Chicken Broccoli Stir-fry

Another good weeknight dinner. Easy to throw together and has a really nice balance of flavours. I never thought to marinate the chicken before stir frying (maybe that's why my stir fries aren't that fabulous? ha).
Source: Food Network via Chef Mommy


CHICKEN BROCCOLI STIR-FRY

INGREDIENTS:

Marinate the chicken while you prepare the rest of the ingredients

·                     1 pound chicken breast (about 2 breasts), cubed

·                     3 scallions, whites only, thinly sliced on an angle (I used green bits too)

·                     2 cloves garlic, minced

·                     1-inch piece peeled fresh ginger, minced (I just grate this right in)

·                     1 tablespoon soy sauce

·                     2 tablespoons sugar

·                     1 tablespoon, plus 1 teaspoon cornstarch

·                     1 1/4 teaspoons salt

·                     1 tablespoon dark sesame oil

·                     About 1/3 cup water

·                     3 tablespoons vegetable oil

·                     5 to 6 cups broccoli, trimmed sliced stalks and medium florets 

·                     2 teaspoons red chili flakes, optional

·                     1 tablespoon hoisin sauce

Garnish: toasted sesame seeds, optional

Serving suggestion: Jasmine rice

 DIRECTIONS:

In a medium bowl, toss the chicken with the scallion whites, about half the garlic and ginger, the soy sauce, sugar, 1 teaspoon of the cornstarch, 1 teaspoon of the salt, and the sesame oil. Marinate at room temperature for 15 minutes. Mix the remaining cornstarch with 1/3 cup water.

Heat a large nonstick skillet over high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of the oil and heat. Add the broccoli stems, and stir-fry for 30 seconds. Add the florets and the remaining garlic, ginger, 2 tablespoons of water, and season with 1/4 teaspoon salt, and pepper. Stir-fry until the broccoli is bright green but still crisp, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a plate.

Get the skillet good and hot again, and then heat 2 more tablespoons oil. Add the chicken and chili flakes if using. Stir-fry until the chicken loses its raw color and gets a little brown, about 3 minutes. Add the hoisin sauce, return the broccoli to the pan and toss to heat through. Stir in the reserved cornstarch mixture and bring to a boil to thicken. Add more water if need to thin the sauce, if necessary. Taste and season with salt and pepper, if you like. Divide among 4 plates and garnish with sesame seeds; serve with rice.