Chicken Hekka Recipe

Recipe Pin

On days when I am too lazy to cook a meal but craving some comforting homemade meal, then Chicken Hekka is something I pick to satisfy all my hunger. Why? It is easy to make and filled with Asian notes, so it is definitely super delicious and comes together in just forty-five minutes or even less.

Now, if you are just like me, who is super lethargic and doesn’t want to spend time in the kitchen, this recipe for Chicken Hekka will come to your rescue. To be very honest, I cannot count on my fingers how many times I have made this recipe and to date, I am not tired of the flavours. Maybe I love stir-fry recipes too much.

I remember making it for some of my friends when they visited me unannounced. Oh, I was terrified as I did not want to do full fledged cooking but did not want to be a part of the gossip where they talk about how uninviting I was and did not cater to them nicely.

So, I had to make something delicious without taking much time. Well, they loved Chicken Hekka, and I got all the praise and compliments. This dish was a hit, for sure. That is when I decided to share this recipe with more people, and here I am sharing it with the best people.

Go on and check out the recipe and I am sure you will too master the dish and enjoy the Asian notes to the most in your plate.

Equipment Required

Knife: You would need a knife to slice the chicken and chop the veggies.
Bowl: To make the sauce, use a bowl where you can mix ingredients.
Skillet: Take a good and heavy skillet so that we can stir fry chicken and vegetables.
Grater: The recipe calls for ginger juice and a grater would come handy for the same.
Spatula: Use a good spatula to stir fry the ingredients.

Chicken Hekka Ingredients & Substitutions

Note: This recipe is big enough to serve 4 people. If you want to make more or less, you must adjust the recipe accordingly.

Boneless, Skinless Chicken
Sugar: You can add honey instead of sugar and add a little golden touch.
Soy Sauce: If you are looking for some gluten free options, use Tamari instead of regular soy sauce.
Mirin (Japanese Sweet Wine): Just in case you don’t have mirin, you can use white wine with sugar or maybe sake with sugar.
Salad Oil: To make my dish a little healthy, I sometimes use olive oil.
Ginger Root: If you don’t have fresh ginger, you can use ginger powder too. Just make sure to use ¼ tsp as it is a little stronger.
Carrots: You can use sweet potatoes as they have a mild sweet and earthy notes.
Onions: Shallots can be a great substitute if you don’t have onions.
Shredded bamboo shoots
Mushrooms
Watercress
Long Rice: You can even use glass noodles instead of rice.

Preparation And Cooking Time

Preparation Time	Cooking Time	Total Time
30 Minutes	15 Minutes	45 Minutes

How To Make Chicken Hekka At Home

Step 1

Start by slicing the chicken into pieces. Now, in a bowl combine sugar, soy sauce, and mirin.

Step 2

Take a wok and heat some oil on medium flame. Add some juice from the grated ginger. Now, add some ginger and stir fry until brown; discard ginger fibers.

Step 3

After this, add chicken and cook it by stir frying on high heat. Once, chicken is almost cooked, add soy sauce mixture and cook for 2 more minutes.

Step 4

Throw in the chopped onions and carrots one by one into the wok. Add the mushrooms as well.

Step 5

Now, add watercress and shredded bamboo shoots to the wok.

Step 6

It’s time to add long rice and cook for 3 more minutes, or until done.

Step 7

Serve it hot!

Expert Tips That I Recommend

I would suggest using fresh vegetables so that you get the most of the flavors.
While slicing the chicken, make sure you keep the size uniform so that they get cooked at the same time.
As you are stir frying, make sure that you use the right oil which has a high heating point. You can use vegetable or canola oil.
Another thing I would recommend is preparing the ingredients before you start cooking. This includes chopping vegetables, mixing liquids and slicing the chicken. I am asking this because we are stir frying and the cooking process is usually faster and if you take breaks to prep the ingredients, it may get burned.
I usually add a little cornstarch in the sauce so that it thickens when cooked with chicken.
As already mentioned, we are stir frying everything so make sure you keep on stirring using a spatula to avoid any burning or sticking.
Do not overcrowd the pan by adding vegetables together. Instead add vegetables one by one to avoid over cooking.

FAQs About Chicken Hekka

Can I use frozen vegetables?

Yes, you can use frozen vegetables to make the dish.

What type of rice should I use to make Chicken Hekka?

Usually, glass noodles are preferred but you can also use Jasmine rice as it has a great aroma and flavor.

How do I avoid overcooking chicken?

