Thai Chicken and Peppers

This dish is as much about color as it is about taste. Peppers and hot chiles provide one of the widest ranges of both bright and dark hues of any vegetable family—and their flavor is unmistakably earthy, whether mild or spicy.

Colorful foods are not only pretty to look at, but they’re high in nutrition as well. Even if you don’t like color on your walls, you can enjoy it on your plate.

Stir-Fry Ingredients

I used chicken thighs in this recipe to get that little extra dark-meat juiciness, but you can use chicken breast as well—just reduce stir-frying time by about 3 minutes, depending on the size of the pieces.

The Thai-style sauce—with fish sauce, lime juice, and sugar—brings the dish together with savory, bold flavors and gives the chicken and vegetables a glossy finish with a little cornstarch-water slurry.

Remember: Small pieces are key in stir-fry, and having everything prepared before turning on the heat is a must. Here, I cut both the chicken and peppers into short strips, and thinly sliced the ginger and garlic instead of chopping them.

Slice the peppers very thinly

Thinly slice the Thai chiles 

Slice garlic in half lengthwise, thinly slice crosswise 

Same for the ginger

Cut larger scallion bulbs in half lengthwise

Have ingredients ready to stir-fry

For other Thai dishes, check out Scallion-and-Chile-Braised Pork Ribs with Thai Noodles, Thai Sesame Meatballs with Ground Turkey and Spicy Sweet-and-Sour Sauce, and Thai Steak and Noodles with Shiitake Broth.

Serves 4

Ingredients

For the Sauce

• 3 tbsp fish sauce
• 3 tbs fresh lime juice
• 2 tbsp white sugar
• 1 tbsp chile garlic sauce
• 2 tsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 3 tsp water
• 1 tsp cornstarch

For the Chicken and Peppers

• 2 tbsp cornstarch
• 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs, trimmed and cut into thin 1-inch strips
• 4 tbsp peanut oil, divided
• 1/2 large green bell pepper, cut into very thin 1-inch strips
• 1/2 medium red bell pepper, cut into very thin 1-inch strips
• 1/2 medium orange or yellow bell pepper, cut into very thin 1-inch strips
• 4 Thai chiles, stemmed and thinly sliced crosswise
• 4 scallions, white parts cut into 1-inch pieces, green parts thinly sliced and set aside
• 3 garlic cloves, cut in half lengthwise and very thinly sliced crosswise
• 1-1/2-inch piece of ginger, peeled and cut in half lengthwise, then very thinly sliced crosswise
• 3 oz Thai rice noodles, cooked
• 1/2 cup cilantro leaves (with thin stems)

Chicken Ready for Cornstarch 

Scallions, Garlic, and Ginger

Preparation

For the Sauce

1. Whisk the first 6 ingredients (through sesame oil) in a medium bowl until the sugar dissolves. Combine the water and cornstarch in a small bowl, stirring until the cornstarch is dissolved.
2. Whisk the cornstarch slurry into the fish sauce mixture and set aside. (Re-whisk before using.)

Sauce Mixture 

Sauce with Cornstarch Slurry

For the Chicken and Peppers

1. Place the cornstarch in a heavy, sealable plastic bag. Dry the chicken of any excess moisture and add to the bag with the cornstarch. Shake well to coat.
2. Heat a wok (or large, deep skillet) over medium-high heat and add 2 tablespoons of peanut oil. Add the chicken and stir-fry until just cooked through, 8-9 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and wipe out the wok.
3. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil to the wok and add all peppers and chiles. Stir-fry 3 minutes.
4. Add the white parts of the scallions, garlic, and ginger and stir-fry 2 minutes.
5. Return the chicken to the wok and add the cooked rice noodles. Re-whisk the sauce and add to the wok, stirring well to incorporate. Cook until slightly thickened, 1-2 minutes.
6. Remove from the heat and stir in the cilantro.

Chicken Beginning to Cook

Stir-Fried Chicken

Peppers and Chiles Beginning to Cook 

Chicken, Noodles, and Sauce Added

Divide among 4 plates or shallow bowls and garnish with the green parts of the scallions.

Thai Chicken and Peppers