The sauce in this broccoli chicken stir fry is perfectly “saucy,” making it ideal for serving over steamy rice. Homemade Chicken and Broccoli is an easy 30-minute meal, and it has the best stir-fry sauce.
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Chicken Broccoli Stir Fry Recipe
Chicken and Broccoli Stir Fry satisfies the craving for takeout, and you’ll feel good about serving this to your family. It’s healthier than going out, and it’s simple to make into a meal served over cooked white rice, brown rice, or even cooked quinoa.
If you loved my famous Beef and Broccoli, then you will love this chicken stir-fry. It’s loaded with tender chicken, mushrooms, and fresh broccoli. I hope you’re inspired to make this easy and tasty dinner!
Chicken & Broccoli Stir Fry Video
Ingredients & Substitutions for Stir Fry
- Chicken – we used boneless skinless chicken breast, but chicken tenders or even thighs would be delicious here.
- Stir Fry Veggies – We love the combination of broccoli, onions, and mushrooms for an authentic Chicken Broccoli Stir fry. You could sub the broccoli with snap peas or zucchini and sub onions with julienned carrots. I don’t recommend frozen veggies sicne they can get mushy and water down the sauce.
- Chicken Broth – this adds more flavor, but water can easily be substituted.
- Soy Sauce – Since different brands have different amounts of salt, add soy sauce to taste. You can always add more at the end, but you can’t take salt out of a dish. For gluten-free, use Tamari sauce.
- Sesame Oil – this one ingredient gives the sauce authentic Chinese stir fry flavor. Do not skip it.
- Ginger & Garlic – fresh is best for stir fry, but in a pinch, you can substitute 1 tsp fresh garlic for 1/2 tsp garlic powder and substitute 1 tsp fresh ginger for 1/8-1/4 tsp ground ginger.
- Brown Sugar – we used 2 Tablespoons of packed light brown sugar. You can substitute with 1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons of liquid sweetener, such as honey, or add it to taste.
- Corn Starch – using cornstarch as a thickener helps keep this gluten-free.
Pro Tip for Peeling Ginger:
The easiest way to peel ginger is to scrape the skin away with the side of a teaspoon. Once it’s peeled, finely grate it on a box grater or a microplane.
How to Make Broccoli and Chicken Stir Fry:
- Make the Sauce: Combine all of the sauce ingredients and stir to dissolve the sugar. Warm broth will help the sugar dissolve easily.
- Cook Chicken: Cut chicken into small 3/4″ bite-sized pieces and season lightly with black pepper. Heat a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat with 1 Tbsp oil. Add chicken and cook 1 minute undisturbed then stir fry 5 minutes until golden and just cooked through. Remove chicken to a bowl.
- Stir-Fry Veggies: In the same skillet over medium-high heat, add 1 Tbsp oil, broccoli florets, sliced onion and mushrooms and stir fry 3 minutes until mushrooms are crisp and vibrant green then reduce heat. Do not overcook the veggies at this point or they can get mushy while cooking in the sauce.
- Add Stir Fry Sauce: Give the sauce a quick stir in case there was settling and add it to the skillet. Simmer the sauce over medium-low heat for 3-4 minutes until thickened and garlic and ginger have mellowed in flavor. To thin the sauce, add water as needed and you can add more soy sauce to taste.
- Return Chicken to the Pan and stir until heated through then serve over white rice garnished with sesame seeds if desired.
The KEY to Making the Best Stir Fry
A stir-fry is essentially flash-cooked on a very hot skillet, with a cooking time of less than 15 minutes. Since this recipe moves fast, you want to have every ingredient chopped, measured, prepped and ready to use before you fire up the skillet. If serving with white rice, you’ll want to put the rice on the stove first, then cook your stir fry. You’ll want to bookmark our tutorial for Perfect White Rice.
Storing and Reheating Stir Fry
Chicken and Broccoli Stir Fry reheats well so it’s a great option for meal prepping.
- Refrigerate Leftovers – Once the chicken broccoli stir fry has cooled to room temperature, transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate for 3-4 days. I prefer not to freeze since the broccoli can become mushy.
