As you look for a chicken stir-fry sauce, consider the different ingredients and flavors in it and consider matching the sauce to the rest of the dish. For example, if you are cooking a stir-fry that includes mushrooms and scallions, then you might use a savory sauce that compliments these flavors. If you would like a chicken stir-fry sauce that adds a great deal of flavor, however, then choose one that creates contrast in the dish. This allows you to build additional flavors into the stir-fry through the sauce, rather than needing to add more ingredients to the dish.
There are a number of ways in which chicken stir-fry sauce can be prepared, usually as part of making the actual stir-fry itself. One of the simplest ways to choose the best sauce is to simply use ingredients and flavors already present in the dish, to ensure that the sauce compliments the rest of the stir-fry. If, for example, you are using peppers and chili flakes in the dish, then you might consider a chicken stir-fry sauce that includes chili oil to compliment those flavors.
The basis of the chicken stir-fry sauce itself can also be inherently complimentary to the rest of the flavors. Using chicken stock as the base for the sauce often works well and provides more flavor than water. Common ingredients such as soy sauce and garlic add fairly neutral flavors that usually work well with any stir-fry.
A more dynamic and complex chicken stir-fry sauce can also be created through the use of ingredients and flavors that are in contrast to the rest of the dish. For example, if you are using fairly neutral flavors in the stir-fry, such as carrots, peas, and cabbage, then you can create a chicken stir-fry sauce that has a strong flavor. The use of fish oil or chili oil can make a sauce powerful and interesting, while providing contrast that brings out the flavors of the original ingredients.
Exercise caution when using a chicken stir-fry sauce, however, as it is possible to make a dish that clashes with itself or is too intense. Using ingredients that work well together can potentially become overpowering, especially with strong sweet or salty flavors. If you are using potentially sweet ingredients, like certain peppers or onions, then a sweet sauce can make the dish too intense. Similarly, contrasts in flavors should be used sparingly, as some hot and sweet combinations may be effective, but too many different tastes at once can become overwhelming.
