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Stir-Fried Chicken with Vegetables Chifa Style
by Giacomo Bocchio
recipe intermediate Peruvian-Chinese (Chifa)

Stir-Fried Chicken with Vegetables Chifa Style

Chef Pati Chong teaches how to make a colorful, healthy stir-fried chicken with vegetables in the Peruvian-Chinese (Chifa) style. The recipe covers wok seasoning, proper chicken marinade with dark soy sauce, ginger and pisco, and a technique-focused vegetable stir-fry with broccoli, bok choy, bell pepper, mushrooms, carrot and onion, finished with sesame oil and a potato starch slurry to bind the sauce.

30m Prep
15m Cook
45m Total
2 Servings
chifa stir-fry chicken vegetables wok peruvian-chinese soy sauce ginger healthy quick pati chong broccoli bok choy sesame oil weeknight dinner

Ingredients

  • 500 g Chicken thigh fillets (boneless)
  • 2 cloves Garlic, finely minced
  • 1 tbsp Fresh ginger (kion), finely minced
  • 1 tsp Salt
  • White pepper
  • 1.5 tsp Chicken powder
  • 1 oz Pisco or rice wine
  • 1 tbsp Dark soy sauce (sillao oscuro) — Likum Ki brand
  • 1 tbsp Potato starch (chuño) or cornstarch (maicena)
  • 3 tbsp Water
  • 2 stalks Bok choy (col china / sio choy) — stems only
  • 1 medium Bell pepper (any color)
  • 100 g Fresh mushrooms (champignons)
  • 1 medium White onion
  • 200 g Broccoli
  • 1 medium Carrot
  • 1.5 tbsp Light soy sauce (sillao claro)
  • 1 tsp Dark soy sauce (sillao oscuro)
  • 1 tbsp Oyster sauce (salsa de ostión)
  • 1 tsp Sugar
  • 3 tbsp Chicken broth or water
  • 1 tbsp Potato starch slurry (chuño diluido)
  • 1 tsp Sesame oil (aceite de ajonjolí)
  • 2 stalks Green onion / Chinese scallion (cebollita china)
  • 3 tbsp Neutral cooking oil
  • 2 tbsp Salt (coarse, for wok seasoning)

Steps

  1. 1
    Heat the wok directly over high flame covering all surfaces — base and sides. Add coarse salt to the hot wok and move it around so the salt contacts the entire surface. This accelerates the curing process and strengthens the metal. Once the bottom has turned a bluish tone, discard the salt (it absorbs metal compounds from the first cure). Let the wok cool, then rinse.
  2. 2
    Trim excess fat from the chicken thigh fillets. Cut diagonally into medium pieces of about 20–30 g each (angled cuts increase surface area for better presentation and faster cooking). In a bowl, combine the chicken with minced garlic, minced ginger, salt, white pepper, chicken powder, pisco (or rice wine), dark soy sauce, potato starch, and water. Mix and massage the marinade into the chicken by hand. Let rest for at least 15 minutes.
  3. 3
    Bok choy: Use only the stems. Cut lengthwise, then slice diagonally into diamond shapes. Bell pepper: Cut vertically (not just removing the curved sides), remove seeds and internal membranes, then cut into approximately 1-inch diamond pieces. Mushrooms: Trim the base and slice into 3–4 thick pieces. Onion: Remove center, cut into thick wedges, halve them. Broccoli: Separate florets and peel/slice the central stem. Soak broccoli in salted water for 5 minutes, then blanch in boiling water for 3 minutes. Carrot: Cut into angled sections; blanch for 1 minute.
  4. 4
    Add a small amount of oil to the marinated chicken and toss to coat — this prevents the pieces from sticking together during frying. Heat oil in the wok over high heat. Add the chicken pieces to the wok from the sides (not directly in the center). Fry until golden and cooked through, then remove and set aside.
  5. 5
    After frying the chicken, heat the wok again over high flame. Add oil and swirl it to coat all surfaces including the sides, heating until it reaches smoke point. This oil cure is performed before every stir-fry session to maintain non-stick properties.
  6. 6
    Add garlic and ginger to the hot oiled wok; stir until fragrant and lightly golden. Add the bell pepper and white onion, stir-frying briefly. Add the bok choy stems. Add the blanched broccoli (stir-fry 2 minutes) and blanched carrot (1 minute). Add light soy sauce, a small pinch of sugar, and the mushrooms. Add oyster sauce and stir everything together. Add the reserved fried chicken back to the wok along with a splash of chicken broth.
  7. 7
    Add a small amount of dark soy sauce just for color. Add the diluted potato starch (or cornstarch) slurry to bind and thicken the sauce. Stir vigorously. Add the green onions and toss briefly (just seconds) for a quick cook.
  8. 8
    Season to taste with additional white pepper (added at the end for best aroma). Drizzle with sesame oil. Serve immediately, ideally with steamed rice.

Nutrition (per serving)

380
Calories
32g
Protein
22g
Carbs
18g
Fat
6g
Fiber
Cultural Context
Chifa is Peru's beloved Peruvian-Chinese cuisine, born from the large wave of Cantonese immigrants who arrived in the 19th and 20th centuries. The word 'chifa' comes from the Cantonese 'chi fan' (to eat rice). This dish is a hallmark of chifa cooking: the wok (wok/woko) is central, soy sauces (sillao claro and oscuro) are essential flavoring agents, and kion (ginger) is indispensable. The use of pisco to marinate protein is a distinctly Peruvian adaptation.
Video thumbnail
Giacomo Bocchio
TE ENSEÑO A PREPARAR POLLO CON VERDURAS COMO EN EL CHIFA ¦ ELEVA TU JUEGO CULINARIO CON PATI CHONG
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