Another delicious Pan-Asian recipe coming up just for you. This Chicken and Broccoli Stir Fry With Cashews makes for such a wholesome and healthy meal. Not to mention, it is ridiculously easy to make. It does involve a few extra steps, but it is all worth it. I enjoy this chicken with broccoli stir fry with plain white rice. You can also serve it with fried rice or even noodles. Or mop them up with some tingmo or soft bread.
What makes this chicken and broccoli really special is the marination of the chicken and the way the broccoli is cooked. The chicken is marinated in basic Asian sauces and left to cook separately. While that happens, the broccoli is blanched for just two minutes so that it remains crunchy and retains its gorgeous green colour. And finally the two merge along with aromatics, crunchy cashews and spring onion greens. I have not used cornflour to thicken the gravy, just some regular hot water. So now you can imagine how simple this recipe is.
Tips to make this Chicken and Broccoli Stir Fry Perfect
While this is an extremely simple and basic recipe, there are a few extra steps that ensure that it comes out absolutely perfect. It’s a homemade version so I have tried to control the amount of oil and spices used in the recipe. Here is a detailed list of the extra things I have done.
1. Type of chicken cut
Nobody can stand a dry piece of chicken in an Asian sauce and I am no different. I do not like to take any risk and that’s why I always go for boneless chicken thighs. This cut of the chicken remains juicy and absorbs all the flavours really well as opposed to chicken breast which can easily go dry. I would suggest you to use chicken things too, as they also cook faster if cut into strips like this.
2. Marinating the chicken is essential
The first main trick to get those sensational flavours in this chicken and broccoli stir fry lies in the marination. Before you do that, wash the chicken and pat dry with a kitchen towel. Make sure there is no water in the pieces. Once done, cut the boneless chicken into strips. The recipe calls for marinating the chicken strips in all the sauces and keep it aside for atleast 30 minutes. This helps the sauces and their flavour to penetrate the meat, making every bite delicious and full of punch.
3. Roasting the cashews
The cashews are a very important part of this recipe and they add that delicious crunch to it. Roasting them slightly in oil before adding them to the gravy is an essential step to give the cashews their own distinct identity in this dish.
4. Frying the chicken
The marinated chicken is fried separately in this recipe till it is about 80 percent done. This chicken is mixed again with aromatics like onions, chillies, ginger and garlic. Doing these in two steps gives the chicken that extra dose of flavour that makes the recipe shine.
5. Blanching the broccoli
Since the broccoli is a main part of this dish, it’s given its due attention. The broccoli remains crunchy, yet cooked in this recipe. As a vegetable, broccoli is a really good choice if you want it to soak up sauces used in the gravy. Broccoli acts like an excellent sponge that soaks up all the flavours in the sauce its cooked in.
To get the perfect broccoli bite, it is first blanched in boiling water for exactly two minutes (see video). Blanching it for more time will make it soggy. The other trick is to add the broccoli to the chicken only in the last 30 seconds of cooking so that it does not get more exposure to heat.
So now that you know all the tips and tricks to make the most perfect, yet homely chicken and broccoli stir fry, let’s take a look at the recipe.
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| Prep Time | 30 minutes |
| Cook Time | 30 minutes |
| Servings |
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- 500 grams boneless chicken thighs cut into thin strips
- 200 grams broccoli florets
- 2 tbsp Oyster sauce
- 2 tbsp red chilli sauce
- 2 tbsp Thai sweet chilli sauce
- 2 tbsp dark soy sauce
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil for frying the chicken strips
- 100 grams cashews
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil for the final gravy
- 1 cup finely chopped onions
- 2 tbsp finely chopped garlic
- 1 tbsp fresh ginger paste/finely chopped ginger
- 2 chillies finely chopped
- 1 tsp black pepper powder
- 1/4 cup hot water
- 1/2 cup spring onion greens chopped
- chopped spring onion greens for garnish
Ingredients
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- Wash the chicken thoroughly and pat dry with a kitchen towel. Transfer it to a bowl. Marinate with soy sauce, red chilli sauce, Oyster sauce and red chilli sauce. Mix well and marinate for 30 minutes.
- Boil water in a pot. Add the broccoli florets and let it boil for exactly two minutes. Remove immediately and set aside for later use.
- Heat oil in a skillet. Once hot, roast the cashews till they turn golden brown and crunchy. Keep the flame at medium. Set aside.
- In the same skillet, add the marinated chicken and fry for ten minutes on medium to high flame. The chicken should cook halfway in this process and absorb all the sauces it was marinated it. Set aside.
- Heat oil in a wok. Once hot, add the finely chopped onions.
- Saute the onions on high heat for 2-3 minutes. Add the chopped chillies, garlic and ginger and stir till the raw aroma of the aromatics disappears.
- Once the onions are well coated with the aromatics, pour some hot water and stir for another ten seconds.
- Add the chicken to the wok and mix it with the rest of the ingredients. Cook this for another ten minutes on medium to low flame till the chicken is cooked completely.
- Add the blanched broccoli florets and cashew nuts, along with spring onion greens. Season with salt and black pepper powder.
- Gently mix everything together and turn off the gas. Garnish with some finely chopped spring onion greens. Enjoy with plain rice, fried rice or noodles.
- Type of chicken cut: I have used boneless chicken thighs as thighs tend to cook faster and also remain juicy and soft, unlike breast.
- The marination of the chicken is very important. Do not skip this step.
- For perfectly crunchy and juicy broccoli, blanch them for minimum time (not more than 2 minutes).
