Chicken and Broccoli Stir-Fry Recipe
This is a very good chicken and broccoli dish. I think beef or even tofu could work as well.
This is a very good chicken and broccoli dish. I think beef or even tofu could work as well.
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
- 1 tablespoon dark sesame oil
- 1/3 cup chicken broth
- 1 tablespoons sugar
- marinate the chicken while you prepare the rest
- 1 pound chicken breast (about 2 breasts), cubed
- 3 scallions, whites only thinly sliced on an angle
- 2 cloves garlic cloves, minced
- 1 (1-inch) peeled fresh ginger minced
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch plus 1 teaspoon
- 1 tablespoon dry sherry
- 4 cups broccoli medium florets
- 1/4 cup carrot shredded
- 3/4 tsp red chili flakes optional (up to 1)
- 1 tablespoon hoisin sauce
- 1/4 cup cashews
- 3 green onion sliced (or tops reserved from maranade)
- Carbohydrate 21.3062433702969 g
- Cholesterol 65.89089365 mg
- Fat 17.2821047342531 g
- Fiber 4.20895835408224 g
- Protein 38.06512983683 g
- Saturated Fat 2.29439159928773 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (434g)
- Sodium 4117.11070539593 mg
- Sugar 17.0972850162146 g
- Trans Fat 1.27843922221341 g
- Calories 387 calories
Step-by-step
- 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 or in the refrigerator for up to 6 hours.
- Mix the remaining cornstarch with 1/3 cup chicken broth.
- Heat a large nonstick skillet over high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of the oil and heat. Add the broccoli and the carrots, and stir-fry and the remaining garlic, ginger, 2 tablespoons of water, and season with 1/4 teaspoon salt, and pepper add the.
- Stir-fry until the broccoli is bright green but still crisp, about 1 minute. 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 the cashews and remaining green onions.
- 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 if desired; serve with rice.
Home cooks frequently crowd the pan, which traps steam and causes meat to boil in its own juices instead of developing the savory crust driven by the Maillard reaction. This chemical browning requires temperatures above 300 degrees Fahrenheit, necessitating dry ingredients and high heat. Achieving this demands a pan with strong thermal mass, such as well-seasoned carbon steel or a heavy cast-iron skillet, though a wide stainless steel pan functions adequately if heated thoroughly before adding oil.
Velveting meat through a starch and acid marinade protects lean protein fibers from seizing under extreme heat. Cornstarch acts as a moisture barrier, gelatinizing during the final toss to create a glossy sauce that clings uniformly to the vegetables. Sherry provides alcohol-soluble congeners that release trapped aromatic compounds from the garlic and ginger, multiplying the perceived flavor depth without adding excess water.
Vegetables require rapid cooking to preserve bright chlorophyll pigments and cell turgor pressure. Adding a mere two tablespoons of water to the hot skillet generates instantaneous steam that blanches the broccoli florets just enough to soften their fibrous walls while locking in vibrant green color within sixty seconds. Removing the vegetables immediately prevents residual heat from turning them dull and mushy.
Finishing the dish involves a slurry reduction where starch polymers swell as the liquid reaches a rolling boil. Stirring the mixture vigorously at this stage gelatinizes the starches evenly around the chicken, broccoli, and toasted cashews, transforming the sparse pan juices into a cohesive glaze that binds the entire dish together.
