BROCCOLI and CHICKEN STIR-FRY

My husband left for work at 4:10 this morning . . . crazy guy.  He works hard.  He tried to be quiet and not disruptive, but it didn’t work.  Once he’s gone . . . I’m wide awake.  I emptied the dishwasher at about 5:00 a.m.  As I was putting things away, I spotted this:

It’s a dinosaur.  I got this electric wok for a wedding present.

That was 31 years ago.    The vision of this wok, made stir-fry dance in my head.  It’s one of my husbands favorites. 

Have you ever started stir-fry at 6:00 a.m. in the morning?  It works!

 

Now . . . it can dance in your head!

 Let’s begin . . .

Cut up about 4 large skinless, boneless chicken breasts.  Don’t make the pieces too large.

You can also substitute thin slices of beef cut against the grain.  Do it while still slightly frozen.  Also very good.

This recipe will serve about four people, unless you’ve got big eaters!

Steam about 2 cups of Broccoli florets until crisp tender.  Don’t over cook the brocolli!

I simply place mine on a plate, drizzle a tablespoon of water over the top, and cover with saran wrap.

Into the microwave for about 1 minute.  They are still crisp.  They will cook more in the wok.

Make the sauce.  I always 3 times the original recipe.  We like extra sauce.

Place a little oil in your wok.  Heat it up. 

You could also use a deep skillet, or an electric fry pan. 

Once the wok or skillet is good and hot, drop some chicken pieces onto the hot surface.

Sizzle, pop, smell.  Toss chicken so that you KNOW they are cooked through.  Place cooked chicken on a plate.

  Continue this process until you have cooked all of your chicken pieces.

Smells pretty darn good at 6:15 in the morning!

Once all your chicken pieces are cooked, put them back into your wok or skillet.

Add the glorious sauce.  Stir well to combine.  Turn down your heat and let the juice reduce and thicken.

This is where I change the recipe just a bit.  The sauce is very strong.  I have 3 times the sauce recipe.

We like to have extra sauce.  It’s too strong.  I add approximately 1 cup of water.  Taste it.

If it’s still too strong, add a bit more.  I also add about 1 tablespoon of Brown sugar as well.

Season it with salt and pepper.  Turn heat to very low, and just let it simmer until it’s as thick as you like the sauce.

This is when I prepare the rice.  I made white rice today, but brown rice is also very good.

It is now ready for the veggies.

Don’t add the broccoli and carrots too soon, because you don’t want them soggy.

Are you starting to wonder . . . WHY I made Stir-fry before the sun was even up?

Because . . . I had to take pictures.  If I do this AFTER my husband is home, . . . he laughs at me.

He thinks my little hobby, is a tad bit nuts.  It is!

Can you smell it?

Your rice should be done by now.  Plate it!

Spoon some Chicken and Broccoli and Carrots over the rice.  Sprinkle a few sliced almonds on top.  (optional of course)

Take pictures if you want to.

Guess what?  It’s only 7:00 a.m. and dinner is ready.  This is great!

Come back tomorrow, cuz I made my favorite salad and a yummy dessert.

Time to make the Blueberry, Raspberry crumble. 

BROCCOLI AND CHICKEN STIR-FRY

SAUCE:

I triple this recipe, but I will post it as written.

2 Tablespoons soy sauce

1 Tablespoon orange juice

1/2 teaspoon red wine vinegar

1 Tablespoon brown sugar

1 teaspoon sesame oil or canola oil

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes (less if desired)

1/2 Tablespoon Cornstarch

1/4 Teaspoon black pepper

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon ginger

*I added 1 full teaspoon for a triple recipe.

Directions:

In a small bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, Orange juice, red wine vinegar, brown sugar, oil, red pepper flakes, garlic powder, ginger and cornstarch.  Reserve. 

* Keep in mind that in the pictures above, I have tripled the sauce recipe.  Then, I added 1 cup of water/plus another tablespoon of cornstarch to thicken the sauce,  until the taste was not too strong.  If you are only making a single recipe, you will not have much sauce, therefore . .. it probably won’t be too strong.

Set a wok over medium high heat and coat bottom with 1 tablespoon of oil. When the oil shimmers and pops, add 10 to 15 pieces of chicken.  Stir-fry until the chicken is fully cooked through.  Transfer to a plate and repeat the process with the remaining chicken pieces.

Add the chicken back to the pan along with the sauce, and let simmer until sauce has reduced down a bit and thickened.  If the sauce doesn’t get as thick as you would like, simply mix :  1 teaspoon cornstarch with 1/4 cup Cold water, and slowly add this mixture to your sauce.

Add the steamed veggies, toss and serve over rice or noodles. 

 This is also good heated up the next day if you have left overs.  My husband also takes the leftovers, and puts the rice mixture on a soft flour shell, rolls it up and eats it that way!

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