Chicken Broccoli Stir Fry (Kung Pao Style)

Tonight I made a quick Chicken Broccoli Stir-fry, "Kung Pao Style".  I used a 1-pound package of Perdue boneless chicken breasts that I diced, about 1-1/2 pounds of fresh broccoli florets, approximately 1 dozen sliced baby carrots, 1/4 of a diced red bell pepper, and my absolute favorite "already made" stir-fry sauces made by House of Tsang (as well as a dollop of Jif peanut butter).  When time is a little tight, this is the sauce I like to use -- it is one of the best I've found, and I've tried quite a few.  To make the sauce to my taste, I combined a few different things; I used a mixture of their Classic Stir-Fry Sauce and their Szechuan Stir-Fry Sauce as well as a couple of tablespoons of Jif peanut butter. To get the consistency I like, I thinned the mixture with a bit of the water that I steamed the broccoli with.  

White I heated a couple of tablespoons of peanut oil in my wok until very hot, I placed my broccoli florets in a covered glass casserole and popped it into the microwave and steamed it for 3 minutes (this keeps it bright green and still crisp-tender).  It's important to have a hot wok when you add your chicken to stir fry, otherwise it sticks.  When your wok is hot, it doesn't stick.  As soon as my oil was hot, I tossed in the diced chicken breast and quickly stir fried until it lost its opaqueness and was cooked through (about 5 minutes. Then I toss in the sliced carrots and diced red peppers, continuing to stir fry for a few more minutes to stay crisp-tender.  After the chicken, carrots and red pepper are cooked, I turn the heat down to low and make a well in the center of my wok by pushing the chicken and veggies to the side and then add my stir fry sauces in the center of the wok along with the peanut butter, continuing to stir in the center of the wok until the sauce combo is heated.  I add some of the hot water that the broccoli steamed in into the sauce until it is thinned to my desired consistency and then toss the chicken and stir-fried veggies all together in the sauce mixture until coated,  Once the sauce is evenly distributed, I add in the drained steamed broccoli florets and toss everything together in the wok until thoroughly combined.  I like to serve it on top of steamed brown rice and then sprinkle peanuts on top  as a garnish when serving.  It is an absolutely delicious sauce with the hint of peanut butter and the slightly spicy undertone from adding a few shakes of the Szechuan sauce to the Classic sauce.  The peanut garnish just sort of compliments the sauce and adds an additional little crunch to the meal.  It is one of my favorite ways to make a quick, healthy and delicious stir-fry and a fantastic way to "eat your veggies".  Personally, I do not care for lots of sauce in my stir-fry dishes, so it is very important that the small amount of sauce I add be extremely flavorful.  If you like more sauce, you can just increase the amount of sauce(s) you add to your stir-fry to suit your own taste.  Below are a few pictures of the meal.  Enjoy!

Basic ingredients (hubby is picking up a red pepper on his way home)

While I diced the chicken breast, my red pepper arrived!

Everything is diced and sliced (note the amount of veggies proportionate to the meat)

This is the brand of prepared sauce I like best (in this recipe I used the 2 on the ends)

The chicken breast is stir-fried to perfection

The sliced carrots and diced red bell pepper is added

I mix the sauces and peanut butter in a well I created in the center of the wok

3 minutes later, the broccoli is steamed to perfection

The broccoli has been added and tossed together with everything

Take a little peek...isn't it beautiful?

Plated and ready to eat!

Is this gorgeous or what?  Prettier than any I have eaten in any Chinese restaurant!

BOOM!

BOOM! BOOM!

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

 I'm sorry for getting carried away...it is just way too pretty to choose only one "boom" pic!