Sautéed Chicken with Shiitakes and Celery

1. Prep Ingredients

Begin by prepping your ingredients. Cut the chicken thighs into bite-sized pieces to ensure they cook quickly and evenly. Slice your garlic, ginger, jalapeño, and scallions to release their flavors and aromas during cooking. Slice the celery on a bias for a pleasing textural difference and a greater surface area to absorb flavors. Lastly, prepare your shiitake mushrooms by removing the stems and slicing the caps.

2. Sear Chicken

Heat the avocado oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the chicken pieces and sear with a pinch of salt until they develop a golden-brown crust, usually about 3-4 minutes. Remove the chicken from the skillet and set aside.

3. Cook Mushrooms

In the same skillet, add the shiitake mushrooms with another pinch of salt. Cook them until they're lightly browned and have released their moisture.

4. Sweat Aromatics

Lower the heat to medium and add the scallions to the skillet. Let them cook until they're just starting to brown. Next, add the garlic, ginger, and jalapeño. Cook until fragrant, taking care not to let the garlic brown too much.

5. Cook Vegetables

Raise the heat to high and toss in the sliced celery and cook for about 2 minutes until it's slightly softened yet still retaining a bit of crunch.

6. Deglaze

Pour the shaoxing wine into the skillet. Use a wooden spoon to scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Reduce the wine until nearly dry.

7. Finishing Ingredients

Return the chicken to the skillet to heat through. Add the soy sauce, mirin, and sugar, stirring to combine. Cook briefly to allow the flavors to meld. Just before plating, turn off the heat and fold in the cilantro leaves.