STIR-FRIED CHICKEN, BROCCOLI AND CARROTS

STIR-FRIED CHICKEN, BROCCOLI AND CARROTS

This recipe involves velveting chicken, a simple Chinese technique that makes chicken breast insanely delicious and tender. We then pair that with a well balanced stir-fry sauce and perfectly cooked vegetables that soak it all up. This dish strikes that sought after medium of being crave able and satiating, while also making you feel good and light on your feet.

PREP TIME: 45 min | COOK TIME: 20 min. | SERVES: about 4

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INGREDIENTS

FOR STIR FRY

- 2 chicken breasts

- 2 heads of broccoli with stem or bag of precut broccoli

- 3 carrots

- neutral oil for cooking (i.e canola, vegetable, avocado, peanut)

- one scallion sliced-for the end

FOR VELVETING AND SEASONING CHICKEN

- 2 tsp baking soda - salt/pepper

- 1 tblsp Shaoxsing wine or sake - 2 tblsps cornstarch

- 2 tsp white sugar

FOR STIR FRY SAUCE

- 2 tblsps oyster sauce - 2 tblsps white sugar

- 2 tblsps LS soy sauce - 1 tsp Sriracha

- 2 tblsps rice wine vinegar - 1/2 tblsp grated garlic

- 1 tsp better than bouillon chicken flavor - 1/2 tblsp grated ginger

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Freeze chicken breasts slightly, for easier slicing. Slice chicken breasts.

2. While the chicken is firming up in the freezer, I like to prepare my vegetables. Peel and slice carrots about 1/4 inch thick. Set aside. If you're broccoli is not precut and still has stem, remove large stem of broccoli. With vegetable peeler, peel off the rough exterier of the stem till you're left with the tender part. Then, slice the stem into 1/4 inch rounds. Separate broccoli florets. Set prepared vegetables aside.

3. Combine stir-fry sauce ingredients and set aside.

4. Sprinkle baking soda over sliced chicken breasts and mix. Let baking soda sit on chicken for no more than 20 minutes. Rinse baking soda off of chicken after 20 min. and dry with paper towel. This is one way of velveting chicken. More than 20 minutes of baking soda on chicken will make chicken too soft.

5. While chicken is doing it's thing, par cook vegetables. In a nonstick pan, wok, or stainless steal pan heated till it becomes nonstick, get a few tblsps of neutral oil hot. Add broccoli florets and cook on high heat no more than a minute on each side. Pour out unto a plate. Add a little more oil back into the pan and quickly sautee carrot slices and broccoli rounds. Remove and set aside with broccoli florets. This is just a par cook. Vegetables should still look bright in color.

6. Lightly season chicken with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Add the wine or sake and sugar. Mix. Sprinkle cornstarch over the chicken and mix.

7. Get pan hot again. Get a tblsp or 2 of oil hot. Spread chicken out in pan quickly-I do this with 2 hands. Don't touch chicken and allow it to cook for one minute, getting good color. Then flip and cook another minute on the other side. Set aside. Don't crowd your pan and cook in batches if you need to. In my 10" pan I cooked 2 chicken breasts in 2 batches.

8. While pan is still hot, I like to throw a splash of sake or Shaoxing wine in the pan, reduce for a few seconds and then add stir fry sauce in. The extra wine or sake is optional. Right after you put the stir sauce in, with pan on medium high, add in chicken and vegetables. Simmer for one minute. Turn heat to low, add sliced scallions, and cover for about 5 minutes, allowing ingredients to meld together.

9. Serve over bed of white rice, or enjoy as is.

SUGGESTIONS/NOTES

• Experiment with different veg- cabbage, baby corn, bell peppers, cauliflower, mushrooms, etc. And also different protein-steak/shrimp/tofu. Stir-frying is such a delicious, simple way to enjoy vegetables. Every time I make this dish, I'm like I should really do this more.

• I enjoy this recipe with chicken thighs as well. I don't use the velveting technique for chicken thighs. I don't think it's necessary as dark meat is naturally so moist. I just season, coat in cornstarch and cook.

• Cornstarch protects the chicken while we're cooking the outside and helps to slightly thicken the sauce when the chicken goes back into the pan. It also gives a nice little shine to the dish.

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*pictured from left to right- thinly sliced chicken breast, thinly sliced chicken breast in bowl, chicken breast getting color on outside in nonstick pan, vegetable prep