Honey Garlic Chicken & Broccoli Stir-Fry

📝 Ingredients

• 450 g chicken breast (about 3 fillets)
• 1 head of broccoli (about 400 g)
• 210 g jasmine rice
• 3 tbsp honey
• 3 tbsp soy sauce + 1 tbsp rice vinegar
• 4 garlic cloves
• 1 tsp cornstarch
• 100 ml water (40 ml for the sauce, 60 ml for the broccoli)
• 1 tbsp sunflower oil
• 1 tbsp sesame seeds
• 2 spring onions
• Salt, black pepper

🍴 Utensils

• Large frying pan with lid
• Large saucepan
• Colander
• Bowl
• Knife and cutting board

📖 Steps

1. Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil. Meanwhile, rinse the jasmine rice in a sieve under cold water until the water runs almost clear. Cook for 10 to 12 min at a gentle boil, then drain and keep covered off the heat.
2. While the rice cooks, cut the broccoli into small, evenly sized florets, peel the stalk and cut it into thin rounds. Cut the chicken into 2 cm cubes and pat dry with kitchen paper: when it's nice and dry it browns instead of stewing. Slice the spring onions.
3. Make the sauce in a bowl: crush or finely chop the garlic, then add the honey, soy sauce, rice vinegar, cornflour and 40 ml water. Stir until the cornflour has completely dissolved, with no lumps.
4. Dry-toast the sesame seeds in the large frying pan for 1 to 2 min over a medium heat, stirring, until golden and nutty-smelling. Transfer immediately to a saucer: they burn in seconds.
5. Heat the oil in the pan over a high heat until it shimmers slightly. Add the chicken in a single layer, season with salt and pepper and leave to sear for 2 min without touching it, then stir and cook for a further 3 min, until golden all over.
6. Add the broccoli and 60 ml water, cover immediately and cook for 3 to 4 min over a medium-high heat: the steam cooks the broccoli, which should stay bright green and slightly crisp when tested with the tip of a knife. Remove the lid and let any remaining water evaporate.
7. Stir the sauce (the cornflour sinks to the bottom), pour it into the pan and stir constantly for 1 to 2 min over a medium heat, until it thickens and coats the chicken in a glossy glaze. Don't cook it any longer: the honey would burn and turn bitter.
8. Divide the rice between the plates, add the glazed chicken and broccoli, then sprinkle with the toasted sesame and sliced spring onions. Serve straight away, while the sauce is glossy and the broccoli crisp.