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naan bread in white bowl with rice, chicken, broccoli and brown sauce

Quick and Easy Chinese Chicken and Broccoli

Yield: 6 servings
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

  • 2 ½ cups chicken broth or stock (I use low-sodium)
  • ⅓ cup light or dark brown sugar
  • ½ cup soy sauce (I use low sodium - see note)
  • ¼ cup oyster sauce (see note)
  • 3 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger or refrigerated ginger paste (see note)
  • 1 tablespoon finely minced garlic (or 1 teaspoon garlic powder)
  • 1 teaspoon sesame oil
  • 3-4 cups cooked, shredded or cubed chicken (about 20 ounces)
  • 6-8 cups broccoli florets, chopped into bite-size pieces (about 16 ounces)
  • Hot, cooked rice, for serving
  • Toasted sesame seeds and chopped green onions, for garnish

Instructions 

  • Place the broccoli in a microwave-safe bowl with 1 cup water, cover, and steam in the microwave for 3-4 minutes until the broccoli is crisp-tender (or steam on the stovetop). Drain the water and set aside.
  • In a deep 12-inch skillet (you can also use a saucepan or pot), whisk together the broth, sugar, soy sauce, oyster sauce, cornstarch, ginger, garlic and sesame oil.
  • Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium heat, whisking constantly, and cook until the sauce has thickened, 3-4 minutes.
  • Add the chicken and broccoli and stir to cover with sauce. Heat through.
  • Serve over hot, cooked rice and garnish with toasted sesame seeds and chopped green onions, if desired.

Notes

Oyster Sauce: I highly recommend using oyster sauce in this recipe. If you haven't used it before and you are skeptical, it adds amazing flavor (that surprisingly, isn't overly fishy-tasting). It's a salty, mildly sweet, dark, syrupy sauce easily found in the Asian foods aisle. You can try subbing hoisin sauce, although the flavor of the dish will change a bit.
Salt: if the broth and soy sauce you use are both full-sodium (instead of low-sodium) this dish *might* be a bit salty. Or...it might not. I haven't tested it that way, because I always keep both low-sodium broth and soy sauce on hand. 
Ginger: I haven't tried subbing in dried ginger. If you aren't comfortable or familiar with using fresh ginger, look for ginger paste, which is usually available in the refrigerated produce section. For fresh ginger, I find it's easiest to buy a piece of fresh ginger, cut or break it into 1- or 2-inch pieces and store in the freezer. When I'm ready to use it, I grate it from frozen (no need to peel) on the small holes of a box grater or a small rasp grater.
Chicken: if you don't have cooked chicken, you can use uncooked chicken. Cut the chicken into bite-size pieces, season with salt and pepper, and cook in a bit of olive oil in the pan first (before making the sauce). Once cooked through, remove to a plate and proceed with the recipe.
Sauce: we are a sauce-loving family, so this recipe is deliberately saucy. If you want it a bit less saucy, cut the broth down to 2 cups or so.