Despite being big fans of Asian foods, the two of us have only recently come around to find that Korean food is really yummy. In fairness, it hasn’t had much exposure prior to the past decade thanks to the rise of Korean BBQ restaurants and other efforts to further the cuisine in western civilization. We happened upon this sort of stir fry two years ago in Jasmine, the restaurant at Stony Brook University’s Wang Center. We enjoyed it so much we ended up making a copycat version of our own that was as close as we could get it. This garlic-soy chicken has a really dark, awesome flavor bolstered by the addition of sesame oil. If you like garlic and stir fry, this is totally up your alley. Be warned though, there is a lot of garlic in there, so unless you’re like me and Meg and particularly enjoy the smell of garlic, you may need to brace yourself.

Korean Garlic Soy Chicken

• 2-3 lbs of skinless boneless chicken breast/thigh, cut into stir fry pieces
• 2 tbsp sesame oil
• 2-3 tbsp corn starch
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp ground pepper

• ¼ cup soy sauce
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tsp vinegar
• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• 2 tbsp honey
• 3 tsp fresh black pepper
• Chopped veggies of your choice (broccoli, garlic, carrots, onions, etc)

1. In a small bowl, combine the soy sauce, garlic, vinegar, 1 tbsp sesame oil, honey, and the fresh black pepper. Stir well, and then let set aside.
2. In a medium wok, heat the oil and spread it around until it is sizzling.
3. Add the chicken into the wok, and stir around until it is coated with the oil.
4. Sprinkle enough corn starch to coat the chicken pieces. Add the salt, garlic powder, and pepper into it and stir some more.
5. Stir fry the chicken on a medium flame by mixing it and stirring it every few minutes. If it begins throwing out too much water, carefully empty the water into the sink. Cook the chicken for approximately 10 minutes, or until it is mostly cooked (if cooking vegetables, throw them in a minute or two prior to the chicken cooking fully, usually when it’s cooked-looking but still white-ish).
6. Add the soy sauce mixture into the pan and begin stirring the meat and vegetables to ensure they become coated with it. Continue to stir fry for 3-5 more minutes, or until the chicken is thoroughly cooked.
7. Serve chicken hot with rice on the side.