This is my take on a classic Chinese takeout menu item. Since I’m making it at home I’m taking advantage of throwing in a whole lot of vegetables to make it a well-rounded meal. Don’t skip on the nori rice! The umami flavour is incredible. This dish is naturally gluten and dairy free. Make ahead: You can make the nori rice and marinate the chicken the night before for easy assembly the day of.

Salt and Pepper Chicken with Vegetables and Nori Rice

Prep time: 40 minutes + 40 minutes inactive
Cook time: 35 minutes
Total time: 1 hour, 15 minutes + 40 mins inactive
Yield: 4 servings

INGREDIENTS

For the Salt and Pepper Chicken and Vegetables

1 lb. (~4-5) boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces
3 cloves minced garlic, divided
1 tbsp. minced ginger, divided
1 tsp. sugar
1 tbsp. soy sauce
¼ cup + 3 tbsp. vegetable oil, divided
1 yellow onion, thinly sliced
1 Thai red chilli, sliced (optional)
4 baby bok choy, halved lengthwise
1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 cup (100g) snow peas

For the Spice Mix

½ cup cornstarch
2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. cracked black pepper
2 tsp. Chinese 5 spice

For the Nori Rice

1 tbsp. unseasoned rice vinegar
1 tsp. sugar
5 sheets nori
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup sushi rice
2 tbsp. butter, cut into small chunks

DIRECTIONS

In a large bowl or Ziplock bag, place half of the minced garlic, half of the ginger, the sugar and the soy sauce and 1 tbsp. vegetable oil. Stir to combine, add in the chicken and coat evenly. Cover and refrigerate and marinate for a minimum 30 minutes up to overnight.

In a small bowl, stir together the vinegar and the sugar until the sugar dissolves. Set aside. In a food processor or blender, blitz the nori sheets with the salt until it is in small enough morsels that you are able to sprinkle it. Set aside. Rinse the rice until water runs clear then drain well. Transfer the rice to a small saucepan and add 1 ¼ cups cold water. Bring to a boil then reduce to the lowest possible temperature. Stir once before covering the pan, then cover and cook the rice for ~18 minutes or until the water is absorbed and the rice is tender. Remove from the heat and let rest, covered, for 10 minutes.

While the rice is cooking, mix together all ingredients for the spice mix in a large bowl. Add the marinated chicken to the spice mix and evenly coat each piece.

The next part moves quickly, so have your mise en place ready to go (aka all of the vegetables and remaining ingredients prepped and nearby).

In a large wok or fry pan, heat ¼ cup of vegetable oil over medium-high heat. It’s ready when you sprinkle in a bit of cornstarch and it begins to bubble. Add the chicken to the wok and cook, without flipping until browned on one side, and then flip and continue to cook until chicken is cooked through and golden brown on all sides (around 10 minutes). Remove from the oil with a slotted spoon, and place on a bed of paper towel to absorb some of the grease.

Reduce the heat to medium and add the sliced onion. Cook until the onion just begins to brown, then add the baby bok choy halves, cut side-down and cook for ~2 minutes. Add remaining 2 tbsp. of oil to the pan, then add the Thai chilli (optional), remaining garlic and ginger, red bell pepper and snow peas. Cook for another minute, tossing frequently, season with salt and pepper then add back in the cooked chicken, until just warmed. Remove from the heat

Stir the vinegar/sugar mixture into the rice, then add the butter. Stir to combine, letting the butter melt, while slowly incorporating the nori dust into the rice until evenly distributed throughout.

To plate, divide the nori rice between 4 dishes, and top each with 2 baby bok choy halves, and the salt and pepper chicken with vegetables. Dig in.