Sweet and Spicy Turmeric Chicken with Broccolini
Sweet and Spicy Turmeric Chicken with Broccolini is as visually beautiful as it is delicious. The bright green of the broccolini contrasts with the beautiful warmth of the golden turmeric chicken. And the balance of sweet and spicy in the recipe is just right. To top it off, this recipe takes less than 30 minutes from stove to table.
Jump to RecipeBroccolini Preparation
Prepare one large bunch (or 2 small bunches) of broccolini. Trim ends, rinse and dry. Then cut each spear into 4 pieces. (any other green vegetable can be substituted for broccolini, see NOTES section below for suggestions)
Preheat large, nonstick pan on medium-high heat and add 1 tablespoon coconut or canola oil. Next add broccolini pieces and cook until tender and browned in spots, 5-7 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a bowl or platter and set aside.
Honey Pepper Sauce
Combine water with honey, pepper, and salt. Set aside.
Turmeric Rub
Mix together turmeric, salt, and gluten free flour for the chicken rub.
Chicken Preparation
Pat dry chicken and cut into strips as shown in photo above. Transfer chicken strips to the dry rub spice mixture and combine thoroughly.
Cooking Chicken Strips
In the same pan, (no need to clean) add more coconut or canola oil and reheat pan over medium-high. Add chicken and cook until turmeric is fragrant and chicken is golden brown on both sides, 2 to 3 minutes per side.
Once chicken is cooked, add broccolini back into the pan with the chicken and mix to combine.
Add Rice Vermicelli Noodles
If using rice vermicelli noodles (fresh or dried*), add them to the pan and pour honey pepper sauce over. Lower heat to medium or medium-low if necessary. Using tongs, mix all ingredients together. Cook until noodles are softened and sauce has thickened, approximately 1-3 minutes. (If not using noodles, add honey sauce mixture to the chicken and broccolini and follow the same cooking instructions.)
*If using dried rice vermicelli noodles, cook them according to package instructions before adding them to the pan.
Sweet and Spicy Turmeric Chicken with Broccolini
Transfer to a large platter or large serving bowl. Garnish with scallions or chives, if desired.
Sweet and Spicy Turmeric Chicken with Broccolini
Ingredients
Sauce (see INSTRUCTIONS section below)
- 1/4 cup water
- 3 tablespoons honey your favorite kind
- ¾ teaspoon black pepper plus more to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt divided plus more to taste
Chicken Rub
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose gluten free flour I used Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free Flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground turmeric
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
Broccolini
- 1 tablespoon coconut or canola oil
- 1 large bunch of broccolini (approx 1/2 lb.) bottoms trimmed, washed and dried thoroughly. Each spear cut into 4 pieces (any other green vegetable can be substituted for broccolini, see NOTES section below for suggestions)
Final Cooking and Assembly
- 1 tablespoon coconut or canola oil
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs or breasts pat dry and cut into strips
- 1/2 package fresh rice vermicelli noodles (8-12 oz) if using dried, follow cooking instructions on package
- 1-2 tablespoons chopped scallions or chives as garnish optional
Instructions
- SAUCE PREP: In a small bowl or measuring cup, stir together water with honey, pepper, and 1/2 teaspoon salt; set honey mixture aside. IMPORTANT: If using the rice noodles, double the sauce.
- RUB PREP: In a medium bowl, stir together gluten free flour, turmeric, and 1 teaspoon salt.
- BROCCOLINI PREP: Trim 1/2” off bottom of broccolini stems and, if need be, cut any fat spears in half lengthwise so that all spears are the same width, more or less. Wash and dry thoroughly. Cut each broccolini spear into quarters (into similar length of chicken strips).
- Heat oil in large nonstick pan over medium-high heat. Once heated add broccolini. Cook broccolini until fork tender, approximately 5-7 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Remove broccolini from the pan and transfer to a plate or bowl. Set aside. (No need to clean pan.)
- While broccolini is cooking, cut chicken into thin strips. See photo above. Add chicken to turmeric flour coating and toss until coated.
- Add more oil to the pan and bring heat back up to medium-high. Add chicken and cook until turmeric is fragrant and chicken is a beautiful golden brown on both sides, 2 to 3 minutes per side.
- Add cooked broccolini back into the pan and mix to combine.
- If using rice vermicelli noodles (fresh or dried*), add noodles to the pan and then pour honey pepper sauce over. Lower heat to medium or medium-low, if necessary. Using tongs, mix all ingredients together. Cook until noodles are softened and sauce has thickened, approximately 1-3 minutes. (If not using noodles, add honey sauce mixture to the chicken and broccolini and follow same cooking instructions.)
- *If using dried rice vermicelli noodles, cook them according to package instructions before adding them to the pan.
- Remove pan from heat.
- Transfer chicken, broccolini, and noodles to a large platter or serving bowl. Garnish with scallions or chives, if desired.
Notes
Recipe is adapted from New York Times “Cooking” and modified by me.
If you like this recipe, you may also like these other GFchow recipes. Lemongrass Chicken, Turmeric Coconut Crunch Rice with Wilted Spinach, and Coconut Curry Chicken with Spinach, Mushrooms and Pine Nuts.
GLUTEN FREE DISCLAIMER
The recipes you find here are considered by me to be gluten free. However, it is up to you to make sure the ingredients you use are gluten free. Whenever possible, I will list specific brands of ingredients that I use, but always be sure to check the labels yourself to verify the item is gluten free.
We all loved this tasty dish! Will definitely make again. A further enhancement might be some chopped cashews for crunch.
I love the idea of adding some crushed or chopped nuts. I’m going to add that suggestion in the NOTES section of the recipe!
can’t wait to try this one. It sounds and looks so good.