Make sure that once the chicken is cooked you remove it from the pan if the heat is too high. Once the temperature goes down, continue the next steps by adding chicken and other ingredients together.

What if I have frozen chicken?

Defroze the chicken and then add to the recipe if you have frozen chicken.

What if I burn the ginger?

Burnt ginger will add a bitter taste to the dish. I would suggest you to avoid the mistake by simply adjusting the heat and constantly stirring.

Nutritional Information Per Serving

Chicken Hekka is usually preferred as a meal for lunch and dinner as it is super fulfilling because of chicken. That is why, when it comes to the nutritional aspects, it is quite healthy.

However, it is the sodium content which is quite concerning. Therefore, I would suggest you to look out for the sodium intake and have the dish in moderation.

Below I have mentioned the complete nutritional information for you to have a look and manage your diet accordingly.

Calories	399 kcal
Fat	5 g
Saturated Fat	1 g
Cholesterol	49 mg
Sodium	1483 mg
Potassium	538 mg
Carbohydrates	58 g
Sugar	30 g
Fiber	3 g
Protein	25 g
Calcium	45 mg
Iron	2. mg

As you can see, this dish does have good protein and fibre content. Well, you can always adjust the ingredients according to your dietary preferences. Maybe add some more vegetables to make it a little more healthy.

Recipe Variations For Different Diets

Gluten Free: To make it gluten free, ensure that you use gluten free ingredients. This means using tamari instead of soy sauce. You can even switch the rice with brown rice or cauliflower rice.
Keto Friendly: Simply substitute rice with cauliflower rice or zucchini noodles. Moreover, instead of using carrots, go for some fresh bell peppers. When it comes to the soy sauce, go for low sugar soy sauce or use coconut aminos.
Paleo: For the Paleo version, substitute rice, soy sauce and sugar with cauliflower rice, tamari/coconut aminos and honey. Moreover, if you want to use a thickening agent, then try arrowroot powder.

Storing And Reheating This Recipe

If you have some leftovers, don’t worry as you can easily store the dish and then reheat whenever you wish to eat. Need some tips? Check it out below:

Storing

In Refrigerator: Let the dish cool down at room temperature. After this, take an air tight container and keep it in the refrigerator. You can keep Chicken Hekka in the refrigerator for around 3 days.
In Freezer: If you plan to freeze, then let it chill in the refrigerator for a while and then freezer-safe containers or heavy-duty freezer bags to put in the freezer.

Reheating

In A Wok (Best Method): Reheating the Chicken Hekka in a wok is quite easy. Firstly, take it out from the freeze and let it stay at room temperature for a while. Now, heat a wok and splash a little water or chicken broth. Add the Chicken Hekka and stir fry for a minute or so until heated through.
In A Microwave: You can even use a microwave to reheat the Chicken Hekka.
Transfer the dish into a microwave safe dish and heat it for 2-3 minutes.
In An Oven: First, preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Take an oven safe container and transfer the dish. Cover it with a foil and heat for 15 to minutes. Just make sure to stir in between so that the dish is heated thoroughly.

What To Serve With This Recipe

Well, this Chicken Hekka is enough to enjoy as a complete meal. However, if you want to enjoy some side dish, you can pair it with some Sushi Rolls to bring more umami notes. Just in case if you have some extra time then go for authentic Dumplings as it will perfectly go with the savory notes of the Chicken Hekka.

I love to pair with some Fried Jalapeño Fries or Buffalo Wild Wings Fried Pickles. It really adds a nice crunchy note to the overall flavor. Having said that, to make your diet a little balanced go with some Chicken Salad or soup like Baked Potato Soup.

Printable Version

More Chicken Recipes That You Can Try

Eating-Coconut-Chicken — Chinese Coconut Chicken

Homemade-Noodle-Soup-Recipe — Chinese Coconut Chicken

Conclusion

Making Chicken Hekka was quite fast for me as I already had everything prepared, like chopped vegetables. Even if you start from scratch, it would hardly take you half an hour or so.

Now, I prefer adding some extra vegetables like bell peppers, zucchini, snap peas and even fresh green onions ( I love eating veggies). Therefore, you can adjust the number of vegetables as per your liking.

Just make sure to add enough seasoning by making the balanced flavor sauce and you will definitely enjoy a hint of sweet, salty, tangy and spicy notes (add chillies) at the same time.

So, give this a try over the coming weekend and let me know how it turned out to be in the comment section.

Chicken Hekka Recipe

Equipment Required

Chicken Hekka Ingredients & Substitutions

Preparation And Cooking Time