This is a quick and easy recipe for a Chicken Broccoli Stir Fry that has just about the least number of ingredients you can get away with but still deliver a dish that stacks up to the best Chinese takeout! Plenty of savoury homemade stir fry sauce – because broccoli florets are a sponge for sauce plus I need extra for rice soaking. It’s essential!
Chicken Broccoli Stir Fry
If you descended upon your local Asian Market armed with my Asian Market Shopping List and stocked up on the Level 1 essential sauces, you have the 3 sauces you need to make this.
How good is that!!?
And if your weekly grocery shopping is as predictable as mine, then chicken and broccoli made it into your trolley on the weekend.
Which means you’re armed and dangerous, ready to cook up this big batch Chicken Broccoli Stir Fry. Complete with extra sauce!
Big batch??
I call this a “big batch” Chicken Broccoli stir fry because most of my stir fry recipes tend to be made on a smaller scale serving 2 to 4 people max, being that crowding the pan = stewed veggies which is one of the greatest sins of stir frying.
We don’t have that problem with this one because we steam the broccoli first before making the stir fry as it won’t cook in the short time it’s on the stove. So we can crowd the pan and make a big batch that easily serves 5, possibly even 6!
Also, broccoli holds up better than most vegetables with leftovers, so this is a terrific meal prep option (which I normally don’t recommend for stir fries) which is why I don’t mind having leftovers.
What you need for Chicken Broccoli Stir Fry
Here’s what you need for this minimalist stir fry!
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Cooked broccoli – as noted above. Steamed or boiled, whichever you prefer.
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Chicken – breast or thigh. If you’re using breast and want to add a wow factor, tenderise the chicken using this secret Chinese restaurant method for “velveting chicken”;
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Soy sauce – use either light soy sauce or all purpose soy sauce. Do not use dark, flavour will be much too intense;
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Chinese cooking wine OR Mirin – used by the gallon in Chinese restaurants, it’s the secret ingredient that makes stir fry sauces so good. Mirin or dry sherry are perfect substitutes, see recipe notes for non alcoholic option;
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Oyster sauce – adds a stack of flavour and a touch of sweet. Vegetarian option: Use Vegetarian Oyster Sauce, it’s pretty good! Ayam is a good brand, sold at large everyday grocery stores. Also, here’s a homemade Vegetarian Oyster Sauce recipe by Omnivore’s Cookbook, a Chinese recipe website. I was extremely impressed with it;
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Sesame oil (toasted) – for a lovely hint of sesame flavour;
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Cornflour/cornstarch – to thicken the sauce and make it shiny and glossy; and
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Garlic and onion – stir fries rarely happen without these two essential flavour bases.
How to make Chicken Broccoli Stir Fry
It comes together in about 5 minutes on the stove, so make sure you have everything chopped, next to the stove, ready to toss in. This can be made in a (large!) wok though I find it easier just to use a skillet for this particular stir fry because it makes a big batch.
This recipe calls for 1 1/4 cups of water which sounds like a LOT! But extra sauce is essential here because the broccoli florets are a sponge for sauce.
Serve it over rice though if you’re pushing through a low carb phase, then try cauliflower rice instead. It really is not as bad as you think, it’s got a very neutral flavour and the tasty stir fry sauce does wonders to disguise any remnant of cauliflower flavour.
Also another good low carb option is Egg Foo Young (Chinese Omelette) which you could make then smother with this Chicken Broccoli Stir Fry instead of making the Egg Foo Young brown sauce.
And for fellow chicken and broccoli tragics, see below the recipe card for a somewhat lengthy list of various other chicken and broccoli this-and-that recipes I’ve shared. – Nagi x
PS I say “tragics”, but being that broccoli is a powerhouse veggie, we should give ourselves a pat on the back for packing so much broccoli into our diets! 💪🏼
Watch how to make it
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Chicken Broccoli Stir Fry (extra sauce!)
