Chinese Garlic Chicken Recipe (Gluten-Free)

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Super easy recipe on the blog today! Delicious Chinese Garlic Chicken. A perfect recipe for a busy weeknight that the whole family will enjoy!

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The garlic-lemon sauce is so good you will want to use it on everything. And did I mention you can literally make it in 5 easy steps? Next time you pick up that takeout menu, put it down and make this instead.

Chinese Garlic Chicken – Stir-Fry

Stir-fries are popular all around Asia. This is the Chinese version and it is very saucy and great for soaking your rice in it. See how to cook perfect basmati rice to serve with it.

Easy healthy meal

If you have been following me for a while, you will know that I try to feed my family as healthily as possible without compromising on taste. I love to change classic recipes by giving them a healthier makeover.

This simple recipe is no different. It is healthier than your local Chinese takeout and less greasy. The most important thing, you are in control of what goes into it. No danger of cross-contamination with gluten or unwanted food additives

Soy Sauce In Asian Recipes

Asian cuisine is my favorite cuisine in the world. However, as someone who is gluten intolerant, I really have to look out for what I eat. Unfortunately, soy sauce is the most used ingredient in Asian cooking.

And as we all know by now, soy sauce is not gluten-free!! You will find soy sauce in teriyaki sauce, hoisin sauce, black bean sauce, and kecap manis. You get the picture, right?

So when ordering your favorite takeout from a Chinese restaurant make sure you know what ingredients have been used. You are in for surprise I am afraid.

By the way, have a look at my Easy One-Pot Balinese Chicken to find out how you can make gluten-free kecap manis from scratch in no time.

Monosodium Glutamate – MSG in Asian Food

It is no secret that many Asian foods contain MSG, monosodium glutamate. This additive with the e-number E621 is extremely controversial.

I am not going into detail about the harm that MSG might cause to your health, but I personally totally avoid it and would strongly recommend you do too. I’ll make sure I write more about MSG in my upcoming posts.

Ingredients

boneless chicken thighs cut into strips (you can use chicken breast if you prefer)
button mushrooms, cut into quarters. My mushrooms were quite small, you might need to cut yours smaller then quarters if you have bigger mushrooms.
organic tapioca flour. You can find it at any Asian grocer or in the Asian section at your local grocery store.
extra virgin olive oil. I never use vegetable oil in my cooking because it causes inflammation.
sesame oil
couple of cloves of garlic pressed
fresh ginger, grated
green onions and sesame seeds to serve (optional)

Stir fry sauce

Chinese garlic chicken sauce ingredients

lemon, fresh is the best.
free-range or organic chicken or vegetable stock
gluten-free soy sauce, I use tamari.
raw honey
organic corn starch. Corn is extremely modified so it is a good idea to use organic if you can find it.

See the recipe card for quantities.

Instructions

Add tapioca flour to the chicken strips (watch video below how to do it quickly)
Toss it to make sure all chicken strips are coated with tapioca flour.
Mix the ingredients for the delicious sauce. Simply put all in a bowl, mix, and set aside.
Heat the olive oil and sesame in a wok or a large frying pan. Add the chicken pieces into the hot oil and fry on medium-high heat until the chicken becomes golden.
Add the mushrooms to the wok and fry mushrooms for a couple of minutes, until they start to become golden too.
Push the chicken and mushroom to one side of your frying pan or wok so you have a small free area. Add 1 tsp of sesame olive oil and quickly fry minced garlic and ginger in it, until fragrant. Be careful not to burn it. Mix the chicken and the mushrooms with garlic and ginger.
Add the sauce and lower the heat to low.
Cook everything together for a couple of minutes, until the sauce has thickened and everything is well combined.
Sprinkle with some toasted sesame seeds and fresh spring onions.
Amazing Chinese honey garlic chicken that tastes just as good as you’ll get at your favourite restaurant, served over jasmine rice. Enjoy!

Substitutions

I used chicken thighs because this is my favorite part of the chicken. It is juicy and tender. But the recipe will also work with skinless chicken breasts if that is what you prefer.
Mushrooms. My kids love mushrooms and try to include them in my cooking as often as possible. However, this is a stir fry recipe and you can add any vegetables you like. Green or red capsicum (bell peppers), green beans or some broccoli florets will be nice too.
Add some dried chilies to spice the meal up. I keep my recipes family-friendly.
Soy sauce. If you are not cooking gluten-free and using regular soy sauce, use the light soy sauce, not the dark one. The dark soy sauce is too strong in flavour.
For a low-carb diet serve with cauliflower rice

Equipment

All good stir fries need:

good quality wok or
large skillet

Storage

Put any leftovers into an air-tight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days. Heat it up in a wok or frying pan until the chicken is heated through.

I found stir-fries don’t freeze well as they become too watery.

Watch How To Make It