common European olive. Rather than originating from the olea europaea classic olive tree, Chinese olives originate from a completely different tree species, the canarium album tree and produces a milder and slightly bitter flavour to European olives.

• serves

  2

• prep

  10 minutes

• cook

  10 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

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episode • The Cook Up with Adam Liaw • 

cooking • 

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Ingredients

• 250 g chicken thigh fillets, thinly sliced
• ¼ tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp potato starch
• 1 tsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp sugar, divided
• 3 tbsp vegetable oil
• 2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
• 3 dried red chillies, broken into pieces
• ½ bunch choy sum, roughly chopped
• 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine
• 2 tbsp Chinese olive paste
• 1 tsp cornflour mixed into ¼ cup cold water

Marinating time: 10 minutes

Instructions

1. In a medium bowl, combine the chicken, baking soda, starch, soy sauce and half the sugar with a drizzle of oil. Mix well to combine and set aside to marinate for 10 minutes, before using.
   
2. When ready to cook, heat half the remaining oil in a large frying pan or wok over high heat. Add the chicken and stir-fry until just cooked through.
   
3. Use a slotted spoon to remove the chicken from the wok to a plate. Return the pan to the heat with the remaining oil, the garlic and chillies and stir-fry for a further minute, or until fragrant. Add the choy sum and stir-fry for 1 minute, or until wilted.
   
4. Return the chicken to the wok with the wine, Chinese olive paste and remaining sugar and toss until well combined. Thicken the sauce with the cornflour slurry, then remove from the heat. Transfer the chicken with choy sum and Chinese olives to a serving plate and serve.

Photography by Jiwon Kim.

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Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.

Stream free On Demand

Flash In The Pan

episode • The Cook Up with Adam Liaw • 

cooking • 

25m

PG

episode • The Cook Up with Adam Liaw • 

cooking • 

25m

PG