- Reheating – It’s always best to reheat in the same method that the dish was cooked. Reheat in a skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally until hot. You can also reheat in the microwave in 30-second increments until heated through. If needed, you can add a little splash of water when reheating to bring back some moisture.
Chicken and Broccoli Stir Fry Recipe
The sauce in this stir fry is perfectly "saucy," making it ideal for serving over hot and fluffy white rice. This recipe moves fast so start cooking your rice first and be sure to prep and chop all of your stir fry ingredients and make the sauce before cooking the stir fry.
Ingredients
Servings: 4 people
Chicken and Broccoli:
- 1 lb chicken breast, (boneless skinless), cut into 3/4" pieces
- 2 Tbsp cooking oil, (I used extra light olive oil), divided
- 1 lb broccoli, cut into florets (about 5 cups)
- 1 small yellow onion, sliced into strips
- 1/2 lb white button mushrooms, thickly sliced
Stir Fry Sauce Ingredients:
- 2/3 cup low sodium chicken broth
- 3 Tbsp low sodium soy sauce, (use Tamari for gluten free), or added to taste
- 2 Tbsp light brown sugar, packed (or honey to taste)
- 1 Tbsp corn starch
- 1 Tbsp sesame oil
- 1 tsp fresh ginger, peeled and grated (lightly packed)
- 1 tsp garlic (2 small cloves), grated
- 1/4 tsp black pepper, plus more to season chicken
Instructions
- Make the Sauce – In a small bowl, combine all of the sauce ingredients and whisk to dissolve sugar and corn starch (warm broth will help dissolve the sugar faster). Set sauce aside.
- Prepare Chicken – cut chicken into small bite-sized pieces (no more than 3/4” thick) and season lightly with pepper. Heat a large heavy skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Add 1 Tbsp oil. Add chicken in a single layer and let it sit undisturbed for 1 minute to get a good sear then stir fry for another 5 minutes or until golden brown just cooked through then remove to a bowl and loosely cover to keep warm.
- Stir Fry Veggies – In the same skillet, add another 1 Tbsp oil along with broccoli florets, sliced onion and sliced mushrooms. Stir fry 3 minutes or until mushrooms are softened and broccoli is crisp-tender then reduce heat to medium/low.
- Add Sauce – Give the sauce a quick stir in case there was any settling of starch and pour all of it over the vegetables. Simmer 3-4 minutes or until sauce is thickened and garlic and ginger are mellowed in flavor. To thin the sauce, add water a tablespoon at a time.
- Combine and Serve – Return chicken to the pan and stir another 30 seconds or until heated through. Add more soy sauce to taste if needed and serve over hot rice.
Nutrition Per Serving
325kcal Calories21g Carbs31g Protein14g Fat
Nutrition Facts
Chicken and Broccoli Stir Fry Recipe
Amount per Serving
Calories
325
% Daily Value*
Fat
14
g
22
%
Saturated Fat
2
g
13
%
Cholesterol
73
mg
24
%
Sodium
586
mg
25
%
Potassium
1039
mg
30
%
Carbohydrates
21
g
7
%
Fiber
4
g
17
%
Sugar
10
g
11
%
Protein
31
g
62
%
Vitamin A
740
IU
15
%
Vitamin C
105
mg
127
%
Calcium
68
mg
7
%
Iron
2
mg
11
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Filed Under
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Hi Natasha,
What can I use instead of the chicken stock. Not something I have on hand.
Thanks!
Hi Cornelia, I would suggest vegetable broth or bouillon to make your own “chicken stock.” I think if you just used water, it would be lacking in flavor.
Natasha, I tried many recipes from your blog and everything comes out very good!
This one is no exception. My whole family has enjoyed it.
That’s just awesome!! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review 🙂
I’m surprised the chicken isn’t seasoned at all before cooking. I figure it would be bland because of that?
Hi Liz, it isn’t necessary in this recipe since the sauce provides plenty of flavor for the dish. You can if you want to but if you do, season lightly.
surprised you used olive oil as it has a low smoke point and most stir frys call for high temps. you may want to change recipe to trim breasts of fat before cutting into smaller pieces and try cornstarch instead of flour.
