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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This is a keeper! It’s doable on a work night. I enjoyed it very much. My husband and I are happy to bring it to work tomorrow for lunch. Thank you for the recipe.
Kristin, I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us!
You never included the reserved dredging flour to your sauce in your instructions, you may want to edit your posting
Listed in step 2
Please see step two where it states to make the sauce in the bowl with remaining flour.
Oh my, this looks so good. Easy, healthy, and just one of our favorite stir fry dishes. Pinned. Making soon. Thanks
Mary, thank you so much for pinning! 🙂
Yuuuuummm!!! Just made this for dinner tonight off a quick google search. Not a bit disappointed! Only change was that I used chicken thighs vs. breasts. The flavor turned out great, and using a tamari soy sauce made it less salty for the kiddos. My husband is turned off by overly gingery/garlicky dishes, but the flavor a came out just right. Keeper for sure!! Thank you Natasha!!! Love it!!
That’s awesome! I’m so happy you enjoyed the recipe. I didn’t realize tamari soy sauce had less salt. Thank you for the tip!
I really enjoyed this recipe as well, and it’s fairly easy to make!
I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us 😀.
This was perfect! So YUMMY and healthy making it again tomorrow night. Thanks for sharing
I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe! 🙂
I cook a lot. From quenelles to my own home-smoked bacon.
The sauce on the stir fried chicken with broccoli and mushrooms was outstanding! My wife and I loved it!
Timothy, I’m so happy you enjoyed the recipe. Thank you for sharing that with us! 😃
Easy to make. Tastes great and very filling.
Thank you Shawn, I’m glad you liked it 😃.
Very good! Hubby is not especially fond of chicken but he loved this…he also isn’t fond of firm vegetables, so I added about 1/4 cup of water and put a lid on the pan and steamed for about 4 minutes, perfect!
I’m so happy to hear that! Thanks for sharing your tip about softer veggies 🙂
Just got done eating this delicious meal! Super easy and super tasty!
Liz, thank you for such a nice review, I’m so happy you enjoyed it 😀
I added double the chicken stock and s little more flour to make it more saucy, it was delicious ! Very very nice my family loved it! Will be making it again for sure! Thank you for sharing this recipe
I’m so happy your family enjoyed the recipe! Thanks for sharing your great review! 🙂
We just had this for supper and the whole family loved it! Thanks
I’m so happy to hear that! Thanks for sharing your great review 🙂
I made this tonight and it was awesome! I added red peppers and mushrooms. Great recipe. I will make it again
Lisa, thank you for the nice review and great job improvising .😁
Was very good as well as quick and easy. Enjoyed and will definitely make again
Thank you for the nice review Marcai, I’m glad you enjoyed it 😁.
Do you have nutrition info by any chance?
Never mind…MFP had it already! Only 322 calories per serving!
Yum! Just made it and it was delish!!! My hubby loved it too. Thanks for sharing 🙂
I’m so happy to hear that. Thank you Jessica! 🙂
OMG!!! I made this yesterday and it was fantastic! I actually doubled the recipe so I doubled the sauce as well, and it was a tremendous hit! I will definitely be making this again. Thank you for the recipe!
Linda, thank you for such a nice review. I’m so glad you liked it 😁
This is the best home-made stir fry I have tried yet with a beautiful blend of flavours. Thanks for sharing!
I’m so happy you loved it! Thank you so much for sharing that with me.
Do I need to use ginger? I’m not a fan of it, and don’t want to buy ginger to throw the rest of it out as it wont be used.
Hi Karina, it won’t taste the same without it, but it is ok to substitute with ground ginger if you have that on hand, but you want to use just a little less than 1/2 tsp of ground ginger
Update. So I made it without any ginger. Added some agave sugar since I was low on honey and also added water chestnuts and served it with jasmine rice ( my favorite ) came out great.
Awesome!! Thank you so much for the update 🙂
Super!
Thanks Kate! 🙂