Chicken and Broccoli Stir-Fry

 I seem to be craving spicy foods right now, so this Chicken and Broccoli Stir-Fry is perfect. The addition of dried red pepper flakes will deffinatly wake up your taste buds! Wonderful flavor also comes from fresh ginger, garlic and hoisin sauce. There's not too much chopping involved as there's just a few vegetables. Actually, I added the carrots to this dish the last time I made it to add some extra color, but they are not needed if you don't want them. This is a fairly simple and tasty meal, so I hope you'l give it a try.

Chicken and Broccoli Stir-Fry
adapted from Food Network
Hint: Have all the ingredients chopped, minced and with in reach and this dish will come together quickly.

Chicken and Marinade:
1 pound chicken breasts, cubed
1 or 2 large cloves garlic, minced or pressed
1/2 inch of fresh ginger, minced or finely grated
1 tablespoon soy sauce - I used low sodium
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon rice vinegar

Other ingredients:
3 tablespoons oil
about 5 cups broccoli florets and trimmed stalk pieces
1 small onion, sliced from end to end, or some sliced green onions
1 carrot, cut into match stick pieces, optional
3/4 to 1 teaspoon dried red chili flakes- I used 1 teas.
1 large clove garlic, minced
another 1/2 inch of fresh ginger, minced or grated
2/3 cup water
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
2 tablespoons soy sauce

1. In a bowl, add the chicken and the other ingredients and stir. Marinate at room temperature for 15 minutes.
2. Heat a large skillet over medium heat with 2 tablespoons of oil to the skillet. Add the broccoli stems, florets, onions and carrot, if using, to the pan and stir fry about 2 minutes, until broccoli is bright green. Add the garlic and ginger to the pan the last 30 seconds and stir fry together with the vegetables. Remove the veggies to a plate or bowl. Mix the 2/3 cup water with the cornstarch.
3. Add another tablespoon of oil to the pan and add the chicken and dried red pepper flakes to it. Stir fry chicken about 3 minutes, until it loses it's raw color.
4. Add the hoisin sauce to the chicken and stir. Return the broccoli and other veggies, if any, to the skillet and stir. Add the cornstarch/water mixture to the pan along with the soy sauce. Stir until thickened. Add more water if sauce is too thick. Taste and season with salt and pepper if needed.
Serve over rice and garnish with toasted sesame seeds if desired. Enjoy!