Velvet Chicken and Broccoli

August 14, 2023
by Cindy Williams
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- Asian Dishes,
- Dinner
Cuisine: Chinese, Comfort Food
Difficulty: Easy

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Prep Time

30 minutes
Cook Time

10 minutes
Serving

2
View

503

Directions

One chicken breast is enough for one person, and possibly two servings depending on how much broccoli you use in the dish. I prefer a lot of broccoli but if you are going chicken heavy in this recipe, you might want to slice two chicken breasts. I recommend making the sauce before you add it to the stir fry. In a measuring cup or bowl, combine the stock, sugar, sesame oil and salt and white pepper. Adjust seasonings and set aside.

Step 1

How to slice the chicken: Use a very sharp knife and slice against the grain into thin one inch pieces. Slicing the chicken correctly is crucial. You should slice at an angle, almost laying your knife blade flat down on the top of the chicken breast. Almost. There are lots of good videos on YouTube that show you how to do this.

Step 2

Velvet the chicken pieces: Take the sliced pieces and put them in a bowl. If they are very wet, you may not need additional water but if not add a few TBS. of water, then a good splash of soy sauce. Toss the chicken pieces to coat.

Step 3

Let the chicken marinate 15 minutes. The chicken should have absorbed the water. Then sprinkle some cornstarch over the chicken, and a TBS. or so of vegetable oil. Massage this into the chicken and let it sit 15 minutes.

Step 4

Now bring about 3 inches of vegetable oil up to about 350 degrees in a wok. Dip each chicken piece in the hot oil and let it bubble for about 10 to 15 seconds. Remove the chicken pieces to a platter when they are opaque but not brown. You only want to get them to opaque. They will finish cooking when you stir fry.

Step 5

Steam the broccoli florets just to get them half-cooked. Don't steam all the crunch out of them but remember they are only going to cook a few minutes in the wok.

Step 6

Pour most of the oil out of the wok. Be careful with the hot oil. I used a soup ladle to scoop out the oil and pour it into a bowl. You want to leave about 2 TBS. oil in the wok. HEAT the wok to the point where the oil is almost shimmering.

Step 7

Add the cube of ginger to the oil to infuse the oil with the flavor. Remove the ginger when it has begun to brown.

Step 8

Add the garlic and scallions and stir.

Step 9

When the garlic has taken on a nice golden color, add the broccoli and chicken. Keep stirring.

Step 10

Add a few TBS. of Chinese wine or sherry.

Step 11

Add the chicken stock, sugar, sesame oil, white pepper and salt. You can actually mix this sauce up in a measuring cup ahead of time, which is what I recommend. That way you can taste the sauce and correct the seasonings before you add it to your dish.

Step 12

Make a cornstarch slurry (add a few TBS. of water to the cornstarch and stir.) Add that to the sauce and let it thicken..

Step 13

When the sauce is nice and thick, serve the dish with white rice.