This spicy chicken stir-fry was inspired by an episode of that guiltiest of guilty Food Network pleasures, Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives. At a restaurant called Blue Koi in Kansas City, one of the signature dishes is something called “Firebird Chicken,” a spicy chicken dish served over noodles, which had us drooling in front of the TV. (Plus, the two owners/chefs are sisters, and their wacky senses of humor hit pretty close to home for us!)
For me, the key flavor component to this spicy chicken stir-fry dish is Chinese Sacha BBQ sauce, which is also often used for hot pot as a dipping sauce. The Sacha sauce has a unique flavor and, in my opinion, makes the Firebird Chicken and our copycat version really tasty and unique.
While I have been to Kansas City, I have never visited Blue Koi to eat, but I can tell you that flavors of this recipe lived up to the delicious images we saw on TV (and were probably good enough for Guy Fieri to shamelessly stuff his face with). And––Kaitlin will like this––if you use her crazy good Homemade Chili Oil recipe, you’ll be in spicy chicken stir-fry heaven!
Something that we did shamelessly copy from the show was the cool trick of adding some water to the chicken before the rest of the marinade. This keeps the chicken breast tender and moist during the stir-fry process; we were skeptical at first, but it really makes a difference!
I was excited about this one when I saw it, and even after making it a couple of times in our kitchen, I’m still excited for everyone to try it. If you’ve never heard of Sacha sauce, this is definitely a good reason to go out and buy a jar!
Recipe Instructions
Add the chicken to a bowl, along with 2 tablespoons water. Use your hands to massage the water into the chicken until it is absorbed. Add the rest of the marinade ingredients to the chicken (cornstarch, oil, sesame oil), and mix well and set aside. For more information and preparing chicken for stir fries, see Bill’s post on Chicken velveting 101.
Heat your wok until almost smoking, and add 1 tablespoon of oil. Spread the chicken one layer deep, and let sear for about 20 seconds. Turn the chicken and let the other side sear for another 20 seconds. Then, immediately transfer back into the marinade bowl.
Add another tablespoon of oil and ginger to the wok, and let caramelize for 10 seconds. Working quickly, stir in the garlic and scallions. After 15 seconds, add the seared chicken (and any juices from the bowl), and the bamboo shoots.
The wok should be on the highest heat and should be searing hot for this next step. Pour the tablespoon of Shaoxing wine around the wok and quickly add the Sacha sauce (Chinese BBQ sauce), soy sauce, sugar, and chili oil.
It’s a good idea to combine all these ingredients in a bowl before you turn on your stove, so that you’re not fumbling with jars and bottles while cooking. Note: If this sounds too spicy for you, you can add chili oil to taste rather than the entire amount called for.
Stir-fry everything to combine—at this point, it’s a glistening, spicy, delicious party. The sauces should combine nicely and the cornstarch from the chicken marinade should thicken the sauce slightly. Add a tablespoon of chicken stock if the sauce is too thick.
If you like a lot of sauce, add in the optional auxiliary sauce kicker ingredients at this point (chicken stock, light soy sauce, cornstarch, plus just enough water to make a slurry). Stir-fry for another 20 seconds. Plate and serve your spicy chicken stir-fry over rice!
Spicy Chicken Stir-fry (Firebird Chicken)
Ingredients
For the chicken and the marinade:
- 12 oz. chicken breast (sliced into ¼-inch thick pieces)
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon oil
- ½ teaspoon sesame oil
For the rest of the dish:
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 1 teaspoon ginger (minced)
- 2 teaspoons garlic (minced)
- 2 scallions (sliced at an angle into 2-inch pieces)
- ½ cup bamboo shoots
- 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine
- 2 tablespoons Sacha sauce (Chinese BBQ sauce)
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon chili oil (preferably with a good mix of both oil and toasted pepper flakes)
Optional auxiliary sauce kicker:
- 1/3 cup chicken stock
- ½ teaspoon light soy sauce
- ½ teaspoon cornstarch (plus just enough water to make a slurry, optional)
Instructions
- Add the chicken to a bowl, along with 2 tablespoons water. Use your hands to massage the water into the chicken until it is absorbed. Add the rest of the marinade ingredients to the chicken, mix well and set aside.
- Heat your wok until almost smoking, and add 1 tablespoon of oil. Spread the chicken one layer deep, and let sear for about 20 seconds. Turn the chicken and let the other side sear for another 20 seconds. Then, immediately transfer back into the marinade bowl.
- Add another tablespoon of oil and ginger to the wok, and let caramelize for 10 seconds. Working quickly, stir in the garlic and scallions. After 15 seconds, add the seared chicken (and any juices from the bowl), and the bamboo shoots.
- The wok should be on the highest heat and should be searing hot for this next step. Pour the tablespoon of Shaoxing wine around the wok and quickly add the Sacha sauce, soy sauce, sugar, and chili oil. It's a good idea to combine all these ingredients in a bowl before you turn on your stove, so that you're not fumbling with jars and bottles while cooking. Note: If this sounds too spicy for you, you can add chili oil to taste rather than the entire amount called for.
- Stir-fry everything to combine—at this point, it's a glistening, spicy, delicious party. The sauces should combine nicely and the cornstarch from the chicken marinade should thicken the sauce slightly. Add a tablespoon of chicken stock if the sauce is too thick. If you like a lot of sauce, add in the optional auxiliary sauce kicker ingredients at this point, and stir fry for another 20 seconds. Plate and serve over rice!
Don’t think I got the wok hay down or much else…but geez still managed to be tasty !!
Luvverly Grub Bill
I lived in KC and this is one of my favorite restaurant dishes. I have since moved to the Netherlands so finding this recipe is a real treat. I enjoy the Duck version Blue Koi offers. Would you prepare the Duck differently than the chicken?
Hi Kevin, if you’re using duck breast then yes.
hello! I’m getting ready to make this right now even though dinner ins’t for a few hours. Is it ok to let the chicken marinate for a few hours?
Hi allison, marinating the chicken for a few hours is fine!
My husband and I had this delicious dish for lunch, along with your garlicky baby bok choy and homemade chili oil. Mhhhm! Thank you very much for your blog, as travelling around the globe is not an option anymore because of corona (and climate issues) we just love to cook us away from our everyday life. Many Greetings from Germany, Verena
Hi Verena, thanks for the shout-out from Germany! Happy to hear from you, and your successful lunch meal of firebird chicken with bok choy :)
I noticed that when I scale a recipe it does not change the metric quantities.
Hi Randy, yes, our unit scaling feature is relatively new, so we haven’t gotten around to converting all old recipes to the new system yet. I will update this particular one for now! You should see a metric toggle below the ingredients list in the recipe card. When you move the sliding scale, the amounts will also adjust.