Hi Mark, I use an extra LIGHT olive oil which does have a high smoke point and is flavorless so it’s perfect for cooking. I love it for frying foods as well although it is a little spendy for use in frying 🙂
I made this tonight and it was really very tasty. I would only change one thing. I thought the sauce was a tad bit too thin so I might add a bit more flour and/or a bit less broth. I did follow the recipe to the letter and I did use the Sesame Oil. Very good. My husband really liked it as well.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! 🙂
This was really wonderful! Exactly what I was looking for. I’m still shocked… My husband went back for seconds, said it was possibly the best chicken dish I’ve ever made (we’ve been married 7 years!) and congratulated me. Thank you so much for sharing it. This will become a regular in our household.
Rachel, thank you for sharing such a wonderful review with us, I’m all smiles 😁.
I make quite a lot of stir fries but this wasn’t one I’d rave about as we thought it was a little on the bland side. I had changed the recipe slightly by adding additional vegies (carrot and capsicum) but I don’t think that leaving these out would have improved the experience for us. It was still a nice enough meal but I won’t be making it again.
Hi Belinda, if adding more vegetables, you might add a little more soy sauce as the liquid released from veggies can dilute the sauce some. I’m not sure if it was the case for you, but using a low sodium soy sauce or a low sodium broth would also require more salt to taste.
We all 4 went back for seconds, super yummy recipe I will make again and again : )
Tammy, I’m so glad you liked the recipe, thank you for sharing such a nice feedback with us 😀.
This was SOOOOO good! I thought the sauce was excellent. Very nice recipe, thank you!
You are very welcome Louanne, I’m so glad you liked it 😁. Thank you for sharing that with us.
I have fixed this twice…we love it! Thank you for sharing.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it enough to make it twice! Thank you for sharing your awesome review 🙂
Thanks for this recipe, it was one of the first hits for a “chicken broccoli easy” search months ago and has been a staple ever since!
Steve, that’s so great! It sounds like you have a new favorite!
Any ideas on how I could sub cornstarch for flir. I love the way velvet chicken turns out.
Hi Jamie, I’m not sure what flir is. Can you elaborate?
I bet you mean flour. You could thicken the sauce with cornstarch instead of flour no problem.
From the family of one Natasha to another: Your recipe is great! My son loves it. He ate two bowls full. Plus, the sauce is the best. A good dessert to pair it with is Honey Kiss melon—we guess a cantaloupe or a honeydew would be great, too.
Natasha, That is the best when kids love what we Mom’s make. Thank you for the great review!
Omg! This is my new go to recipe for chicken and broccoli. It is exactly what I have been looking for. Thank you for posting it!
Sherry, thank you for the great review, looks like you just found a new favorite dish 😀.
I thought there were good elements to this recipe, but in my opinion there was too much chicken stock which watered down the flavour. Will try again with only 1/2 c stock. I also cleaned out my fridge with extra veggies.
You really can’t go wrong with adding extra veggies!! 🙂 Keep in mind though when you do add extra veggies, they do release some liquid which may contribute to watering it down. Thanks for sharing your review! 🙂
I’m going to make a big batch of this tonight. Do you know if it can be frozen & re-heated?
Hi Justine, I haven’t tried freezing it but I do think it would be a good experiment. Let me know how it goes! I would probably slightly undercook the broccoli if freezing though 🙂
Excellent recipe! Modified to make it whole 30 compliant but the base recipe was spot on!
That’s awesome that it work for your diet! I’m so glad you enjoyed it.
I just made this stirfry and must say it was the best I have ever tasted and the first one I have ever made. Thanks for sharing the recipe!
That’s just awesome! Thank you for sharing that with me 🙂
I made this with Quorn chicken style pieces and it was amazing! We had ours with whole wheat noodles and added some cashews.
Thank you so much for such a delicious recipe
Those add-ins sound great! Thank you for sharing 🙂
This was a hit with my family. The tiny bit of leftover was excellent the next day too.
I’m so happy to hear that! 🙂