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4.8 from 18 votes

Better-Than-Takeout Sticky Chicken and Broccoli

Don't call for takeout or bother with the food court at the mall when you can make this AMAZING restaurant-quality sticky chicken at home in minutes!! So EASY with the perfect balance of sweet, spicy, and plenty of sticky sauce!! 

Prep Time
15 mins
Cook Time
15 mins
Total Time
30 mins
Servings: 6
Calories: 548 kcal
Course: Main Course , Lunch
Cuisine: Asian

Ingredients

Sticky Sauce
  • ⅔ cup honey* (See Notes)
  • ⅔ cup ketchup
  • ⅓ cup reduced-sodium soy sauce
  • ¼ cup apple cider vinegar or regular or rice vinegar
  • ¼ cup brown sugar* packed (light or dark; See Notes)
  • 2 tablespoons granulated sugar* (See Notes)
  • 1 to 4 tablespoons Chili garlic sauce to taste (I used 4 heaping tablespoons and there was a nice kick; reduce to 1 tablespoon or less if you're very sensitive to spicy foods)
Chicken
  • 1 large egg lightly beaten
  • ½ cup all-purpose flour
  • ⅓ cup corn starch for dredging
  • 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breast cut into bite-sized pieces
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil plus more as needed while cooking
  • 5 to 6 cups broccoli florets from about 3 small/medium heads broccoli
  • 1 ½ tablespoons cornstarch + 2 tablespoons cold water
  • green onions sliced thin; optional for garnishing
  • sesame seeds optional for garnishing
  • salt and pepper optional and to taste

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. Sticky sauce - To a medium bowl, add all the ingredients, and whisk to combine; set aside. Note - If you don't adore sauce, and want to consider halving the amount of the sauce in the recipe, you can. Please also see my Notes below for both the Sticky Sauce + Sweetness.
  2. Chicken - Add the egg to a medium bowl, the flour to a separate shallow bowl, and the 1/3 cup cornstarch to another shallow bowl.
  3. Add the chicken to the egg bowl. Tips - I add it all at once and smoosh it around with my fingers, pick it up and transfer it to the flour bowl and coat it with flour (doesn't have to be 100% completely and perfectly coated), pick it up and transfer it to the cornstarch bowl and coat it with corn starch.
  4. To a very large high-sided skillet (use the biggest one you have because this makes a large volume of food), add the oil, the chicken (make sure to shake off extra flour/corn starch before adding it to the skillet), and cook over medium to medium-high heat for about 7 minutes, or until the chicken is seared, lightly browned on the outside, and cooked through; stir and flip frequently to ensure even cooking. Tip - At any time during cooking, if your skillet is dry looking, add additional oil because chicken that's coated and breaded like this is prone to soaking up oil. I added another ~3 tablespoons.
  5. Push the chicken over to one side of the skillet and add the broccoli. Tip - It looks like an enormous quantity but the broccoli will reduce dramatically in volume as it cooks.
  6. Evenly drizzle the sticky sauce over both the chicken and broccoli, and then stir and toss to combine and coat evenly; set skillet aside momentarily.
  7. To a small bowl, add 1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch, 2 tablespoons of cold water, and stir to combine. Tip - This is called a slurry and will cause the sauce to thicken up. Add the slurry to the skillet and stir to combine.
  8. Stir the sauce nearly continuously for about 5 minutes, or until the sauce has thickened up as much as desired, allowing it to boil gently as your stir. Tip - I find it best to use a rubber spatula and sort of scrape the bottom and sides of the pan rather than actually 'stirring' so that the sauce doesn't stick or burn on the bottom or sides.
  9. 5 minutes should be enough time for the broccoli to become crisp-tender and for your sauce to thicken, but if either needs a bit more time, cook for as long as desired, noting that the sauce will continue to thicken and tighten up as it cools.
  10. Optionally, evenly garnish with green onions and/or sesame seeds, and if desired add salt and pepper to taste, and serve immediately.
  11. Storage - Chicken will keep airtight in the fridge for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Reheat gently in the microwave. Note that leftovers will never have the same texture as freshly made chicken and broccoli does, but the flavor will still be good.

Notes

  • Sticky Sauce - As written, the recipe makes a large volume of sauce, which you may not need all of. I am hesitant to say halve the sauce because I don't think halving it would give you quite enough. It's better to have a bit extra to spoon over rice rather than not enough. However, if you know you're not a sauce person, halve the ingredients in the sauce portion and halve the cornstarch slurry. 
  • Sweetness - The flavor of this chicken is on the sweet side, similar to Americanized Asian recipes you'd find in a Panda Express type of restaurant. If you know you may not like things quite as sweet,  you may consider reducing the honey by a few tablespoons and/or halving the brown sugar and/or halving or omitting the granulated sugar. Taste as you go, before adding ALL the sweetening agents, and decide if you want to make it as written or if a bit less sweet suits you better. We like it as written, but everyone has different levels of tolerance for sweetness in an overall savory dish.
  • I recommend serving this dish with rice because it soaks up the sticky sauce magnificently.
  • Adapted from Better-Than-Takeout Sticky Chicken

Nutrition Information

Serving 1 Calories 548kcal (27%) Carbohydrates 74g (25%) Protein 38g (76%) Fat 12g (18%) Saturated Fat 2g (10%) Polyunsaturated Fat 2g Monounsaturated Fat 7g Trans Fat 0.02g Cholesterol 124mg (41%) Sodium 1108mg (46%) Potassium 985mg (28%) Fiber 3g (12%) Sugar 51g (102%) Vitamin A 694IU (14%) Vitamin C 71mg (79%) Calcium 68mg (7%) Iron 2mg (11%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 6Serving

Amount Per Serving

Calories 548

% Daily Value*

Serving 1
Calories 548kcal 27%
Carbohydrates 74g 25%
Protein 38g 76%
Fat 12g 18%
Saturated Fat 2g 10%
Polyunsaturated Fat 2g 12%
Monounsaturated Fat 7g 35%
Trans Fat 0.02g 1%
Cholesterol 124mg 41%
Sodium 1108mg 46%
Potassium 985mg 21%
Fiber 3g 12%
Sugar 51g 102%
Vitamin A 694IU 14%
Vitamin C 71mg 79%
Calcium 68mg 7%
Iron 2mg 11%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.