• Choose a category
• All
• Classic-Fiction

1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into ½- to ¾-inch-thick chunks

1 cup halved walnuts, whole cashews, or other nuts

3 tablespoons hoisin sauce (see Note)

ON STIR-FRYING

• A flat-bottomed skillet—the larger the better and preferably nonstick—is better than a wok for stir-fries made at home. Keep the heat high and don’t stir too much to ensure nicely browned, even slightly charred meat and vegetables.

• Keep it simple; too many ingredients slow you down and eventually overload the skillet so that browning becomes impossible.

1. Put the oil in a large nonstick skillet (12 inches is best) over high heat; a minute later, add the vegetables in a single layer and cook, undisturbed, until they begin to char a little on the bottom, about 1 minute. Stir and cook for 1 minute more.

2. Add the chicken and stir once or twice. Again, cook until the bottom begins to blacken a bit, about a minute. Stir and cook for another minute; by this time the vegetables will have softened and the chicken will be done, or nearly so (cut into a piece to check). Lower the heat to medium.

3. Stir in the nuts and the hoisin sauce. Cook for about 15 seconds, then add 2 tablespoons water. Cook, stirring, until the sauce is bubbly and glazes all the chicken and vegetables. Serve immediately, with white rice.

VARIATIONS

• Substitute any vegetable, or combination, for the peppers and onions. Try cut-up and parboiled (simmered in boiling water just until slightly tender) broccoli, asparagus, green beans, or dark leafy greens; shredded raw cabbage; raw snow peas; or chopped tomatoes.

• Use any boneless meat in place of the chicken, or shrimp or scallops. Cooking time will remain the same.

• Sprinkle the meat with about 1 tablespoon curry powder as it cooks.

• Along with the hoisin, add ground bean paste (about 1 tablespoon), plum sauce (about 1 tablespoon), or chili-garlic paste (about ½ teaspoon, or to taste) during the last minute of cooking.

• Replace the hoisin with 3 or 4 small dried hot red chiles (optional), 1 tablespoon minced garlic, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, and ½ cup chopped scallion, all added along with the nuts.

NOTE

Look for a brand of hoisin sauce whose first ingredient is fermented soybeans rather than sugar or water; the flavor will be more intense.

SIMPLEST SAUTÉED CHICKEN WITH GARLIC

MAKES 4 SERVINGS

TIME: 30 MINUTES

SAUTÉED CHICKEN SHOULD be crisp, moist, and flavorful, and you can accomplish this easily. Use a large skillet, or two smaller ones, because crowding the chicken pieces prevents them from browning. There should be sufficient room in the skillet so that the pieces barely touch each other, and they should certainly not overlap. This recipe contains no added fat—the bird provides plenty of its own—so the skillet should be nonstick, or at least well seasoned.

One 2- to 3-pound chicken, cut into serving pieces

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

½ teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon minced garlic

Chopped fresh parsley for garnish (optional)

Lemon wedges for serving (optional)

1. Put the chicken, skin side down, in a nonstick skillet large enough to accommodate it without crowding; use 2 skillets if necessary. Turn the heat to medium and season with salt and pepper. Cook, adjusting the heat and moving chicken pieces around as needed to brown them evenly. As they become evenly golden brown on the first side—not very dark, but crisp looking—after about 10 minutes, turn them. Season the skin with salt, pepper, and paprika and brown on the other side. When nearly done, add the garlic to the skillet. When browned, turn the pieces skin side down again.

2. Continue to cook, turning once or twice more if necessary, until no traces of red blood remain when you cut into a piece or two. Garnish if you like and serve.

CHICKEN CUTLETS MEUNIÈRE

MAKES 4 SERVINGS

TIME: 20 MINUTES

MEUNIÈRE ONCE REFERRED to fillets of sole that were floured and quickly sautéed in clarified butter, then finished with parsley, lemon juice, and a little melted butter. Over the years its