Chinese pumpkin & chicken stir fry with chilli & basil

My pumpkin carving skills are a bit crap but hopefully my pumpkin cooking skills are ok. I feel like it’s one of those rare vegetables which still has a ‘season’ – sadly these days you seem to be able to walk into any supermarket and pick anything and everything up at any time of year. Pumpkin and Asparagus both spring to mind as vegetables which have avoided that fate! 

So… as we head into pumpkin season, I was very pleased that the lovely folk from Lee Kum Kee asked me to come up with a dish in time for Halloween and after some thought, I went for a pumpkin & chicken stir fry jazzed up with their oyster and soy sauces, fresh basil and green chillies. And as an extra bonus, if you were to eat this at Halloween, the sheer amount of garlic in this dish will be sure to keep the Vampires away! 

Ingredients, serves 2 (GF)

• 2 chicken breasts, cut into thin strips 
• 300g peeled & diced pumpkin (small dice) 
• Half a large onion, thinly sliced
• 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 50ml chicken stock (GF if needed)
• 1 1/4 tbsp Lee Kum Kee double deluxe soy sauce 
• 1 tsp Lee Kum Kee premium oyster sauce 
• 3/4 tbsp honey 
• 1 large handful of basil – some torn, some whole leaves 
• 1 – 2 green chillies, de-seeded & sliced (use more or less depending on how spicy you want it!)

• This is quick work so start by preparing everything & have it all ready to go before you put the heat under the wok.
• Pour half the stock into a hot wok and add the onions, garlic and chillies. allow to cook for a couple of mins until starting to brown (careful not to let them burn).
• If the wok is drying out, add a splash of sesame oil and then throw in the pumpkin along with the rest of the stock. Stir for around 3-4 mins until the pumpkin starts to soften
• Make a well in the middle of the wok and add the chicken. Turn the heat up high and stir fry for a minute before adding the oyster sauce, soy sauce and honey. Turn the heat down and stir until the chicken is cooked. The sauces will combine to make a syrupy juice which will coat the chicken and pumpkin! 
• One last final stir and serve, sprinkled with the basil. Serve with rice or noodles – or if you’re like us, just scoff it for a light lunch.

I’m sure you’ll agree this pumpkin & chicken stir fry makes a nice change from pumpkin soup! And if you can’y get pumpkin, squash will work just as well. Lee Kum Kee make a whole range of Chinese and Asian sauces but they specialise in Oyster sauce. You can pick up their products in lots of main supermarkets and also in Chinese supermarkets. 

*This is a sponsored post. I was asked to produce a pumpkin recipe by Lee Kum Kee as part of their wider Halloween blog campaign.*