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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So great! My family devoured this!! Doubled the sauce! Added a pinch of crushed red to the veggies! Mmmm!
Great to hear that, Emily. Thank you for sharing and for this review!
This recipe is awesome and is my go to chicken stir fry recipe… it’s full of flavor, less sodium and oil. I’ve made this a few times for company and they loved it. It’s a keeper.
Hello Lisa, thanks so much for your good comments and review. We’re happy to know that you loved it a lot!
Followed the recipe and measurements to a tee with one change, added red bell pepper. It was delicious, everyone thoroughly enjoyed it. Thank you, looking forward to many more fantastic recipes!
Thank you so much for sharing that with me, Doug!
We really loved this, the only changes I made was instead of mushrooms I used Napa Cabbage… Threw in after the broccoli was cooking a little while…. I also cooked my rice in chicken broth… Added some cooked sesame seeds to sauce and garnished my plate with some crispy Chinese noodles…
Thank you for sharing, Wendy!
I made this recipe on the Blackstone Grill and my wife said it was the best Stir Fry she had every had! Keeping this recipe as a frequent addition!
That’s amazing, Jason! So glad you found one to add to your rotation!
I’ve made this a few times now and my family loves it! I double the sauce as we like extra! Delicious!
That’s wonderful, Angela! I’m so glad to hear that!
It would be great if there were so many ads that I can’t actually read the recipe. ….
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So easy and delicious. Family favorite for sure. Thank you for sharing.
It’s my pleasure! Thanks a lot for your review, Michelle.
I made this last night.. This was delicious. The flavors were perfect…I will make it again….I forgot to take a picture, but it looked like yours……😀
That’s great to hear, Mary!
I made the recipe tonight. It was delicious! I will definitely be making this again. Thank you.
Lovely to hear that you enjoyed this recipe a lot!
Hi,
I want to use flour instead of corn starch. Do I use the same amount?
Thanks!
Hi Jesica! All-purpose flour contains about half the thickening power of cornstarch, so for every tablespoon of cornstarch required, you’ll need to substitute two tablespoons of all-purpose flour.
I have made this recipe a couple times now–it’s a hit every time, thank you! One thing I have done however, is I double the sauce recipe because we really enjoy a lot of sauce—this makes more than enough, especially for leftovers!
Sounds great! I’m glad that you enjoyed it and doubling the sauce is a good idea if you love a lot of sauce.
Wow! This was a hit and a keeper. Thank you Natasha. I did not change a single thing. I will be exploring your page for more great recipes!
You’re welcome, Margie! I’m glad you loved it.
I love the recipe and when I tasted it in the wok toward the end of cooking, the sauce was so flavorful. But I don’t think I let it get thickened up enough and when I served the dinner, the sauce was pretty bland. Any suggestions?
Hi Audrey, we haven’t had that experience and this is a popular recipe. It’s difficult to say what could have gone wrong, especially if any substitutions were made. I suggest watching the video tutorial to see where things started to look different or identify any missed steps or ingredients. I hope that helps.
Thanks Natasha!
Thinking back I think perhaps toward the end when I added the chicken back to the wok, there was some liquid in with the chicken which might have watered down the sauce.
Live and learn!
Made this about 3 weeks ago and hubby loved it! Followed recipe & it turned out great. Getting ready to make it again tonight. Definitely a favorite in our house. Thank you!
That’s just awesome! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review, Millie!
We made this tonight and it is really good! Didn’t have mushrooms but we did add some red bell pepper and it worked out nicely. Recipe was simple but flavorful! Thank you for another great recipe.
That’s great, Tara! Thank you for the feedback.
Hi Natasha, I made your Smashed potatoe for Fathers
Day and I made a huge mistake…I did not make enough!!! Girl, these potatoes are to die for!!! Everyone wanted the recipe, so don’t be surprised if you get a sudden influx of new clients. Your website is my go-to for any recipe, and they never fail me!!! Thank you my best friend!!! Adelina Alvarez
Hi Adelina! That’s wonderful. I’m so glad they were such a hit! Thank you for sharing my recipe.
Just made tonight for dinner. Used snow peas from the garden instead of mushrooms. Delicious. Thank you for sharing.
So glad to hear that, Amy! Thank you for the feedback.
Just made this tonight for my family. Total winner!! My family loved this. Thank you for sharing!
That’s wonderful, Darlene! You’re very welcome. I’m glad it was such a hit!
Whole family (of six) loves this recipe-even those who don’t like mushrooms!
That’s wonderful, Clair! Thank you for the feedback.