Chinese Five-spice Chicken is stir-fried in a wok over a campfire, a great yet underutilized cooking option. Using a wok is a great cooking option that is a perfect way to use the hot flames of a campfire. Alternately, this dish can be made over a gas stove.
A relatively small number of ingredients go into this very flavorsome meal. The Chinese five-spice is the prominent flavor even though there is very little of it used. It is very strong and can easily become overpowering if too much is used.
If you are not comfortable using a wok over the fire, it may also be cooked in a skillet, frypan, or in an electric wok in an RV. The goal is to use something that can get very hot and cook the ingredients quickly.
Five-Spice Chicken and Pineapple Recipe
Ingredients
Pineapple Sauce
- 1 can pineapple pieces
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon Chinese Shaoxing rice wine
- 3 tablespoons ketchup (tomato sauce)
- 2 tablespoons vinegar
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch (cornflour)
Battered Chicken
- 2 chicken breasts
- 1 egg white
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch (cornflour)
- 1/4 teaspoon Chinese Five-Spice powder
To Cook
- 1/2 cup peanut oil
- 1 small yellow onion chopped
- 1 bell pepper seeded and chopped
- cooked white rice for serving
Equipment
- cup
- wok
Directions
Pineapple Sauce
- Open the can of pineapple. Drain the pineapple juice into a cup and put the pineapple chunks aside until needed.
- Add to the cup of pineapple juice the soy sauce, Chinese rice wine, ketchup, vinegar, and cornstarch. Whisk with a fork until well combined and no lumps of cornstarch remain.
Battered Chicken
- Thinly slice the chicken into bite-sized pieces.
- Whisk the egg white until white and fluffy then gently sprinkle in the cornstarch and Chinese Five-spice powder. Whisk again until well combined.
- Add the chicken to the egg white mixture and gently combine. Put aside until needed.
To Cook
- Heat the oil in a hot wok.
- Add the battered chicken and cook, stirring gently to make sure it doesn’t stick together.
- When golden brown, remove the chicken, draining the oil back into the wok. Drain the chicken on a paper towel until needed.
- Add to the hot wok the onions and bell peppers; stir fry until the onions are transparent, about 5 minutes.
- Add the pineapple chunks and chicken, stirring to combine.
- Slowly stir in the pineapple sauce and bring to a gentle simmer. Stir until thickened, about 2 minutes.Tip: If the sauce is not brought to a boil and simmered for 2 minutes it will not thicken correctly and the cornstarch can cause a powdery mouthfeel.
- Serve immediately with rice.
Nutritional Information
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