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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Excellent just as you stated.
Thank you.
You’re welcome Randall! I’m glad you loved it!
This a lot of honey for our family’s palate. Typically I substitute sherry wine or Shaohsing rice wine for most of the sweet ingredients called for in a sauce recipe such as this. I will start with a teaspoon of honey. I doubt I will exceed a tablespoon.
I plan on making this tonight – it looks so yummy! Is rice included in the calorie count?
Hi Emma, no, white rice is not included. It is just based on the ingredients listed in the recipe 🙂
I made this tonight, it was super good! My sauce wasn’t as thick as yours seems to be, maybe should have added flour? Served with Lo Mien noodles – so good!! Just like take out, but way better.
Hi Jess, I’m so glad you liked the recipe! If you omitted the flour, that would cause it not to thicken up properly. Also, using frozen broccoli, can increase the amount of liquid in the recipe, causing it to be thinner. Either way, I’m glad you liked it! 🙂
Do you have to use fresh ginger irrigation could I use ground ginger? We are out in the country and our little grocery store typically does not have fresh ginger it but I have ground ginger in my spice cabinet.
Hi Kara, it would be the next best thing. Add it to taste and I hope you enjoy the recipe! 🙂
I’ve never bought or used real ginger…..can I substitute ground ginger instead?
Fresh ginger will give you the best flavor, but you can substitute with ground ginger. Just add it to taste. I hope you love it!
Can you cook chicken in sauce to make it be more flavorful? my mom wants to make this but you just add chicken at end, the chicken was not in sauce long enough. 🙁
Hi Veronica, because the chicken is dipped in flour in this recipe, it would not cook properly if it were marinated or cooked in the sauce. You might try this other teriyaki chicken recipe if you prefer a marinated chicken.
Veronica, after following the recipe this does tastes so much better the next day after all of the cooked flavors have a chance to mingle in the fridge. I am making this tonight for dinner and enjoying the leftovers tomorrow.
Hi, what soy sauce was used and should be used in this recipe? Turns out i bought extra dark one, so the whole dish was VERY dark, nothing like in your pictures
Hi Oksana, most soy sauces should work the same way – did you substitute or add anything else? The one I used is the one photographed – Kikkomann brand. I’m not sure why else it would be very dark unless you used a darker beef stock.
I’m East Asian and I know the soy sauce lol It’s probably because Oksana bought the dark soy sauce, which is called Laochou in Chinese, it is typically used for coloring the dish giving a richer hint of flavor, but should never be used as normal soy sauce lol
Thank you for sharing that! I don’t think I’ve ever even seen that product!
Made this today, Big Hit!
Thank you!
Awesome! Thank you for sharing your review Alley! 🙂
Hello,
Is there anything I could use instead of soy sauce? I don’t have any and I have no car to quickly get to the shops?
Hi Demin, soy sauce is an integral part of this recipe. I came across some soy sauce substitutes like this one but they sure seem like a lot more trouble than just adding soy sauce. Here is another resource that says you can sub with worcestershire sauce and water but I haven’t tested that to say how it would work out.
I used Worcestershire sauce and water last night because I found those work together to make soy sauce and my partner absolutely loved this dish. Had thirds and took some to work. Will be making this again 😀
Hi I love this recipe, have made it lots for my family, even my fussy eaters love it! I would like to make it for a birthday party tomorrow night, could I cook the chicken tonight, store in the fridge overnight, bring back to room temperature just before serving, make the sauce and then heat everything through?
Hi Sharon, I think it works best (and tastes best) made the same day. Also, keep in mind that you are using the remaining flour from the chicken bowl so it works best to make the sauce after sautéing the chicken. If I were to make it ahead, I would prep every ingredient (slice and dice everything) and measure out what I could the night before then refrigerate prepped ingredients and throw them together on the skillet the next day. The recipe comes together so quickly when everything is prepped. I hope that helps and I’m so happy you like it!
Made this tonight and it was a hit! I have 3 sons that tend to be pretty picky, and they all loved it.
I’m so happy to hear that! Thank you for sharing your great review!
We made this but substituted spinach for the mushrooms since neither of us likes them. It was wonderful! My husband said it was like good Chinese food. This recipe is a keeper.
That’s awesome!! I’m so happy to hear that 🙂
Hi Natasha,
Can I use frozen broccoli for this recipe?
Thanks
Hi Erika, I think fresh works best in this recipe because it doesn’t add excess liquid as frozen would, potentially watering down the sauce. It also won’t have the same vibrant color and crisp tender texture as fresh broccoli.
I use frozen all the time I steam in the microwave first to drain any excess water and it cuts down the time it takes to cook. I just throw them in after the mushrooms cook down
Will it make a difference if i use cauliflower instead of broccoli?
Hi Mary, I do think that would work to use cauliflower instead 🙂
Hello Natasha,
What would be a good replacement for the chicken? (Something that is not a meat) Perhaps adding more mushrooms? Tofu? What do you think?
Thank you,
Ella
Hi Ella, I have always made this one with chicken and I’m not a fan of tofu personally, so you may have to experiment 🙂
I’ve made without chicken several times, it was delicious! The same taste!
This is a great recipe for broccoli stir-fry I enjoy it can’t wait to try something else
Thank you so much for the great review! 🙂
5+!!! I didn’t realize it could be so easy to replicate “restaurant” experience for my kids. It was super easy, quick and awesome feedback from picky eaters – “that’s just like real Chinese food!” Great trick that made me such a skillful cook in their eyes. Thank you Natasha. Awesome recipe!
Awww!! Your sweet comment just made my day. Thank you so much for sharing your awesome review! 🙂
Made this today and really enjoyed it! Only thing different was I added cashews at the end because I had them. Thx for a good recipe!
Cashews sound like a great add-in! Thank you for sharing that with us! 🙂
Hello, I was wondering would it be a bad idea to use beef broth instead?
Hi Jenny, if beef broth is all you have, it should work fine. Vegetable broth would work ok as well.
I made this tonight and absolutely loved it! But it took me an hour start to finish. We used all fresh ingredients, so maybe that added time — ? And since I don’t eat mushrooms, we added sweet peppers and spinach. My husband said it was as good as Chinese takeout! :)This will definitely go in my recipe file.
I’m so glad to hear you enjoyed it! Thank you for the compliment!! 🙂