Chicken and Broccoli

Growing up, my family always had a pretty standard Chinese food order. Beef and broccoli, sweet and sour pork, fried rice and egg rolls were our solid four go-to items. Every once in a while we would switch it up, but that rarely occurred. It's probably why, to this day, I still gravitate towards beef and broccoli on every Chinese menu.

I always tend to have chicken in our refrigerator or freezer, so I frequently substitute chicken for other proteins in recipes. It's usually a lot cheaper as well! Chris and I love this Beef and Broccoli recipe so much, so I used it as a guide while making this recipe. It was so so delicious and affordable! The list of ingredients is a little tedious, but I promise it's really not difficult to make! And I think it even beats the stuff you can order off of a menu. Enjoy!

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• 1.5 lbs. chicken tenders, cut into bite-size pieces
• 1.5 lbs. broccoli florets
• 2 tbsp. canola oil
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tsp. cornstarch, dissolved in 2 tbsp. water

For the marinade:

• 2 tsp. soy sauce
• 2 tsp. Chinese rice wine (or dry sherry)
• 1 tsp. cornstarch
• 1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

For the sauce:

• 3/4 cup oyster sauce
• 2 tbsp. Chinese rice wine (or dry sherry)
• 6 tbsp. soy sauce
• 1 1/2 cups chicken broth

Marinate the chicken: Stir together the beef marinade ingredients in a ziplock bag. Add the chicken pieces and squish around in the bag so they are well coated. Let stand for 10-60 minutes.

Prepare the sauce: Stir together the sauce ingredients in a small bowl.

Blanch the broccoli: Cook the broccoli in a small pot of boiling water until tender-crisp, about 3 minutes. Drain thoroughly and then place in an ice bath to stop the cooking process.

Heat a large pan over medium heat. Add the oil and swirl to coat. Add the chicken in a single layer. Cook for about 5-7 minutes or until cooked through.

Pour in the sauce and stir to combine. Drain the broccoli and add it to the pan. Bring to a boil. Pour in the dissolved cornstarch and cook, stirring, until the sauce boils and thickens, about 30 seconds. 

Source: Adapted from this Savvy Kitchen post