Stir-Fry Potato Chicken 马铃薯炒鸡

I am a bit lost of words here. This recipe if directly translated means braised chicken with potato. It is anything but braise (whereby the meat is seared and put to simmer in low fire for a long time until the meat becomes tender). Chicken itself is already tender and do not require braising. Some also use stew which  I don't think is so appropriate either. So I am just sticking to the term stir-fry.

This dish is quite a common household dish amongst the Malaysian Chinese. It is a dish that I grew up with and is high on my "comfort food" list. I still cook this dish. I don't think I will ever grow tired of this dish. Lets just hope that my ever picky eater son would eventually like this dish as much as I do.

Looks wise, it has nothing to shout about, just like most chinese stir-frys. But I can assure you the taste is awesome! If you are looking for some simple comfort food for your dinner, this one fits perfectly.

Ingredients

600 gm chicken, chopped into small pieces
350 gm potato
150 gm onion, cut into chunks
6 cloves garlic
1 tbsp potato starch, mixed with a little water
1/2 cup water
Oil for deep frying

Seasoning

2 tsp sugar
2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tbsp oyster sauce
1 1/2 tsp dark soya sauce
Pepper

Cooking Instruction

1. Heat some oil in a wok. Fry potatoes and onions together until potatoes are almost soft. Remove from fire and set aside.

2. In a fresh wok, heat up 2 tablespoons of oil (from frying potatoes just now). Add in garlic and saute until fragrant and lightly browned. Add in chicken and seasoning. Stir until chicken is half cooked or chicken starting to release oil.

3. Add in fried potatoes and water. Stir to combine. Cover wok and let it simmer in low heat for about 10 minutes, stirring occasional.

4. Thicken gravy to your preferred thickness by adding starch mixture gradually. Remove from fire and serve.

Note:

Some would just add the potatoes to the chicken without prior frying. The potatoes would soften more easily and lose its shape in this case. If you prefer a thicker gravy (due to the melted potatoes), and don't mind to forgo aesthetics, this is the way to go.