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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My family lo ves it. That sauce is amazing. Thank you for sharing.
My pleasure Victoria! I’m glad to hear your family loves it as much as mine does! Thanks for sharing 🙂
No need for flour, made chicken without it and I think it’s healthier and tastes amazing.
That’s a great alternative Polina! Thanks for sharing your suggestion with other readers!
Thanks so much for this recipe! My partner made it for dinner and loved the step by step recipe.. I loved the taste! It was like Chinese takeway, but healthy!
You’re welcome Mel! I’m happy to hear you both enjoy the recipe! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Crear receipt! My family loved it! Thanks from Buenos Aires!
My pleasure Maria! I’m happy to hear the family enjoys the recipe! 😀
Made this last night for supper, love it. The sauce is awesome, I used the sesame oil. Never had made stir fry before, easy recipe to follow. Would recommend this recipe for everyone.
I’m happy to hear that Debbie! Thanks for sharing your wonderful review!
Made this tonight. Didn’t add the honey because Im not fond of sweetness in my dinner dishes and my mushrooms weren’t any good. Made the dish with all other ingredients and it was absolutely amazing!! I will definitely be making this again.
I’m happy to hear that Natalie! Thanks for sharing your review!
It was so delicious! I skipped flour and it turned out very yummy. Planning on making it again next week!! Thank you 🙂
Polina, thank you for such a nice review and you are welcome 😀
Made this tonight using wild mushrooms along with store bought, didn’t measure anything, just winged it, and it was delicious. Will now live in favourite stir fry recipes.
I’m happy to hear the recipe has made regular rotation! Thanks for sharing George 🙂
Thanks for another delicious recipe Natasha!
You are welcome Amy, I’m glad you like the recipe 😀
Love this recipe. Have made it twice. Perfect balance of sweetness and healthy. Partner absolutely loved it! Thank you!
You’re welcome Bianca! I’m happy to hear you both love the recipe!
I just made this, and it’s delicious! Actually better than take out! It tastes fresher, for lack of a better word, because I put what I want in it.
What a great review Charlene! Thanks for much for sharing!!
Yummy and very easy recipe! Was very flavorful so I didn’t need to add any salt. Instead of rice I use some left over Linguini noodles I had. So good
That’s great to hear Joy! Thanks for sharing 🙂
I’ve made this twice before and I’m about to make it again. My husband said he wanted it this weekend. He loves it too. It’s a really good recipe. Thank you for posting it.
I’m so happy you both love it!! 🙂
I literally just made this on my lunch time, it is my most favourite stir fry dish E.V.E.R!! Thank you so much 🙂
You’re welcome Lilla! I’m very happy to hear how much you LOVE the recipe. 😀
We had this for dinner tonight. For my broccoli disliking family, I used roughly 7.5 cups of veggies (broccoli, carrot sticks, green and red bell pepper, mushrooms, baby bok choy and green onions). I followed the rest of the recipe, cutting 1 tablespoon of EVOO and 1 teaspoon of dark sesame oil. The sauce thickened up beautifully and I mixed some cooked Asian noodles into the pan before serving. We will have again and try with a bit of red chili oil for a kick. Thanks for the great recipe.
You’re welcome Stacia! Thank you for sharing 😀
Not only was this easy and delicious to make, the house still has the wonderful aroma from the stir fry! This will be a staple in our house, it was a big hit!
Donna, you are very welcome and thank you for the wonderful review 😀
I loved this! My 10 year old ate the leftovers for lunch, too.
I used 1/8 t ginger powder after looking online for substitution amounts, and I also used the refrigerated minced garlic as a shortcut. Yum!
That’s awesome! Thank you for sharing your review Samantha! 🙂
You make life not only easier, but better! This was really really good!! As much fun to make as it was to eat.. Might just add more onions next time as I have an addiction 😉 Hubby was picking at it most of the evening after supper last night. Mnohaya Lita!!
Awesome! I’m glad to hear you two enjoyed the recipe! 😀
Can I use gluten free flour?
Hi Kelly, that should work fine 🙂
Thanks Natasha!
It was delicious.
You’re welcome Nadine! I am glad to hear you enjoyed the recipe!