Chicken and Broccoli Stir-Fry

This week has been a bit rough on my sleep cycle. I am currently performing 12 hour drug exposure experiments at the lab, which means I’m either there early in the morning (4am-ish), so that the end time is at a decent hour, or am there late at night (9pm-ish), ending not-so early the next morning. Yet somehow I manage to get to the gym and cook dinner still. And in case you forgot, I require no coffee. Even now. I have super human powers.

I love a good stir-fry, but Brent could usually care less. However he has to deal because stir-frys are also one of my favorite dishes to make when I am busy. Although this one is not overly simple, it doesn’t take too long to make. And the end result is pure deliciousness! After finishing it off Brent even said we should have Asian-cuisine more often. Imagine that.

If I had had more time, I probably would’ve whipped up some homemade fortune cookies to go with.

Ingredients:

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed

3 scallions, whites only, thinly sliced on an angle

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp ground ginger

1 Tbsp soy sauce

2 Tbsp sugar

1 Tbsp + 1 tsp cornstarch

1-1/4 tsp salt

1 Tbsp dry sherry

1 Tbsp dark sesame oil

1/3 cup water

3 Tbsp vegetable oil

2 heads broccoli, trimmed sliced stalks and medium florets (keep the 2 cuts separate)

3/4 to 1 tsp red chili flakes, optional

1 Tbsp hoisin sauce

Toasted sesame seeds, for garnish

Directions:

1. 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.
2. Mix the remaining cornstarch with 1/3 cup water, set aside.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. Garnish with sesame seeds; serve with rice.

Source: Adapted slightly from Food Network