Gai Pad Khing

Step 1

Place the chicken breast on a cutting board and slice it horizontally into thin strips about 1/4-inch thick, as if you were slicing bread crosswise. This helps it cook fast and evenly.

Step 2

Peel the ginger by scraping it with the edge of a spoon, then lay it flat and slice it lengthwise into thin matchsticks about 1/8-inch wide, like toothpicks.

Step 3

Mince the garlic cloves until the pieces are smaller than a grain of rice—about the size of pencil-tip dots.

Step 4

Slice the jalapeño pepper lengthwise in half, scrape out the seeds with a small spoon, then slice the halves into thin strips.

Step 5

Pour 2 tablespoons of olive oil into a 12-inch skillet and place it over medium-high heat until the oil shimmers and slides quickly when you tilt the pan, about 90 seconds.

Step 6

Add the minced garlic to the hot oil and stir constantly for 30 seconds until it smells strongly fragrant but hasn't turned brown.

Step 7

Add the chicken strips to the pan in a single layer and cook without moving them for 2 minutes until the bottom edges turn white or pale tan.

Step 8

Stir the chicken pieces to flip them, then cook for 1 more minute until no pink remains on the surface when you look closely.

Step 9

Add the ginger matchsticks and jalapeño strips to the pan and stir constantly for 90 seconds until the ginger softens slightly and the smell becomes very aromatic.

Step 10

Pour in 3 tablespoons of soy sauce and stir everything together for 30 seconds until the sauce coats all the chicken and ginger evenly.

Step 11

Remove the skillet from the heat and transfer the stir-fry to a serving plate or two bowls.