Chicken and Broccoli Stir-Fry is a healthy, quick, and easy weeknight dinner. Save money on Asian carryout and make your own fresh at home.
Looking for the best chicken stir-fry recipe?
In under 30 minutes, you can craft a flavorful, zesty, easy chicken dinner that tastes super authentic and is perfect for lazy cooks.
This easy dinner contains juicy chicken and fresh broccoli tossed in a savory sauce that even Asian restaurants would be jealous of. Just because prices are going up doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy your favorite takeout at home with this Chicken Broccoli Stir Fry.
What Is Stir Fry?
Originating over 1500 years ago, stir fry is a Chinese technique of frying food, usually meat with vegetables and some type of starch, with hot oil, usually in a wok or large skillet. It’s very similar to a chicken pad Thai but with rice instead of noodles.
For this recipe, we’re taking the tender chicken and tossing it in a ginger soy sauce with broccoli. If you want a spicy version of this meal with a nutty twist, you’ll love our spicy cashew chicken.
What you’ll love about this recipe:
What You Need to Make Chicken Broccoli Stir Fry
How to Make Chicken Broccoli Stir Fry
- To start, toss the chicken with half of the garlic and ginger, soy sauce, sugar, 1 teaspoon cornstarch, 1 teaspoon salt, sherry, and sesame oil in a bowl. Let it marinate at room temperature for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, mix the remaining cornstarch with ⅓ cup broth or water.
- Next, heat a large nonstick skillet over high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of oil and let it heat up. Throw in the broccoli stems and stir-fry for 1 minute. Then, add the broccoli florets, remaining garlic, ginger, 2 tablespoons of water, ¼ teaspoon salt, and pepper to taste. Keep stir-frying until the broccoli turns bright green but remains crisp, about 2 minutes. Transfer everything to a plate.
- Now, get the skillet hot again and add 2 more tablespoons of oil. Stir-fry the marinated chicken until it loses its raw color and gets a little brown, around 3 to 4 minutes. Bring back the broccoli to the pan, toss to heat through, and stir in the reserved cornstarch mixture. Let it come to a boil to thicken, adjusting with more water if the sauce needs to be thinned. Taste and season with salt and pepper if desired. Finally, mound the stir-fry on a serving platter or divide it among plates. Serve with rice if you’d like.
Expert Recipe Tips
- Garnish with sesame seeds and green onions.
- For an authentic feel, add a splash of oyster sauce to the soy sauce mixture.
- Slice the chicken against the grain for a more tender bite.
How to Store Leftovers & Reheat
Store leftover chicken and broccoli stir fry in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. Freeze for up to 3 months.
To reheat, place a large skillet over medium to medium-high heat. Add in your chicken and broccoli with a little oil. Stir and let it warm up until thoroughly heated. Serve with sides or by itself.
What to Serve With This Chicken Broccoli Stir-Fry Recipe
Serve with a side of white rice or brown rice. If you want to keep things low carb, ditch the regular rice and sub cauliflower rice instead.
Classic chicken and broccoli stir fry is the perfect quick meal for any occasion, whether you’re craving Asian takeout or need an easy dinner. With juicy chicken, fresh veggies, and an umami-packed, vibrant sauce, this meal will make you ditch Asian takeout for good. If you try this recipe, please rate the recipe card and leave a comment down below to help out the next reader!
Ingredients
- 1 pound boneless - skinless chicken breast (about 2 breasts), sliced against the grain
- 2 cloves garlic - minced
- 1- inch piece peeled fresh ginger - minced
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 tablespoon - plus 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon dry sherry
- 1 tablespoon dark sesame oil
- About 1/3 cup chicken broth or water
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 5 cups broccoli - trimmed sliced stalks (about 1/4-inch thick) and medium florets (keep the 2 cuts separate)
Instructions
- Toss the chicken with about half the garlic and ginger, the soy sauce, sugar, 1 teaspoon of the cornstarch, 1 teaspoon of the salt, the sherry, and the sesame oil in a bowl. Marinate at room temperature for 15 minutes. Mix the remaining cornstarch with the 1/3 cup broth or water.
- Heat a large nonstick skillet over high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of the oil and heat. Add the broccoli stems, and stir-fry for 1 minute. Add the florets and the remaining garlic, ginger, 2 tablespoons of water, and season with 1/4 teaspoon salt, and pepper, to taste. Stir-fry until the broccoli is bright green but still crisp, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a plate.
- Get the skillet good and hot again, and then heat 2 more tablespoons oil. Add the chicken and stir-fry until the chicken loses its raw color and gets a little brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Return the broccoli to the pan and toss to heat through. Stir in the reserved cornstarch mixture and bring to a boil to thicken. Add more water if need to thin the sauce, if necessary. Taste and season with salt and pepper, if you like. Mound the stir-fry on a serving platter or divide among 4 plates; serve with rice if desired.
Notes
Nutritional informations provided as a courtesy and is only an approximatation. Values will changes based on ingredients used.
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Oh man this looks delicious! And your photographs are beautiful! Everything here looks great!
I recently launched my own blog, I’d love for you to check it out and let me know what you think! 🙂 Thanks!
http://www.prettygoodfood.com
I LOVE this recipe! I have used it at least three times since I found it about a month ago. My husband is a big asian-style food fan, so this makes him very happy. The fact that I can make it all so quickly and it is delicious makes me very happy.
Interesting that i was looking for a recipe ended up a rant blog?!?!? wth???
Interesting, you found the comment box, so you must have seen the recipe posted as well.
Came out perfectly, though I used a tad too much ginger but that’s okay, everyone agreed it still tasted great.