Chinese Chicken and Broccoli

It's been a month since my last post.  It's probably been a month since I last cooked something of worth.  We had a weekend at Ben's parent's house that rejuvenated my cooking spirit.  Ben's mom made two Paula Dean recipes, stuffed french toast and corn salad.  They were delicious.

We've eaten out a lot in the last month.  I will be happy to never eat McDonalds again.  I was at my favorite turkey farm yesterday and bought some Turkey strips for stir fry.  I treat turkey like chicken.  I started wondering if I could find a good easy recipe for Chinese chicken and broccoli.  I have not attempted a lot of Chinese dishes.  Most recipes I find need some sort of obscure ingredient that is not regularly found in my kitchen.

Side Note:  When I was little I called broccoli "trees."  I really didn't understand why they  had another name.  It looked exactly like small trees to me.  The following picture  made me so happy.

I spent the morning researching recipes.  I put a few together to avoid the obscure ingredients.  Ben and I tried out the following recipe tonight.  I was so excited about the results.  It was really good.  Way better than most Chinese restaurants.  Heck, I was just excited to be eating vegetables again.

If you are a fan of Chinese Chicken and Broccoli, I highly recommend this one.

Ingredients:
1 head of broccoli florets
1 cup carrot chips or slices
2 Tbsp sesame oil
6 cloves of garlic, minced
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1/4 cup white wine
1/2 tsp sugar
1 Tbsp honey
2 tsp cornstarch
1 pound chicken, but into strips or pieces

Directions:
1. Blanch broccoli and carrots by putting them in boiling water for 2 minutes and then removing.
2.  Combine the white wine with 1/2 tsp sugar and let sit.
3.  Heat the sesame oil in a large pan.
4.  Add minced garlic to oil and cook until slightly brown.
5.  Add soy sauce, chicken broth, white wine/sugar, and honey.  Stir to combine.
6.  Bring sauce to a boil.  Let cook down for 5-10 minutes.
7.  Combine a small amount of the sauce with 2 tsp corn starch.  Mix well.
8.  Add cornstarch mixture to the rest of the sauce and mix well to thicken.
9.  Add chicken and continue cooking on medium heat until chicken is cooked through.
10.  Add broccoli and carrots to chicken and sauce.  Stir to combine.  Serve over rice.