Sesame Chicken & Broccoli

Oh, how I love Chinese takeout. There’s something so simple and comforting about it. Whenever I was sick as a kid, I could always count on my grandmother to bring me Chinese soup from the takeout place up the street. My favorite is the old school takeout boxes with the little metal handles. I like to eat my takeout right from the box. I’m not sure why, but it just tastes better that way. Making your own Chinese takeout at home is much easier than you think, and also a much healthier option. This Sesame Chicken & Broccoli is one of my favorite ways to make takeout at home.

What’s in this Sesame Chicken & Broccoli

The ingredients that you need for this Sesame Chicken & Broccoli are many of the staples of any Asian pantry. This is good news, because you’ll use the same basic ingredients over and over in many Asian dishes, like the Asian Noodle Salad and the Ginger Soy Chicken Wings. These are really fun dishes to make because they help reduce any intimidation you may have about cooking Asian cuisine.

The sauce is everything you love about Chinese food – thick, sticky, a little sweet and a little salty, and just overall so satisfying. You’ll need:

• soy sauce
• sesame oil
• garlic
• hoisin sauce
• chili garlic sauce
• ginger
• rice vinegar
• brown sugar
• dry Sherry

The chicken itself is only lightly coated with cornstarch, so all the flavor will come from the sauce. And believe me, it’s plenty. Once you get comfortable with the basic cast of characters, you can have fun experimenting with various sauces, dressings and marinades.

Variations for Sesame Chicken & Broccoli

I use white meat chicken breast here, but for a more authentic flavor you could use boneless skinless thighs. You could also play around with different vegetables – our market sells an Asian veggie blend that is already washed and packaged.

I hope you’ll agree that this Sesame Chicken & Broccoli is way better than takeout. Enjoy!

Sesame Chicken & Broccoli

Syrupy, tangy sauce over lean chicken & fresh broccoli gives you the best of Chinese takeout healthfully at home

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Prep Time 20 mins

Cook Time 30 mins

Total Time 50 mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine Asian

Servings 4

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 1 1/2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breast cubed
• 2 bunches of broccoli cleaned and cut into florets
• 4 cups cooked white or Jasmine rice
• 1/3 cup soy sauce
• 1/4 cup dry Sherry
• 1/4 cup rice vinegar
• 1/4 cup hoisin sauce
• 4 tsp. chili garlic sauce
• 3 tsp. brown sugar
• 3 Tbsp. cornstarch
• 4 Tbsp. sesame oil
• 4 tsp. garlic minced
• 4 tsp. fresh ginger minced
• 3 scallions diced (optional)
• 1 Tbsp. sesame seeds optional

Instructions

 

• In a small bowl, toss the cubed chicken with the cornstarch. Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add chicken and cook until browned. Add the broccoli and continue cooking until the broccoli softens. Lower heat to a simmer.
• Whisk all remaining ingredients except for sesame seeds together in a bowl. Pour the mixture into the skillet and toss with to combine with the chicken and broccoli. Simmer until the sauce thickens, about 10 minutes.
• Heat a small pan over low heat. Add the sesame seeds and cook until they start to turn a golden color and become fragrant. Make sure to move the seeds around the pan to toast them evenly. Remove from heat.
• Distribute rice among 4-5 serving bowls. Top with the chicken and broccoli, toasted sesame seeds and diced scallions.

Keyword chicken, dinner

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