Chicken and Broccoli

Chicken and Broccoli is one of the most popular take-out dishes and it's no wonder, the stuff is delish!  Wanna make it at home?  Here's a simple recipe you can throw together in no time.  It's sure to become a family favorite! 

Start by marinating the chicken - combine the chicken, scallions, half the garlic, half the ginger, sugar, seasoned rice vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, and 1 teaspoon cornstarch.  Also, in a small bowl, combine 1/3 cup water with 1 tablespoon cornstarch.  Set both aside until needed. 

In a very large skillet, heat half the oil with the remaining garlic and ginger.

Saute over medium-high heat for about a minute or until fragrant.

Add the broccoli and chicken stock to the pan.

And add salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper flakes (optional).  Stir often until the broccoli is cooked to your desired doneness - we like it tender, but still a little crisp.

Remove broccoli and any remaining chicken stock from the pan; set aside.

In the same pan, heat the remaining oil.

Add the chicken and all the marinade.

Stir occasionally until the chicken is cooked through, about 10 minutes.

Return the broccoli and chicken stock to the pan.

Stir everything together.

Time to add the cornstarch mixture, but first give it a good stir.

Add cornstarch slurry to the pan and bring mixture to a boil, stirring constantly until pan juices thicken.  Serve immediately over rice or noodles.

Items used to make this recipe:

(affiliate links)

• very large, good quality nonstick skillet http://amzn.to/2yvJ8L6

• end-grain cutting board http://amzn.to/2fRWg1S

• my favorite knife http://amzn.to/2fPODsN

• magnetic measuring spoons http://amzn.to/2fZYcJn

• silicone spatula http://amzn.to/2xn3QYG

• bamboo chopsticks http://amzn.to/2fYKlD8

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Chicken and Broccoli

makes 4 servings

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into bite-size pieces

• 4 scallions, sliced

• 3-4 cloves garlic, minced

• 1-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and grated (or 1 tablespoon of ginger paste)

• 1 tablespoon soy sauce

• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar

• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon cornstarch, divided

• 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

• 1 tablespoon seasoned rice vinegar

• 1 tablespoon sesame oil

• 4 tablespoons peanut or canola oil, divided

• 5-6 cups broccoli florets

• 1/2 cup chicken stock

• 2 pinches of kosher salt

• 1 pinch of ground black pepper

• optional: a pinch or two of crushed red pepper flakes

Directions

Marinate the Chicken:

1. In a medium bowl, combine the chicken, scallions, half the garlic, half the ginger, sugar, seasoned rice vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, and 1 teaspoon cornstarch; set aside.

Prepare the Slurry:

1. In a small bowl, combine 1/3 cup water with 1 tablespoon cornstarch; set aside.

Cook the Broccoli:

1. In a large non-stick skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of oil and cook the remaining garlic and ginger over medium-high heat until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add broccoli, chicken stock, salt and pepper, and optional crushed red pepper flakes. Toss broccoli frequently for a few minutes until it's crisp tender; remove broccoli and pan juices from skillet and set aside.

Cook the Chicken:

1. In the same skillet, heat another 2 tablespoons of peanut or canola oil and saute the chicken mixture until the chicken is cooked through, 4-5 minutes.

Assemble the Dish:

1. Return the reserved broccoli to the skillet, including any juices that have collected. Stir the reserved cornstarch mixture and pour into the skillet; bring to a boil and stir until sauce thickens. If the sauce thickens too much, add a splash or two of chicken stock. Serve over rice.

Hearty Italian Wedding Soup

Brrrr - it's getting cold around here.  I hope everyone had a lovely Thanksgiving, finished up all the leftovers, and is ready to start cooking again.  The outside temperature has plummeted and there are few meals better at fighting off a chill than a big bowl of heart-warming soup.  One of our family's favorite is Italian Wedding Soup.  I start by making homemade chicken stock, then I add lots of delicious goodies like incredibly flavorful bite-size turkey meatballs, sauteed vegetables, fresh spinach, and teeny tiny little pasta shapes.  Mmmm - it's so good.

This recipe requires a lot of prep, but it's worth it.  I like to make it on the weekend when I have time to chop veggies and roll mini meatballs to the likes of Beethoven or Bach.

Rather than add the precooked pasta directly to the soup pot, add it to the individual soup bowls just before serving so it doesn't overcook and get mushy.  Also, if you love this soup as much as I think you will, do yourself a favor and make a double batch of everything so you can have a freezer meal ready to go.  Just freeze separately the chicken stock, precooked meatballs, and precooked pasta that has been tossed with a little olive oil.  When you need a quick meal, just heat everything up and add sauteed carrots, celery, and chopped fresh spinach.  

ButterYum's Hearty Italian Wedding Soup

serves 10

Printable Recipes

Ingredients

Meatballs:

• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

• 1/2 cup finely minced onions

• 1 clove finely minced garlic

• pinch of salt

• 1 1/2 pounds of ground turkey

• 3 tablespoons Italian-seasoned bread crumbs

• 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan or Romano cheese

• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

• 3 scallions, thinly sliced

• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

• 2 eggs, beaten

Soup:

• 8 cups homemade chicken stock

• 4 carrots, diced

• 4 stalks celery, diced

• 5 ounces fresh spinach, tough stems removed and leaves roughly chopped

• 1/2 pound acini di pepe pasta, cooked (or other teeny pasta shape like stars, orzo, etc)

• 1 tablespoon olive oil

• Garnish - sliced scallions, chopped parsley, grated Parmesan or Romano cheese

Directions

For the pasta:

1. Cook pasta in salted water until al dente (a few minutes shy of package directions).

2. Drain pasta and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process.

3. Drizzle with a little extra virgin olive oil and stir to coat; set aside until needed.

For the meatballs:

1. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, saute the onions and a pinch of salt in olive oil until golden brown; stirring frequently.

2. Add minced garlic and stir constantly until very fragrant, about 30-60 seconds.

3. Remove from heat and allow to cool a bit before adding to the remaining meatball ingredients; mix well.

4. Preheat oven to 350F.

5. Form meat mixture into 80 1-inch meatballs (I use this #100 scoop) and place on greased or lined sheet pan and bake for 10 minutes; remove from oven and cool (no tasting at this point - they're not quite cooked through yet).

To make the soup base:

1. In a large stock pot, bring chicken stock to a gentle boil and add carrots, celery, and partially baked meatballs; cook for 10-15 minutes until carrots soften.

2. Add chopped spinach and cook an additional 5 minutes.

To serve:

1. Keep pasta and soup separate until serving so the pasta doesn't get mushy.

2. Place about 1/4 cup cooked pasta in a bowl and top with a hearty ladle or two of soup (8 meatballs per serving).

3. Garnish with sliced scallions, chopped parsley, and/or grated Parmesan or Romano cheese if desired.

Note

• Make a double batch and freeze some for a meal later. Simply freeze separately the chicken stock, precooked meatballs, and precooked pasta drizzled with olive oil. When you need a quick meal, just heat everything up, add sauteed carrots and celery, and chopped fresh spinach. Sometimes I replace the pasta with cooked wheat berries or quinoa.

(affiliate links)