Garlic Chicken + Broccoli

I've been making my husband Bryant this garlicky, soy sauce flavored chicken and broccoli for a long time now and it's one of his all time faves. It's come along way since the first time I made it back in college and it's gotten to the point where it's so damn good that I wanted everyone to be able to try it!!

A few tips: 

• You don't have to, but if you want to go above and beyond, soaking the chicken in a 1 cup water:1 tbsp salt solution (it's called a brine) for an hour or two up to overnight makes the flavor and texture exceptionally amazing and juicy.
• Coating the chicken slices in a few tbsp of cornstarch before cooking them in the skillet with oil makes a huge difference in flavor and texture. The chicken is more soft and browns easier on the edges. It kind of reminds me of the teriyaki chicken I grew up eating and loving from fast food stands at the mall, except this is homemade so it's better for you!
• In order to get the crunchiest broccoli possible, I like to buy a fresh head of broccoli instead of using frozen florets and I barely steam them towards the end so that they don't get soggy.

What you need:

• 2 chicken breasts
• 2 tbsp cornstarch
• 2 tbsp minced garlic or 1 tsp garlic powder
• 2 tbsp neutral oil (I used vegetable oil)
• 2-3 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 cups fresh broccoli florets (use more if you want it's up to you!)
• Optional: rice noodles or rice 

What do to:

1. Slice the chicken breasts into very thin (1/4-1/2 inch thick) nugget sized pieces.
2. If you're doing a brine, soak the slices in 1 cup of water and 1 tbsp salt for at least 2 hours or longer.
3. Next, coat the chicken breast slices in the cornstarch and either minced garlic or garlic powder. Mix until combined and let it rest for a few minutes.
4. Heat up the neutral oil in a skillet on medium-high heat. Once it's been warmed, add the chicken slices and cook for 2-3 minutes before flipping to the other side.
5. Once you flip the chicken, add in the soy sauce and continue to stir around the chicken until it's been coated with the soy sauce and it turns a pretty brown color. (Should look like mall chicken here.)
6. Turn the heat from medium-high to low-medium and add the broccoli right on top of the chicken in the skillet. Cover with a lid for 3-5 minutes. (This steams the broccoli!)
7. Remove the lid and mix the broccoli around with the chicken in order to get some of the soy/garlic flavor on the broccoli. Sometimes if there's not a ton of sauce left here I add in a little butter and or soy sauce.
8. Serve it hot as is or with rice or rice noodles.