Chinese Chicken and Broccoli
Ever since I was little, my favorite thing to get when we ordered Chinese or went to a Chinese restaurant was chicken and broccoli. I love love love it. I love the sauce and the freshness of the broccoli. I even love the way the sticky white rice tastes all by itself. It’s something I really miss now that we live in France, and I must say – French Chinese food is just not the same as American Chinese food.
Over the past year or so, I’ve been testing out all sorts of Chinese recipes from Pinterest and other places on the internet, but I never found one that I thought stood its ground against the real deal. Finally, I think I’ve found the ONE. The sauce has the perfect texture and creaminess, and the broccoli – which needs to be cooked just right – is the perfect amount of crispness.
First mix up the marinade and cut up the chicken. Place it all in a zippy bag or big bowl and let it marinate. You’ll also need to steam the broccoli. I used a vegetable steamer, but you can steam it in the microwave too. Make sure you don’t steam it too long because it’s going to be cooked in the sauce later.
Cook the chicken with its marinade and half of the sauce mixture in one tablespoon of vegetable oil.
The sauce will start to look foamy while you’re cooking it, but that’s just the baking soda doing its job. It’s what gives the sauce the perfect texture.
Once the chicken is fully cooked and getting nice and brown, add the broccoli and the rest of the sauce. Cook until the broccoli is tender but still crisp and the sauce has thickened. Serve with white rice.
Ingredients
For the marinade:
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon sugar
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon water
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
For the sauce:
1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons brown sugar
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons flour
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 large head of broccoli, crowns only, cut into bite-sized pieces.
1 tablespoon water
Instructions
- Mix the marinade ingredients in a small bowl - pour oven chicken.
- Marinate the chicken while preparing the sauce and broccoli.
- Steam broccoli for just 3 minutes - set aside.
- In a wok or large skillet over medium-high heat, saute the chicken with its marinade and 1/2 of the sauce mixture in 1 tablespoon vegetable oil.
- Once chicken is fully cooked through, add the steamed broccoli, remaining sauce and 1 tablespoon water.
- Cook for 2 minutes to thicken sauce or until broccoli is tender, but still crisp.
Recipe adapted from Rainy Day Gal.
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March 1, 2013 This entry was posted in 30 Minutes or Less, Chicken, Mains and tagged asian, broccoli, chicken, chinese. Bookmark the permalink.
I just made this tonight and it was delicious! I served it with brown rice and it was gone in no time. My whole family loved it. Thanks for sharing
yum, this looks delicious! I love chicken and broccoli too, can’t wait to make this recipe!
This was delicious!