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Frango xadrez light, served with fresh parsley
Healthy chicken dish with vegetables

Frango Xadrez light (Brazilian chicken with peppers)

Author: Flavelo
Recipes Main Courses
Brazilians love 'comida chinesa', and this 'Chess Chicken' (Frango Xadrez) is their most popular dish. The name refers to the colourful ingredients cut into check-pattern cubes. This 'light' version skips the heavy, starchy batter, focusing on the crunch of fresh vegetables and the purity of the meat.
🕒 Prep Time 15 mins
🍳 Cook Time 10 mins
⌛ Total Time 25 mins
🍽️ Servings 2 servings
🔥 Calories 280 kcal
🌍 Cuisine Brazilian (Chinese Fusion)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

  • Wok or large frying pan: For quick frying.
  • Sharp knife: For uniform dicing.

Allergen Information

⚠️ Soya
⚠️ Cereals containing gluten (in soy sauce)

Instructions

1 ✓

Cut the chicken, peppers and onion into equal cubes, approx. 2x2 cm. Slice the carrot thinly.

Tip: Uniform size is not just for aesthetics ('chess pattern'), but ensures everything cooks evenly.
2 ✓

Heat the wok or pan until smoking hot, then add oil. Throw in chicken cubes and fry until white (approx. 3-4 minutes). Remove meat and set aside.

Tip: If cooked with vegetables, the meat would dry out before carrots soften. Cooking in two steps keeps it juicy.
3 ✓

Throw the onion and carrot into the same hot pan. Fry for 2 minutes, tossing constantly.

Tip: Carrots take the longest, so they go in first.
4 ✓

Add the pepper cubes and fry for another 2 minutes until colours are vibrant but still crunchy.

Tip: Overcooked peppers lose vitamins and become mushy.
5 ✓

Return the meat to the vegetables. Add grated ginger, pepper and drizzle with soy sauce.

Tip: Ginger and soy sauce caramelise in the hot pan, giving deeper flavour than if just poured over.
6 ✓

Toss everything together for 1 minute, then serve immediately.

Tip: Best fresh while vegetables still crunch.

Recipe FAQ

Why did the vegetables get watery?
You put too much in the pan at once, cooling it down, so it steamed instead of frying. High heat and small batches are key for wok technique.
How to thicken the sauce?
Mix a teaspoon of cornflour into the soy sauce, but this increases carb content.

Ingredients

  • 300 g Chicken breast fillets
  • 1 whole Red pepper
  • 1 whole Green pepper
  • 1 whole Onion
  • 1 whole Carrot
  • 1 tbsp Olive oil
  • 3 tbsp Soy sauce (reduced salt)
  • 1 tsp Fresh ginger (grated)
  • 0.5 tsp Pepper