Not my mom's chicken and ginger, but it makes me happy.

Total time:  Approximately 35 minutes.

We eat a lot of spicy foods in my house, and one of my favorite quick meals is Thai chicken and & ginger (I’m half Thai).  I tend to omit the fish sauce in favor of just adding more salt when I add the water to the skillet.  My mom prefers chicken thighs and dark meat over breasts because it adds more fat to the dish.  I’ve found it tastes the same either way… I even did it with leftover turkey this year.  An alternative is to use carrots and ginger powder instead of ginger root.

2-3 boneless skinless chicken breasts, diced
1 chunk of ginger root the size of a child’s fist, peeled
Thai fish sauce (optional!)
1/4 teaspoon of salt (or less)
1/4 teaspoon of pepper (or more)
1 tbsp of vegetable or olive oil
4 cups of cooked rice

I have a rice cooker, so I typically get 2 cups of rice started and then begin cooking.  I peel my ginger with a cheap steak knife because the serrated edges are perfect for getting right under the skin.

1.  Cut the ginger julienne style.  Place in a small bowl.  Sprinkle 1/4 teaspoon of salt evenly across the top.  The more salt you put in now, the hotter your ginger will taste.  Too much salt will of course make it salty. 🙂

2.  In a deep skillet, heat your tablespoon of oil on Medium and add the chicken.  Cook the chicken until it just turns white, then cover for 2-3 minutes (just enough for the condensation to form and start to roll down the lid).

3.  Squeeze the salted ginger with your hand until you can’t feel anymore grains of salt.  You should see juice at the bottom of the bowl.  Add ginger and juice to the skillet, but keep the bowl.

4.  Pour three bowls full of water into the skillet.  Add pepper and cover for 5-10 minutes (it should be boiling really well by then).  Simmer until rice is done.