Shacha chicken stir fry is a fun dish with a ton of umami you can put together in 20 minutes for a quick dinner, featuring tender chicken cooked in a bold seafoody tasting sauce. {Gluten-Free Adaptable}
If you’ve never heard of shacha chicken, you’re going to wish you knew about it sooner. Using a special sauce, shacha sauce, which is a thick paste composed of garlic, soybean oil, brill fish, dried shrimp, shallots, and chili pepper, it creates a bold sweet, spicy and seafoody flavor. Using shacha sauce, you won’t need a ton of other ingredients to create delicious stir fries.
Shacha chicken ingredients
Shacha sauce
Shacha sauce (沙茶酱, sha cha jiang) is lesser known in the U.S., but it has a rich history in Southeast Asia. When Chinese laborers from the Chaoshan region went abroad to work in Malaysia and Indonesia in the 20th century, they had their own take on the local satay sauce. By introducing dried seafood to suit their tastes and then resettling in Taiwan, they created a new culinary sensation.
Nowadays shacha sauce is commonly served in southern Chinese cuisine. You’ll find it used as a dipping sauce and in dishes like my shacha chicken. The deep umami is one that has the power to elevate so many of your dishes. You only need a little bit to give your dishes that uniquely authentic flavor.
You can find shacha sauce in most Asian markets or on Amazon.
Mise en place
When you’re ready to cook, your table should have:
- Chopped aromatics (garlic, ginger)
- Marinated chicken
- Sliced veggies (onion, pepper)
- Mixed sauce
How to make shacha chicken
Making shacha chicken is super easy and only takes a few minutes once you’ve prepared your ingredients:
- Sear the chicken
- Cook the sauce
- Add the onion
- Briefly cook the pepper
- Add back the cooked chicken
- Mix everything together
Shacha chicken is absolutely divine over steamed white rice, though you can serve it with brown rice, noodles, or even quinoa. It’s the kind of main dish that’s easy enough to make after you get home from work, yet one that can easily impress any dinner guests with your ability to whip up authentic Chinese cuisine in a flash.
A little shacha sauce goes a long way in creating a flavorful chicken dish that no one can resist for truly authentic Chinese cuisine!
More stir fry recipes
- Chicken Mei Fun
- Chicken with Black Bean Sauce (豉汁爆鸡球)
- Chinese Orange Chicken (Crispy Chicken without Deep Frying)
- Beef with Snow Peas
- Crispy Peanut Butter Chicken
Shacha Chicken (沙茶炒鸡)
Ingredients
Marinade
- 1 (12 oz) boneless skinless chicken breast , sliced
- 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoons cornstarch
Sauce
- 2 tablespoons Shacha sauce
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
Stir fry
- 1 tablespoon peanut oil (or vegetable oil)
- 1/4 white onion , sliced
- 2 cloves garlic , sliced
- 1 thumb ginger , julienned
- 1 bell pepper , sliced
Instructions
- Combine all the marinade ingredients in a medium-sized bowl and stir to mix well.
- Combine all the sauce ingredients in a small bowl and mix well.
- Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Spread out the chicken pieces without overlapping. Cook until the bottom is charred. Flip the chicken and cook until the other side is lightly charred. Move to a plate and set aside.
- Pour in the sauce. Add the garlic and ginger. Stir and cook for 1 minute.
- Add the onion and bell pepper. Keep stirring for a minute, until the vegetables have softened. Add back the chicken. Stir and cook until the sauce is evenly coated. Transfer everything to a serving plate and serve hot as a main dish.
