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.
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy.
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
More Easy Chicken Recipes (Reader Favorites!)
- Chicken Fried Rice – the best way to use leftover rice
- Lemon Chicken – 30-min chicken dinner packed with flavor
- Chicken Parmesan – easy and classic family favorite
- Chicken Chow Mein – adding chicken makes it a meal
- Chicken Tetrazzini – a creamy cheesy pasta bake
- Chicken Pesto Pasta – adding pesto sauce is genius!
- Chicken Korma – with a vibrant curry sauce
I can’t seem to find at what point you add the garlic and ginger? I assume it is at the same time as with the broccoli, onion and mushroom, but it is not mentioned.
Hi Gabby, those are in the sauce ingredients list so you would combine them with the rest of the sauce ingredients.
Help… I have frozen broccoli florets only..will this be ok to use??
Hi, one of my readers reported the following for using frozen 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.” I hope that helps!
We loved this recipe. I have very fussy children – they picked just the chicken out but they loved the flavour. I will be cooking it again very soon. Thank you 🙂
So great to haer that the kids loved this recipe!
Excellent! I have two gluten free teens, a 21 year old and a very picky husband and this was a hit for all 5 of us! Flavorful without being too salty (and I didn’t use low sodium soy). We didn’t need to add any additional water; sauce was exactly the consistency we wanted. Will definitely make this one again!
Thanks for sharing that with us, Rose. So glad to hear that your family enjoyed this recipe!
I have a bag of broccli and baby carrots since I don’t have mushrooms could I cook those a little in the microwave and then add them once they are a little cooked ?
Hi Melissa, I bet that could work! If you experiment please let me know how you like that.
One word….Delicious
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Hey Natasha!
Thank you for sharing this recipe. I cooked it with my kids…we loved making it and then eating it…:D it was delicious!
THat’s just awesome! I bet your kids had a blast making this!
So glad I decided to try this! Didn’t have any mushrooms, I did have carrots which I julienned and added…came out terrific! You have a new fan, looking forward to trying more of your recipes.
I’m so happy to hear that, Ginger. Thanks for your awesome review!
Delicious and found a new recipe for chicken. Followed the recipe except for adding mushrooms and it was perfect! Thanks for sharing.
You’re welcome, Marilyn! I’ms o glad you enjoyed that!
Thank you Natasha for the delicious recipe and for sharing it …. I have tried it and my husband thought that I order it for the restaurant It was fantastic
That’s amazing! Thank you for sharing that great review with me!
Woww.. Justt amazing recipe ! Everyone loved it.. Can’t wait to try another one of your recipes (this was my first). Thankss Natasha !
Hey Michelle, I’m glad you enjoyed the first recipe that you tried. I hope you love all the other recipes too!
This was another hit. Thank you, and I love all of your recipes. You are an amazing cook and teacher. I have tried 22 of them.
I’m so glad you’re enjoying our recipes Donna! That’s so great!
Hi Natasha,
I love you and your recipes. I am a teacher and a mom so your recipes are easy, entertaining to watch and so delicious!
This is my first time with this stirfry.
I’m so inspired reading your review. Thank you!
Thank you! Could you do a chicken curry recipe please
Thank you for that suggestion Sara! I’m adding it to my list!
Such a wonderful easy prepared dish! Thanks a lot Natash!
You’re very welcome!
Super easy stir fry dish! My family loves this and I have made it many times. I sometimes add shrimp. The sauce is amazing! Thank you Natasha!
That’s so great! I’m glad you enjoyed that Tina!
Hi Natasha!!
I don’t have cornstarch. Is there something else I can use to substitute for it. If so, how much would I need?
Hi Ava, using cornstarch as a thickener helps keep this gluten-free. You may try using flour but without testing it I’m unable to advise.
So good! I needed to make a meal without leaving my house for groceries so I used whatever I had on hand! I made this with chicken tenders and used a 16 oz package of frozen Asian vegetables since I didn’t have broccoli (I followed the cooking instructions on the bag for stovetop). I followed the sauce recipe exactly except substituted the fresh ginger for 1/8 tsp ginger powder. My husband usually doesn’t like the taste of sesame oil or ginger but this sauce was so balanced! Came out amazing!
I love it! Your comments make me smile, thank you so much for sharing that with us.
Just made this recipe. Followed exactly as shown. Turned out great! You are my go to for recipes. Yours never disappoint.
Spaseeba za pomashch!
Jerry
I’m so inspired reading this comment! Thank you so sharing that great review with us, Jerry!
Made this tonight and doubled the recipe it was great flavor but for some reason sauce didn’t thicken up even added extra corn starch but either way was really good flavor🤤🤤 love your recipes Natasha😘😘🙏🏽
Thanks for your good feedback!
Just curious, did you change this recipe recently? I feel like I’ve made this before, but used different ingredients
Yes it was slightly updated, Shannon. The best way to look at old versions of a recipe is to go to this site and paste the url of the recipe in the search bar. I hope that helps!
Natasha here can I find your notes I’m looking to find the note for the stir fry pan.
Hi Normanda, we have it linked in the recipe but you can also find it here.