In a small bowl, mix 1 tablespoon of cornstarch with 1 tablespoon of water until smooth. Then stir in 1 tablespoon each of vegetable oil, soy sauce, and rice wine, along with the minced garlic. Give it a good mix until everything’s well combined.

Cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces and pop them into a bowl or small container. Pour the marinade over the chicken, stir to coat each piece nicely, then cover and place it in the fridge for at least 30 minutes to soak up all that flavor.

While the chicken chills, it’s time to make the sauce! It’s pretty similar to the marinade, but with a few extras for a bigger flavor punch. Start by dissolving 1 tablespoon of cornstarch in 1 tablespoon of water again. Then add 2 tablespoons each of soy sauce, rice wine, and sambal (chili sauce), plus 2 tablespoons of brown sugar and 1 teaspoon of sesame oil. Stir it all together until the brown sugar is fully dissolved. Set this tasty sauce aside until you're ready to use it.

Dice up the bell pepper and slice the carrots into super-thin strips. Chop the green onions—you’ll be using both the white and green parts. Measure out about ½ cup of peanuts and set everything aside.

Time to get the rice going! Add 1½ cups of dry jasmine rice to a medium pot along with 2½ cups of water. Put the lid on and bring it to a boil over high heat. Once it starts boiling, turn the heat way down to the lowest setting and let it simmer for 20 minutes. After that, turn off the heat completely and just let the rice sit—don’t peek! When you're ready to serve, fluff it up with a fork.

Now let’s get cooking! Heat 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When the oil’s nice and hot (you’ll see it shimmer a little), toss in the white part of the green onions. Give it a quick stir and let it sizzle for 30 seconds to a minute.

Next, add the marinated chicken to the skillet. Cook and stir for about 5 minutes, or until the chicken is fully cooked—it should feel firm and not squishy.

Toss in the bell pepper, carrots, green parts of the onions, and peanuts. Stir everything together so it’s well mixed with the chicken. Right away, pour in the sauce and let it all cook for 2–3 minutes, just until the sauce thickens up. I like my veggies with a little crunch, so I don’t cook them much before adding the sauce. Feel free to do the same!