Chicken and Broccoli Stir-Fry

I LOVE stir-fry!  It's just so yummy!!  I am constantly trying out new stir-fry recipes, and this one is a keeper for sure!  A few great things about this recipe:  It was really quick and easy to make....took about 20 minutes, I had everything on hand, and it has great restaurant flavor!  

I found it on www.foodnetwork.com.  I typed in chicken stir-fry and LOTS of recipes came up!  This one had 5 stars and 265 reviews, so I figured it must be good!  One person even reviewed that her hubby thought it was leftovers from PF Chang's!

Mmm! I love it garnished with toasted sesame seeds and green onion! Adds a nice little crunch!

These aren't the greatest pictures, but unfortunately my camera got a little water on it at the beach and it is no longer functioning. :(  This is the best I could do with my phone!

CHICKEN AND BROCCOLI STIR-FRY

• 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
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1-inch piece peeled fresh ginger, minced
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 tablespoon, plus 1 teaspoon cornstarch
• 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
• 1 tablespoon dry sherry
• 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 (keep the 2 cuts separate)
• 3/4 to 1 teaspoon 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, the sherry, 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. Mound the stir-fry on a serving platter or divide among 4 plates and garnish with sesame seeds; serve with rice.


Notes: The garlic and ginger can be chopped together in a minichopper to save time.
Scallion greens can also be used to garnish, if you like that extra onion-y flavor and you want to use up the scallions.

The broccoli stems are used (love all that fiber) to add textural contrast and also to help bulk up the dish, and why waste them?

I reduced the amount of broccoli and added some thinly sliced carrots (I cut them into coins).  I added them with the broccoli stems and they came out great!  I also reduced the amount of salt and used pineapple juice instead of dry sherry.  You could also use orange juice if you prefer.  I just did a sprinkle of crushed red pepper and that gave it the perfect kick. And definitely use Jasmine rice! It is so tasty!