Broccoli Chicken

Chinese food is one of our go-to weeknight meals. Probably second only to Spaghetti Bolognese for the things frequently consumed during a typical week.

The dish features lots of warm, umami flavors, easy prep and cheap ingredients. What’s not to love?

I remember thinking (prior to making this and other Asian dishes), how amazing it would be to be able to make authentic Chinese food at home. It was always a cuisine I looked at and thought: no. No way is that possible at home in my little kitchen. But, like with so many other cuisines; it’s so much easier than I’d ever imagined, and incredibly — so much better! Perhaps one of the more surprising aspects is how easy it is to recreate popular restaurant quality dishes from the comfort of your own home. Once you’ve tried this homemade delicacy, I promise you’ll no longer crave the over-salted, MSG laden version from your local take-out! 

You see, when you control the amount of flavors, spices, and ingredients, you get to tweak things exactly to your liking. Like things extra umami? Go ahead and add more soy. Like more broccoli with your broccoli chicken (or beef)? Add more broccoli. This customization is what you’ll learn to love about cooking at home, and is something you simply can’t get at your local restaurant. There you’re at the mercy of the people cooking your food, who won’t always have you and your families best interest at heart. Even if they wanted to, they simply cannot tailor to every customer’s specific needs. You, as your family’s honorary head chef for the night/lifetime, most definitely can…

The meal begins with a few staples of Chinese cooking. Soy sauce, garlic, corn starch, sesame oil and dry sherry. That’s it for the marinade! 

In a medium sized bowl add the soy, sesame oil, sherry and corn starch. Stir to incorporate. Crush the garlic, either with a knife or your bare hands, just enough to bruise the outer surface and allow the aroma to flow. 

Now add the diced chicken thighs and stir well in the marinade. Cover and allow to sit either at room temp or in the fridge for at least a half hour. Can marinade for longer, but be careful of leaving for too long as the soy may penetrate meat to a degree you don’t like. 

Get wok or other heavy bottomed pan screaming hot. Add canola/vegetable oil first, then sesame oil. once oil is rippling, add meat. 

This step is especially important. Without a good sear on the meat, the dish will lack the complexity of flavor that’s possible with the recipe. One thing to be aware of is don’t crowd the pan. If needed, do in batches. Remember, the enemy of sear is crowding! Meat that touches each other in the pan will steam instead of searing, and that beautiful dark brown caramelization will be replaced by a dull, grey layer on the outside. More importantly, outside of the aesthetics, the flavor profile will never be the same. The marinade won’t be locked in as well, the sauce won’t stick as well, andd you really will taste the difference. So please, take care to sear the meat 🙂

Once meat is well seared, start adding the broccoli. Many claim you need to blanch broccoli, but we rarely (if ever) do it and it’s honestly not necessary here, especially since both meat and veggies will be draped in a rich, silky sauce. 

You’ll know when it’s done when the sauce thickens and begins to stick to the meat.

Braised bok choy makes a simple, healthy, and tasty side, although especially given the greens already in the dish (broccoli and green onions), it’s certainly not necessary. To make a side of braised bok choy, simply cut into strips (a bit of the whitish stem is ok, but leave most of it out), and sauté in a tsp or so of sesame oil over medium heat. After five minutes add a tsp of soy sauce, cook another five minutes or so, and you’re done! 

Ingredients

• 3tb Soy Sauce
• 3tb Oyster Sauce
• 3tb Dry Sherry
• 1tb Corn Starch
• 1tb Sugar
• 12tb Water