Easy Chicken Stir Fry With Broccoli and Cashew in 30 minutes

If you enjoy Chinese food, this is very easy and healthy and fast recipe for a weekday dinner. I learned this dish from my mother years ago, and it is a no-fail recipe. Two important pointers to make this dish a success: very hot wok or skillet (drop a few drops of water onto it, and it should sizzle right away, and that is the correct temperature) plus quick, rapid stirring during cooking, and so never stop stirring!

Ingredients (tip: all must be prepared ahead of time and ready right next to the wok for cooking):
2 Chicken breasts (sliced thinly, the thinner the better)
1 tablespoon of corn starch
Pepper
1 tablespoon of minced garlic (mince your own, don't use those in the jars as the smell is slightly different)
1 teaspoon minced ginger
1 tablespoon light soy sauce (I like lots of garlic, which has healthy benefits for the body, but you can use less)
1 tablespoon hoisin sauce
1 teaspoon of sugar (I prefer brown sugar)
2 tablespoon Chinese cooking wine (either the white or red one is fine, purchase in ethnic stores), or any cooking wine from mainstream grocery stores
1 head of fresh Broccoli (stems removed, and separated into florets)(do not use frozen, as the water content will alter the taste of your dish!)
Roughly chopped cashew nuts (1/2 cup)
1/4 cup of chopped scallions
Cooking spray

1. Using your clean hands, mix chicken, corn starch, and pepper until all the chicken is covered by the starch and pepper.
2. Spray your wok or skillet thoroughly with the cooking spray, going around it twice. Make very sure your wok is smoking hot. Throw the garlic into the wok and start stir frying it until the garlic is fragrant, but not burnt or even browned; this should take only 1 minute. Add ginger, and stir fry for 1-2 minutes.
3. Empty chicken into wok. Stir fry rapidly for 3-5 minutes, depending on the thickness of your chicken slices.
4. Pour all the sauces into the wok. Add the sugar. Stir fry again for 4-5 minutes.
5. Add broccoli florets into wok. And stir fry for 5 minutes until brocolli is slightly tender, but not mushy or turned into another color. Throw in Cashew nuts. Finish dish with scallions as garnish, and serve dish over brown or jasmine rice.

Note: I omitted salt since soy sauce already has sodium in it. However, you can add 1/2 teaspoon if you so desire.

Prep time: 15 mins Cooking time: 15 mins