Chicken, Broccoli, and Cashew Stir Fry

Stir-fries are a perfect weeknight dinner solution, as they cook quickly and are versatile.I don't know about you but when I drag myself home after a long day of work that last thing I want to do is to spend hours in the kitchen. I think that this is the reason so many people end up in a drive-through line rather than cook. We have discovered that careful planning avoids this.

For a meal that comes together in minutes, have all the ingredients prepped and ready to go and make sure your pan is very hot before you start cooking. We generally have everything cut, portion, and in small prep bowls on the counter near the wok. Once that is done we heat the wok to the desired temperature (HOT) - to check if your pan is hot enough, toss a drop of water into it; if it sizzles, it’s ready.

We served this dish with steamed rice although you could also serve it with soba or rice noodles.

The recipe is Australian so we had to figure out the equivalent measures and in some cases the North American equivalent of the Aussie terms.

Paul whipped this up one night as I was flying home form a meeting in Ottawa. He put the wok on the heat when the car pulled in the driveway and by the time I was settled dinner was ready - perfect!

Chicken, Broccoli, and Cashew Stir Fry

1 tablespoon peanut oil
750g chicken thigh fillets, excess fat trimmed, thinly sliced (1 1/2 pound boneless, skinless chicnek thighs)
2 tablespoons sweet sherry
1 1/2 tablespoons salt-reduced soy sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons kecap manis (this is a thick, sweet, soy sauce. We buy it at an Asian market. If you are unable to find it I found a recipe for making your own here.)
1 teaspoon cornflour (we assumed that this was cornstarch)
350g broccoli, trimmed, cut into florets (I bunch of broccoli, trimmed)
6 shallots, ends trimmed, cut into 4cm lengths
55g (1/3 cup) unsalted roasted cashews
Steamed white medium grain rice, to serve (we used jasmine rice)

Heat half the oil in a wok over high heat. Add half the chicken. Stir-fry for 2-3 minutes or until golden. Transfer to a plate. Repeat with remaining chicken, reheating the pan between batches.

Combine the sherry, soy sauce, kecap manis and cornflour in a small bowl.

Heat remaining oil in wok over high heat. Add broccoli. Stir-fry for 2 minutes. Add shallot. Stir-fry for 1 minute or until broccoli is bright green and tender crisp.

Add chicken, cornflour mixture and cashews. Stir-fry until combined and chicken is heated through. Divide rice and stir-fry among serving bowls. Serve.

Comments

[Kayte]

Looks wonderful and yes, stir fry for all those reasons you mentioned. It is a great end-of-the-week option here as I can use all the bits and pieces of fresh vegetables (and fruit at times) that I have on hand before hitting the market again. Your photo looks scrumptious.

[Katie Zeller]

I love stir-fries - great way to use up the leftover bits in the fridge, too. And cashews make anything better.