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Chicken and Broccoli Stir Fry

This Chinese chicken and broccoli stir fry recipe is better than restaurant takeout -- and it's ready in less than 30 minutes!

Prep Time
15 mins
Cook Time
15 mins
Total Time
28 mins
Servings: 4 - 6 people
Calories: 394 kcal
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: Asian , Chinese

Ingredients

  • ½ cup less-sodium soy sauce, plus more for serving
  • 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon sesame oil
  • 1 tablespoon minced or grated fresh ginger (or about 1 teaspoon ground ginger)
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch
  • ½ lb. broccoli florets cut into 1-inch pieces (about 4 cups)
  • 1 ½ lb. skinless, boneless chicken thighs or chicken breasts, trimmed of fat and cut into ¾-inch pieces
  • 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • ½ cup water or low-sodium chicken broth
  • kosher salt, to taste
  • cooked white rice, for serving
  • Optional garnish: additional soy sauce, sliced green onion, toasted sesame seeds, chopped peanuts, cashews, or crushed red pepper flakes

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. In a large mason jar or in a small bowl, shake or whisk together the soy sauce, rice vinegar, brown sugar, sesame oil, ginger, garlic and cornstarch until the cornstarch is completely dissolved. Set aside.
  2. Place chicken in a large bowl. Add about ¼ cup of the soy sauce mixture to the chicken and toss to coat. Set aside, reserving the remaining sauce to use later.
  3. Heat 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil in a large cast iron skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Add the broccoli and stir-fry until crisp-tender, about 4 minutes. Remove to a plate and set aside.
  4. Wipe the pan clean, add the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil, and heat the oil over high heat. Once the skillet is very hot, add the chicken mixture, leaving most of the marinade in the bowl (discard this marinade). Spread out the chicken in the pan, and then let it sit, undisturbed, for about a minute so that the chicken can get nice and brown. Flip the chicken and cook through, tossing occasionally, for about 5 to 6 minutes.
  5. Add water or chicken broth, reserved soy sauce mixture, and broccoli to the skillet. Bring to a simmer and cook over high heat, stirring, for 30 seconds – 1 minute; then turn off the heat. The sauce will continue to thicken as it sits. Taste and season with salt if necessary. Serve over rice and garnish with optional toppings.

Notes

  • Chicken Broccoli Mushroom Stir Fry: replace some of the broccoli with sliced fresh mushrooms. Saute the two vegetables together in the skillet.
  • Thinly-sliced carrots or bell peppers would also be a nice addition to the stir-fry.
  • Chicken Cashew and Broccoli Stir Fry: toss some roasted cashews into the skillet at the very end, or just garnish the dish with cashews before serving. They add a nice, buttery, toasty crunch!
  • For a sweeter sauce, add 1-2 more tablespoons of brown sugar. You can also stir about 1-2 tablespoons of hoisin sauce into the skillet towards the end for a richer, sweeter flavor.
  • Swap out the chicken and use shrimp or thinly-sliced flank steak in this easy stir fry recipe.
  • Make it spicy with the addition of crushed red pepper flakes or a splash of sriracha hot sauce.
  • Store fresh ginger root in the freezer so that it's always available when you need to grate off a little bit for a recipe! You can also substitute with dried ground ginger here.
  • Make sure that your skillet is really hot when you add the chicken. You want the chicken to cook quickly over very high heat so that it stays juicy and tender, rather than cooking longer and becoming dry and tough.
  • If your skillet or wok isn't big enough to comfortably cook the chicken spread out in a single layer, then work in batches and cook half of the meat at a time. Otherwise you'll steam the chicken instead of getting a nice, brown sear on the outside.
  • For a thicker sauce, let it cook an extra minute or so, but remember -- the sauce will continue to thicken slightly as it cools. If you find that the sauce gets too thick, you can always thin it out again by adding a splash of water or broth.

Nutrition Information

Serving 1/4 of the stir fry Calories 394kcal (20%) Carbohydrates 17g (6%) Protein 39g (78%) Fat 19g (29%) Saturated Fat 10g (50%) Trans Fat 1g Cholesterol 109mg (36%) Sodium 1281mg (53%) Potassium 884mg (25%) Fiber 2g (8%) Sugar 7g (14%) Vitamin A 404IU (8%) Vitamin C 53mg (59%) Calcium 48mg (5%) Iron 2mg (11%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 4- 6 people

Amount Per Serving

Calories 394

% Daily Value*

Serving 1/4 of the stir fry
Calories 394kcal 20%
Carbohydrates 17g 6%
Protein 39g 78%
Fat 19g 29%
Saturated Fat 10g 50%
Trans Fat 1g 50%
Cholesterol 109mg 36%
Sodium 1281mg 53%
Potassium 884mg 19%
Fiber 2g 8%
Sugar 7g 14%
Vitamin A 404IU 8%
Vitamin C 53mg 59%
Calcium 48mg 5%
Iron 2mg 11%

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