Inside: This dry chicken chili marries tender-marinated chicken with vibrant bell peppers, onions, and aromatic spices. This creates a delicious dish that is perfect for those desire a healthy twist on Chinese food! This chili is also gluten-free and on plan for Trim Healthy Mama.
Related: Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken Chili
I didn’t grow up eating Chinese food. I guess my parents didn’t like it because I don’t recall us ever eating out at a Chinese restaurant. The only Chinese-like ingredient I remember my mother using was crunchy Chow Mein noodles. We ate these more as snacks than anything else.
When my husband and I were newlyweds, we went on a mission trip with our church to China. Visiting China ranks up there as one of my most memorable adventures ever.
It was on that trip that I first tried Chinese food. While there were some dishes I tried and never hope to try again (octopus anyone?), most dishes won me over.
This Dry Chicken Chili is a Chinese Dish That Even Non-Chinese Foodies Will Enjoy
While my hubby still isn’t a huge fan of Chinese food, I enjoy eating out with friends at Chinese restaurants, and I love introducing my kids to dishes like this dry chicken chili.
Besides being incredibly easy to whip up in a skillet, this dry chicken chili is gluten-free, dairy-free, and on plan for Trim Healthy Mama.
If those aren’t the ingredients (pun intended!) for a winning recipe, I don’t know what is!
While this recipe only yields four servings as written, you can easily double it (which is what I often do!) to make enough to feed a large family. I have four kids, so doubling this recipe for my family of six provides all of us dinner plus leaves enough leftovers for a couple of people to have lunch the next day.
Related: Slow Cooker White Chicken Chili
This Dry Chicken Chili is So Easy to Whip Up in a Skillet
While slow cooker meals can save a homemaker’s sanity, time and time again I’ve found myself gravitating toward skillet meals.
If you have more of a spontaneous personality, and, therefore, don’t plan far enough ahead for slow cooker or even instant pot meals, then skillets meals can seriously be your bffs.
As long as you pull meat from the freezer to thaw in the morning, there are so many skillet meals you can cook in 20 to 30 minutes while your kids are doing homework, watching a TV show (educational, of course!), or playing outside after school.
While I actually own both a ceramic skillet and a stainless steel skillet, my favorite is probably my cast iron skillet. The downside of using a cast iron skillet is that you cannot put them in the dishwasher, but they are naturally non-stick–as long as you know how to care for them.
Related: Instant Pot Sweet Potato Chili
Besides this dry chicken skillet, some of my favorite family-friendly skillet meals include:
Herb Chicken Skillet (THM FP or E)
Mediterranean Quinoa with Shrimp (THM E)
Related: White Turkey Chili
This Dry Chicken Chili is Gluten-Free and On Plan for Trim Healthy Mama
This dry chicken chicken chili recipe is also gluten-free and on-plan for Trim Healthy Mama (THM).
Gluten-Free
Many traditional chili recipes call for thickeners, like flour, that contain gluten. However, this dry chicken chili relies on naturally gluten-free ingredients.
This is great news for my family, as all six of us have eaten a gluten-free diet since 2011.
Note: When buying sauces, in particular–like the soy sauce and oyster sauce for this recipe–be sure to look for a “gluten-free” label on the bottle, or make sure that the sauce does not list “wheat, rye, or barley” among the ingredients. If following THM, you will also want to be sure that these sauces as well as the hoisan sauce are sugar-free.
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On-Plan for Trim Healthy Mama
In addition to being gluten-free, this dry chicken chili is also on-plan for Trim Healthy Mama (as long as you omit the optional sugar).
The THM plan focuses on meals centered in protein and carb cycling to promote steady blood sugar levels.
This chili is designed to be a “Satisfying” (S) meal on the THM plan. If you prefer to make this dry chicken chili an E meal on the THM plan, you can simply substitute chicken breasts for the chicken thighs and include a complex carb side dish, such a brown rice or quinoa.
Ingredients
For Marinating the Chicken
- 1 1/2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs cut into bit-sized pieces
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp oyster sauce
- 1 tsp Chinese five-spice powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
For the Dry Chicken Chili
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 red bell pepper thinly sliced
- 1 green bell pepper thinly sliced
- 1 onion thinly sliced
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp hoisin sauce
- 1 tbsp rice vinegar
- 1 tsp sugar optional
- 1/2 to 1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 tsp arrowroot powder mixed with 2 tablespoons water (for thickening)
- Green onions chopped, for garnish
- Sesame seeds for garnish
Instructions
- In a bowl, combine the chicken pieces with soy sauce, oyster sauce, Chinese five-spice powder, garlic powder, ginger powder, salt, and black pepper. Mix well to coat the chicken evenly. Let it marinate in the refrigerator for at least 15-20 minutes.
- Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a wok or large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the marinated chicken pieces and cook until they are browned and cooked through. Remove the chicken from the pan and set it aside.
- In the same pan, add another tablespoon of oil. Add minced garlic and red pepper flakes. Stir-fry for a minute or until fragrant.
- Add sliced red bell pepper, green bell pepper, and onion. Cook, stirring constantly, until the vegetables are tender yet crisp.
- Return the cooked chicken to the pan. Stir in soy sauce, hoisin sauce, rice vinegar, and sugar. Mix well to combine all the flavors.
- Pour the arrowroot-water mixture into the pan to thicken the sauce. Stir quickly to coat the chicken and vegetables evenly. Cook for an additional minute until the sauce thickens.
- Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary. If you prefer a spicier dish, you can add more red pepper flakes at this point.
- Transfer the Chinese Dry Chicken Chili to a serving dish. Garnish with chopped green onions and sesame seeds. Serve hot over steamed rice or noodles.
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