When it comes to Chinese food and especially take out, this was always one of the go to things we ordered. Not only was it delicious but it was not scary to us when we were kids. This was one of the first recipes we worked on converting to a gluten free variety as it has so much nostalgia for us. It turns out it is very easy to make and tastes just as good as we remembered.
Serves: 4
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes
Ingredients:
The Chicken
3 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 ½ tablespoons oyster sauce
1 ½ teaspoons peanut oil
1 pound chicken thighs, cut into bite sized pieces
The Sauce
2 tablespoons tamari
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
1 teaspoon roasted sesame oil
1 teaspoon sugar
2/3 cup chicken stock
The Broccoli and Base
4 cups broccoli florets
2 tablespoon peanut oil, divided
2 tablespoons garlic ginger paste
1 tablespoon Chinese cooking wine
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 green onions, diced
Instructions:
In a non-reactive bowl, combine the water, cornstarch, oyster sauce and peanut oil and whisk until combined. Add chicken then using your hands, massage the meat until all the contents of the bowl are absorbed. Set aside until for at least 10 minutes and you’re ready to cook.
Place all the ingredients under the sauce heading into a bowl and whisk to combine.
Fill your wok about 2/3 full of water and add a pinch of salt, bring to a boil. Once boiling, toss in the broccoli and blanch for 2 minutes to take the edge off the raw veggie. You still want them crunchy, but this step makes it come out perfect for the stir fry. When done, dump the contents into a colander and set aside.
In the same wok, heat over medium-high heat then add 1 tablespoon of the oil. Lay the chicken out in a single layer if possible and cook for 2 minutes on each side. The chicken will mostly be cooked through, and you will finish it at the end. Remove to a plate until needed.
Reheat the same wok to medium and add another tablespoon of peanut oil. Once hot, stir in the garlic ginger paste and cook for 1 minute. Pour in the Chinese cooking wine followed by the sauce. Allow to simmer a few minutes then mix the cornstarch with equal amounts of water and pour into the wok. The sauce will thicken in 20 seconds.
Toss in the broccoli and the chicken and stir fry until everything is well coated and the chicken is cooked through. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed, possibly adding in a splash of tamari. Serve over steamed rice and enjoy.