An Inspired Cook

My favorite go to blog for Asian food is “The Woks of Life“.  This family of four make some of the most beautiful and authentic Asian dishes you’ve ever seen.  I have enjoyed learning their techniques and ingredients that go into Asian cooking.  After trying many of their recipes, I have to say they are always delicious and easy to make.  This recipe is my take on their Chicken and Broccoli with Brown Sauce.  This made enough for a meal plus leftovers for lunch the next day.  I went with veggies that my family likes and added some chili oil for a spicy kick.

I like to take this recipe and divide into 4 steps.  I cut up 2 large chicken thighs (about 12 – 16 oz).  Marinate the chicken in oyster sauce, chili oil, cornstarch and water.

Add the marinade ingredients into the chicken and stir until all the chicken is coated.  Let sit for 10 minutes.

Next step is to assemble the sauce ingredients.  You’ll need low sodium chicken stock, soy sauce, dark soy sauce, oyster sauce, sugar, white pepper and sesame oil.

Pour all the sauce ingredients into a jar and shake to combine.  Set aside

Next step, you’ll need some vegetable oil, garlic, ginger, and Shaoxing wine which goes into the wok prior to the sauce ingredients.   A slurry of water and cornstarch is needed to thicken the sauce at the end of the recipe.

Last thing, pick your veggies and chop/slice to make approximately 4 cups.  I used carrots, red bell pepper, onion, mushrooms, bamboo shoots and green onions.

Now that all the ingredients have been prepped and ready to go it’s time to wok!!  Heat your wok to almost smoking.  Add 2 tablespoon of vegetable oil to the wok and add the chicken pieces.

Sear the chicken until it appears opaque on all sides and starts to brown.  Remove from the wok and set aside.

Once the chicken is done, time to stir fry the veggies. Add 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil to the wok.  I like to add the veggies that take longer to cook first.  For example, I stir fried the  carrots, red pepper and onion 2 – 3 minutes just until they just begin to soften but still have a crunch.  Next I added the mushrooms and bamboo shoots to cook 1 minute more.  Leave the green onions until later.  You only want to soften the veggies, don’t cook until they are limp.  Remove from wok and set aside.

Wipe down the wok, turn down the heat to medium and add the grated ginger and garlic.  Let cook for just a few seconds as they become fragrant.  Add the Shaoxing wine and scrape down the sides.

Add the sauce that was mixed up in the jar.  Stir the sauce around the sides to deglaze the wok.




As the sauce simmers, add the slurry of cornstarch and water and stir until the sauce thickens.




Add the veggies, chicken and green onions back into the sauce and stir.  The green onions will wilt as you stir everything together.




Serve over cooked rice.  Enjoy!




Chicken and Veggies with Garlic Ginger Sauce (adapted from “Woks of Life” Chicken and Broccoli with Brown Sauce)

Chicken Marinade:
12 – 16 ounces Chicken breast or thighs, cut into small strips
3 tablespoons Water
1 tablespoon Oyster Sauce
1 teaspoon Cornstarch
1 1/2 teaspoons Chili Oil

Garlic Ginger Sauce:
2/3 cup Low Sodium Chicken Stock
1 1/2 teaspoons Sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons Low Sodium Soy Sauce
2 teaspoons Dark Soy Sauce
1 tablespoon Oyster Sauce
1 teaspoon Sesame Oil
1/8 teaspoon White Pepper

For the Rest:
4 cups Veggies, sliced or chopped (I used carrots, red bell pepper, onion, mushrooms, bamboo shoots and green onion)
3 tablespoons Vegetable Oil, divided
2 cloves Garlic, grated on a microplane grater
2 teaspoons Ginger, grated on a microplane grater
1 tablespoon Shaoxing Wine
2 tablespoons Cornstarch
2 tablespoons Water

Marinate the chicken by adding the water, oyster sauce, cornstarch and chili oil.  Stir the ingredients together until all the liquid has been absorbed into the chicken.  Set aside for 10 minutes.

Prepare the sauce mixture.  In a pint size jar, add the chicken stock, soy sauce, dark soy sauce, oyster sauce, sugar, sesame oil and white pepper.  Place a lid on the jar and shake until all the ingredients are blended.  Set aside.

Heat a large wok over high heat until it is almost smoking.  Add 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil and sear the chicken on all sides until it appears opaque and begins to brown.  Remove the chicken and set aside.

Add 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil to the wok and begin to add the veggies. Add the carrots, red pepper and onions first, stir fry them just until they begin to soften.  Add the bamboo shoots and mushrooms, toss one minute more.  Don’t add the green onions, they will come at the end of the dish.  Remove the vegetables from the wok and set aside.

Turn the heat down to medium under the wok.  Add the grated garlic and ginger and stir for 5 seconds.  Add the Shaoxing wine and scrape down the sides of the wok to deglaze.   Pour in the sauce ingredients from the jar and stir the sauce until it comes to a simmer.  Stir the water and cornstarch together to make a slurry.  Pour the slurry into the sauce and stir as it thickens.

Return the chicken, veggies and green onion to the wok with the sauce and toss to coat.  The green onion will wilt as you stir it into the rest of the stir fry.  Serve with steamed rice.

Makes 4 servings.