Chicken and broccoli is a quick and delicious way to feed everyone on a weeknight. This nutritious meal takes less than 30 minutes and just one pan, even when making your own stir fry sauce.
Is chicken and broccoli healthy?
Chicken and broccoli is a great source of protein and fiber. It’s low in calories, but filling. As long as you use tamari or gluten-free soy sauce, this can be a gluten-free dish as well.
How do you cut chicken for stir fry?
You can use either thighs or breasts for this recipe. Choosing a boneless cut will make your job much easier. You want to cube the meat before you cook it and contending with bone-in chicken takes time and patience. Plus, your pieces will not be equal.
Chicken thighs will be moister and have a richer flavor than breasts but are higher in fat.
To cut the chicken, you want to use a very sharp knife and cut it all into similar-sized pieces.
How to cook chicken and broccoli stir fry
This recipe is quick and easy, but knowing a few secrets about stir fry will make yours stand out.
- Cut all your ingredients so you maximize surface area. This includes cutting the meat and finely chopping garlic.
- A wok or a cast iron skillet are the best options for cooking stir fry.
- Cook the chicken at a high temperature. Then take it out of the skillet to prevent overcooking. Let the broccoli cook by itself. The fewer things in the pan, the more evenly it will cook.
- Stir the chicken frequently! This will ensure even cooking.
- Give it a garnish. While it may sound small, something little on top of the finished dish really dresses it up. I suggest sesame seeds and red pepper flakes for this dish. You could also use things like peanuts, fresh herbs or sprouts.
- Make it a meal prep recipe by dividing into 2-3 meal prep containers. This will last in the fridge for up to 4 days.
What is stir-fry sauce made of?
You will make your own stir fry sauce in this chicken and broccoli. It’s so much easier than you think! The basic ingredients for the sauce are:
- Ginger Paste
- Soy sauce
- Honey
- Rice Vinegar
Add a cornstarch slurry to that mixture to thicken it.
If you want to change up the flavor a bit, try adding some of these spices to your stir fry sauce:
- Sesame seed oil
- Lemongrass
- Cumin
- Coriander
What is cornstarch slurry?
Cornstarch is a great way to thicken your sauce without using flour. However, if you added cornstarch directly to your sauce, it would clump and create balls of uncooked cornstarch. That wouldn’t thicken the sauce or taste good.
To use cornstarch in this sauce, you want to make a slurry. A slurry is two parts cold water and one part cornstarch. Mix them together and then add that blend to your sauce.
What do you serve with chicken and broccoli stir fry?
Traditionally, this chicken and broccoli stir fry is served with white rice. But if you want to change it up, try some of these sides:
- Fried rice
- Salad with an Asian vinaigrette
- Egg rolls
- Fresh fruit
- Dumplings
- Egg drop soup
- Instant Pot Brown Rice
Try a similar recipe with chicken and broccoli with this Chicken and Rice Casserole.
Chicken And Broccoli Stir-Fry
Ingredients
- 1 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs or chicken breast
- 1 head broccoli
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1/2 tsp ginger paste
- 1/2 cup chicken broth
- 2 Tbsp soy sauce
- 1/2 Tbsp honey
- 1 Tbsp rice vinegar
- 1/2 Tbsp starch - corn starch or tapioca starch or potato starch
- 1/2 Tbsp water
- 1 Tbsp sesame seeds
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
- sea salt
- pepper
Instructions
- Wash broccoli and cut into bite-size florets.
- Cube chicken thighs and season with sea salt and pepper.
- Peel and finely chop garlic.
- Preheat a large pan over medium heat and once hot add a little oil or butter or a mix of both and then brown cubed chicken in it until golden. Remove and set aside.
- Add broccoli florets, chopped garlic, and chicken stock and bring to a boil, once boiling, reduce heat to low, cover the pan and cook/steam the broccoli for 5 minutes.
- Remove the broccoli from the pan and set aside.
- Add ginger paste, soy sauce, honey, vinegar to the pan and in a separate small bowl mix starch with water, then add slurry to the pan and stir until everything is well combined. Increase heat to medium and let simmer constantly stirring until the sauce thickens.
- Once the sauce thickened, add chicken and broccoli back into the pan and give it a last quick mix and remove from heat.
- Serve over brown rice and sprinkle with sesame seeds and red pepper flakes.
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cherie says
This recipe did not yield enough of the sauce/cornstarch to moisten the chicken and broccoli. The cornstarch slurry immediately congealed the little sauce.
We put more stock into the pan but overall even with the quality of the ingredients this dish was barely eatable – and I had made it for a guest. Disappointing !Sorry.
Lorena says
I’m so sorry this didn’t work out for you Cherie. Did you watch the video? Did it look like in the video? I’d love to troubleshoot with you. I had plenty of sauce, so I’m a little confused. Did you immediately stir once you added the slurry?
Kristin says
When do you add ginger and garlic?
Lorena says
I’m so so sorry, I just updated the recipe. I said and showed in the video and must have assumed I wrote it in the recipe card but actually didn’t.
Lisa says
How do you make the ginger paste and when do you add it?
Lorena says
I’m so sorry about that. It’s added with the soy sauce, honey etc. completely forgot to add that to recipe card. Just updated it. I buy my ginger paste in jars. It’s usually in the isle with the Asian products like soy sauce etc. But you can make your own by just using some fresh ginger and use mortar and pestle or a small food processor to mash it all up. Ginger paste is simply ginger mashed up, that’s all.