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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Good recipe, but I’m saddened that you sound dismissive about all the darker (and much tastier) meat over chicken breast. There’s nothing so special about chicken breast, and I usually find it tastes worse, especially with these over-sized breasts in stores now days (vs. what we used to get about 20 years ago).
Hi Linda, I’m not sure what you are referring to about being dismissive about chicken thighs? Maybe you mis-read something? I love using well-trimmed chicken thighs for the more flavorful meat and actually prefer it for many recipes – it would be a good substitute here if you prefer it.
Great with Brown Rice… Maria
I agree Maria! Thanks for sharing!
Wondering if you think boneless chicken thighs would work well in this recipe?
Hi Andi, yes! I think that would work great. Thigh meat is my chicken meat of choice – it just takes a little longer to trim off the excess fat from chicken thighs.
Thanks for sharing this recipe! I adapted it for my Instant Pot and it was such a hit that my husband went back for a second AND third helping! It was delicious, and definitely a recipe that I will add to my dinner rotation. Thanks again!
You’re welcome Anela! I’m glad to hear how much you and your husband enjoy the recipe! Thanks for sharing your great review! 🙂
This is serious lovely good food!!!
Thanks Natascha,
Kind regards Larissa from Holland
My pleasure Larissa! I’m glad you love the recipe! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Just made this dish was delicious, only tweak I used half the sesame oil wife is not too much a fan. Secondly the teen wanted Lomein so I tossed in the vermicelli noodles in too at the end.
Thanks Natasha you rock girl!!
You’re welcome Joaquin! I’m glad you love the recipe! Thanks for sharing your great review with other readers!
I made this about it was amazing! My family loved it as well. My husband and I aren’t big fans of broccoli but we both ate the broccoli in this. Best stir fry I have ever had.
That is so wonderful to hear! Thank you for the amazing review! 🙂
Love this recipe! Thank you so much Natasha. Just tried it out and it’s delicious 😊. Could you post a recipe on how to make Asian rice alongside this?
I’m so glad you loved it!! We usually just serve it with fluffy white rice but if I come up with something great, I will be sure to share it 🙂
Tasty! I made this once before and it didn’t turn out well. I have since learned to pay a tad more attention to the directions 😉 the chicken was tender and veggies were drenched in yummy sauce. I used frozen veggies and it still turned out great, maybe a tad watery but still very good. We all had a second helping. Oh and it was great paired with buckwheat.
I’m glad you enjoy the recipe! Thanks for sharing your review with other readers Inga!
Yummy! We loved this quick and easy midweek dinner, thank you.
You’re welcome! I’m glad to hear everyone enjoys it! Thanks for sharing!
Made this tonight and it was a hit my hubby and the kids loved it. I didn’t have ginger so I left it out and still tasted great I also added cabbage, carrot, capsicum and zucchini. It is definitely the best stir fry I have made thank you for sharing this recipe.👌
You’re welcome Kelly! I’m glad to hear the whole family loves this recipe! Thanks for sharing your excellent review !:D
Okay, I read through the directions again and figured it out. The dish was delicious! I had a couple of unexpected guests so I needed something quick and easy and it fit the bill. Everyone loved it. Will make again.
Didn’t have fresh ginger so I used powdered. Also added it and turmeric to the flour. Plus, threw in about 1/3 c. of orange juice that was going to expire. Oh, and used scallion + shallot for the onion. That’s why this recipe is perfect!
Awesome! I’m glad to hear you enjoy the recipe Kerry! Thanks for sharing your review with other readers!
This looks great, but I’m confused about the amount of flour. Step one says to coat chicken in 1/4 cup flour, then for the sauce it says use the remaining flour, but the ingredient list says just 1/4 cup. So, how much flour goes in the sauce?
Hi Kerry, sorry that wasn’t super clear. I clarified in the recipe but I meant the remaining flour that was used to coat the chicken. I just add the rest of the ingredients to the same bowl after coating and removing the chicken.
This is excellent ..I will make it again such a great flavor WOW!!!
I’m happy to hear you enjoy the recipe! Thanks for sharing your great review Gerdia!
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe, it is very tasty. I’ve made it several times and it’s always a hit! 😋
You’re welcome Patricia! I’m glad to hear you enjoy the recipe! Thanks for sharing your great review!
Tried this and it was very good and filling.
Husband liked it also.
That’s great! I’m glad to hear you both love it! Thanks for sharing your great review Dianna!
Delicious dinner! We’ll have this one again. I used frozen broccoli and it was fine. Easy to make and so yummy!
Awesome, what a great review! Thanks for sharing Terri 😀
Made this tonight……absolutely sensational.
I’m happy to hear that Susan! Thanks for sharing your fantastic review!
Made this tonight for dinner. It is a keeper! I did not have ginger so added some tumeric. I also added Chinese noodles ( like ramen without the flavor pack) next time I may add some red pepper flakes to add some spice.
Yay, I’m glad you enjoy the recipe Mary Ann! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Please advise what could be sub for the white flour, need to make diabetic friendly.
Hi Judit, I haven’t tested it with anything different but you could probably use a good baking gluten free flour. I haven’t tested it with cornstarch either but that may also work to toss the chicken in cornstarch, I’m just not sure how much of the remaining cornstarch you would want to add because 1/4 cup would probably make the sauce too thick.
Absolutely delicious! Best stir fry recipe I have ever made. My husband loved it too. Highly recommend! This will definitely be in my regular rotation from now on. Thank you for sharing.
Wow, that’s so awesome to hear! Thank YOU for sharing your excellent review!