Sticky Garlic Chicken and Broccoli

for the chicken and broccoli

• 1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast tenders
• 1 cup buttermilk (just use milk with a spoonful of vinegar if you don’t have buttermilk)
• 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
• 1/4 cup cornmeal
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• salt and pepper
• 3-4 cups broccoli florets

for the sauce

• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 1-inch piece fresh ginger
• 3/4 cup light soy sauce
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup hoisin sauce
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 tablespoon white vinegar
• 2 teaspoons sambal oelek

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil and place a metal cooling rack on top if you have one (it can work without, too). Soak the chicken in the buttermilk. Mix the panko, cornmeal, olive oil, and salt and pepper in a bowl. Remove the chicken one piece at a time, let the buttermilk drip off, and gently press into the panko cornmeal mixture until coated with crumbs. Place the chicken on the baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes. At 10 minutes, flip each piece and bake for another 10 minutes (so total bake time for the chicken is about 20 minutes).
2. Meanwhile, as your chicken bakes, pulse all the sauce ingredients in a food processor. This is optional, but to help the sauce develop its flavor and thicken a bit, you can put it in a skillet over medium low heat and let it simmer for a while. Prepare your broccoli by boiling for 1 minute and plunging into ice water (it stays so bright green and crispy!) or stir frying until tender crisp.
3. When the chicken is done, dip each piece in the sauce and return to the baking sheet. Bake another 5 minutes, re-dip for one last sauce love, and let rest for a minute or two. Serve over rice, with the broccoli and extra sauce.