Chicken and Broccoli Stir Fry

Chicken and Broccoli Stir Fry

Ingredients

1 1/4 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces
6 scallions, whites only, thinly sliced on an angle (slice and reserve all the tops for garnish)
4 cloves garlic, grated or minced, divided*
1 1/2-inch piece peeled fresh ginger, grated or minced, divided*
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons raw sugar
1/2 tablespoon + 1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 tablespoon + 1/4 teaspoon Kosher salt
2 tablespoons xiaoxing wine (or dry sherry)
2 tablespoons dark sesame oil
About 1/2 cup water
4 tablespoons grapeseed or other neutral oil
5 to 6 cups broccoli, chopped, separated into florets and stems
1 teaspoon crushed chile flakes (optional**)
2 tablespoons oyster sauce

*I used grated for the half that went in the chicken marinade and minced for the half that went in the pan with the broccoli, but that was just a personal choice; it's not absolutely necessary.

**By crushed chile flakes, I mean something more along the lines of what you'd buy in a bag at the Asian market (if you can find 'em!), not the ones you use for Italian dishes, etc.

Method

In a medium bowl, toss the chicken with the scallion whites, half the garlic and ginger, soy sauce, sugar, 1/2 tablespoon cornstarch, 1/2 tablespoon Kosher salt, xiaoxing wine, and sesame oil. Marinate at room temperature for 15 minutes. Mix the remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch with 1/2 cup water and set aside.

Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large nonstick skillet or wok over high heat. Add the broccoli stems, and stir-fry for 30 seconds. Add the florets and the remaining garlic, ginger, 1/4 cup water, 1/4 teaspoon salt and crushed chile flakes, if using. Stir-fry until the broccoli is bright green and tender-crisp, about 4 minutes. You may need to add a tablespoon more water (or two or three) to make sure it stir fries without sticking or searing too much. Transfer to a plate.

Pour another 2 tablespoons oil in the pan and add the chicken mixture. Stir-fry (stir, stir, stir at this point!) until the chicken is brown and cooked through, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the oyster sauce, stir, then 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 a couple, few more tablespoons of water to make a bit more sauce, if desired - I did).

Serve over Jasmine rice, with the reserved scallion greens and extra chile flakes on the side.

NOTES

I've remarked before that stir fries, as much as I love them, don't make it into my repertoire that often. This one firmly planted itself there tonight because ohhhhh myyyyy. I suppose I expected this to be a nice weeknight dish and all, but it just wowed me so far beyond that. Gingery, garlicky and spicy, with just a bit of tangy sweetness to cut through all the savory. It was perfect.

I must say, too, that this would be fantastic with chile garlic sauce on top, but I wanted to eat my dinner portion as it was, with the flakes. I'll bust out the Huy Fong sauce for lunch tomorrow, though. I could also see cooking the dish *with* the sauce instead of flakes. May try that next time.