Edible pea pods are a delicious crunchy vegetable great for a side or even a main dish and this chicken with snow peas stir-fry is no exception!
Snow peas are more commonly associated with Chinese cuisine and in my opinion are a bit more tender than sugar snap peas. Both of these edible pea pod varieties have their own merits and can be used quite interchangeably in this and other dishes.
I have memories of snow peas from my days growing up in the Catskills when I would turn over the soil for the garden every spring and we would plant three large rows of these snow pea plants.
They grew easily and fast, and soon after sowing them, we would have to put up cut tree branches to act as a trellis for the vines to climb on. Fond memories of my mom coming home from work during the week and picking a basket of these tender pods for the dinner table are still vivid in my mind today.
You can see from our other recipes that we use these snow peas in several dishes, but they are great as a main course. Leave the chicken out of this dish and you can also serve stir fried snow peas as a really easy side.
Chicken with Snow Peas: Recipe Instructions
Mix the cornstarch, light soy sauce, and oil in a bowl for the marinade. And add toss in the chicken. Set aside. For more information and preparing chicken for stir fries, see Bill’s post on Chicken velveting 101.
Mix 1/3 cup of hot water or chicken stock with cornstarch into a slurry and set aside. If you like more sauce for the rice, increase your hot water/stock and add more salt or soy sauce to taste.
Heat the wok over high heat until smoking, add a tablespoon of oil to coat the wok and spread the chicken around evenly. Let the chicken sear (don’t move the pieces) for about 60 seconds until browned on one side. If the wok is heated properly, the chicken should not stick.
Next, give the chicken a quick stir and add the minced garlic and snow peas.
Add the shaoxing wine around the rim of the wok to deglaze and stir everything together using a bottom to top folding motion for about 30 seconds.
Movement is important for the snow peas to cook evenly. The pods should be just starting to turn bright green now. Working quickly, add light soy sauce, oyster sauce, sesame oil, salt, white pepper, and sugar. Stir to combine, about 15 seconds.
Stir up your slurry mix (the water and starch has probably separated by now) and add to the wok. Stir-fry for another 30 seconds, or until the sauce is thick enough to coat a spoon.
All of the pea pods should be bright green by now. Don’t overcook or you precious pea pods will become limp and turn yellow!
Plate and serve your chicken with snow peas immediately with steamed rice.
Chicken with Snow Peas Stir-fry
Ingredients
For the marinade:
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon light soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon oil
For the rest of the dish:
- 2 chicken breasts (12 ounces) (sliced into strips)
- 1/3 cup chicken stock (or water)
- 1/2 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 pound snow peas (trimmed and washed)
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1 clove garlic (minced)
- 1 tablespoon shaoxing wine
- 1 tablespoon light soy
- 1 teaspoon oyster sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
- ½ teaspoon salt
- Fresh ground white pepper
- 1/8 teaspoon sugar
Instructions
- Mix the cornstarch, light soy sauce, and oil in a bowl for the marinade. And add toss in the chicken. Set aside. Mix 1/3 cup of hot water or chicken stock with cornstarch into a slurry and set aside. If you like more sauce for the rice, increase your hot water/stock and add more salt or soy sauce to taste.
- Heat the wok over high heat until smoking, add a tablespoon of oil to coat the wok and spread the chicken around evenly. Let the chicken sear (don’t move the pieces) for about 60 seconds until browned on one side. If the wok is heated properly, the chicken should not stick. Next, give the chicken a quick stir and add the minced garlic and snow peas. Add the shaoxing wine around the rim of the wok to deglaze and stir everything together using a bottom to top folding motion for about 30 seconds.
- Movement is important for the snow peas to cook evenly. The pods should be just starting to turn bright green now. Working quickly, add soy sauce, oyster sauce, sesame oil, salt, pepper, and sugar. Stir to combine, about 15 seconds.
- Stir up your slurry mix (the water and starch has probably separated by now) and add to the wok. Stir-fry for another 30 seconds, or until the sauce is thick enough to coat a spoon. All of the pea pods should be bright green by now. Don’t overcook or you precious pea pods will become limp and turn yellow!
- Plate and serve immediately with steamed rice.
Simple and Perfect for the summer snow pea crop!
Agree Andre, you’re lucky to have a fresh snow pea crop from your garden!
Made this with shrimp instead of chicken and it was excellent. Got myself a new carbon steel wok and I really got that fantastic wok hai (sp?). Thank you as always.
You are so welcome, Lilly.
Looking to trying this tonight! Does this recipe include the White Sauce or do we make that separate? If the sauce is made advance AND is already incorporated in the recipe, what adjustments do we make?
Hi Jeff, the sauce is already built into the recipe so just follow the directions and you’ll be fine.
I didn’t have enough snow peas so I added shiitake mushrooms and water chestnuts. It was really good. Very light and fresh tasting
Very nice, so glad you enjoyed it.
Flavorful, quick,healthly , family friendly. Can’t get better than that!
Hi Selina, can’t agree with you more! We are looking to make this dish often once we get our garden going with snow peas.
Wow, this is really good.
Hi John, chicken and snow peas are a great combo! The most important rule (sounds like you did it) is NOT to overcook your snow peas. Happy cooking!