Ingredients
Sauce (Note 5 for Charlie):
- 2 tbsp cornflour/cornstarch
- 3 tbsp soy sauce , all purpose or light (Note 1)
- 1 1/2 tbsp Chinese cooking wine or Mirin (Note 2)
- 3 tbsp oyster sauce (Note 3)
- 2 tsp sesame oil
- Dash of white pepper (sub black)
Stir Fry:
- 2 tbsp oil , peanut, vegetable or canola
- 1/2 onion , sliced
- 2 garlic cloves , finely minced
- 500g/1 lb chicken thighs or breast, thinly sliced (optional tenderise, Note 4)
- 400g/ 14 oz broccoli florets , broken/cut into small bite size pieces (2 medium heads, ~5 cups)
- 1 1/4 cups water
Instructions
- Broccoli: steam or boil using preferred method until cooked to your taste (it won't cook any further in the stir fry). I usually microwave steam 3 minutes on high. Drain well.
- Sauce: Mix cornflour and soy sauce, then mix in remaining ingredients.
- Tenderising option: Consider tenderising chicken breast using this method. (Not needed for thigh)
- Cook: Heat oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add garlic and onion, stir for 10 seconds until garlic starts to go golden.
- Then add chicken and cook for 2 minutes or until the chicken is just cooked through.
- Add broccoli, Sauce and water. Stir well and cook for 1 to 2 minutes until the Sauce thickens and becomes glossy, and coats the ingredients.
- Serve over rice!
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
More Chicken and Broccoli recipes
For fellow chicken and broccoli tragics
And my favourite stir fries
Life of Dozer
Bed hair. Nobody wakes up looking perfect – not even Dozer!
Family loved the dish. Easy to cook .. win..win…
Delicious
We love this! Kids scoffed down the broccoli, no problem 👍 Tender, tasty stir fry in 30 minutes (I’m slow at chopping)
I made this last night and the fmaily loved it. I used hot sesame oil which added a bit of a kick. I will definitely make this again. Love all the sauce. It took me about 20 minutes for prep but cooks up quickly.
I’m a poor student who bulk buys meat when it’s on special and I wasn’t looking forward to a dry, rubbery, overcooked chicken breast dinner when I realised it was the only meat I had left to use in my freezer
I found this recipe hoping to just mask my chicken breast woes with the sauce but that baking soda trick is WITCHCRAFT and the sauce is so simple but so good! I can defs reuse this recipe for meal prep and toss in more vegs to stretch that student budget
Delicious & easy! Probably my favourite stir fry
Absolutely delicious. Completely levelled up my usual chicken stir fry and loved the extra sauce!
I see that you use regular sesame oil for this recipe and for “Charlie” you use toasted sesame oil. Could you please advise? Also, since sesame oil doesn’t allow for high heat, when would you add it to a dish?
So easy, so good! Far and beyond better than take-out!
I’ve made this recipe several times now and I have to say it is a win! It’s so easy and very close to the dish we get from our local takeout place. Thank you for sharing!
I made this tonight using the Charlie sauce I had sitting in my fridge for the past few months. This recipe is very good! I made a mistake and misread your recipe. I thought it called for 1 1/2 cups water. So, it makes sense that it seemed a little watery. I used frozen broccoli florets so the dish came together quickly. I noticed this recipe didn’t call for any sugar in the sauce and your Charlie sauce does. I think I’m going to reduce the sugar in the Charlie sauce a little when I remake it this week. But that’s just my taste. Thank you for posting this. It’s going on the Keeper Board!
Another winner Nagi. 😋
This is a great recipe! It turns out absolutely perfect every time I make it correctly (I’ve made this many times over the years). The tenderizing method in note 4 works really well for chicken breast.
-One thing that I would recommend to not substitute is the oyster sauce. It adds a great flavor to the dish and all the substitutes I’ve tried (fish sauce, etc) have not turned out quite as good. *Keep oyster sauce on hand!* 😂
-Additionally, get fresh broccoli. Don’t be lazy like me and try to use frozen broccoli, it will turn out far too mushy.
My entire family loves this every time I make it, thanks!
Thanks Nagi. So easy and just spectacularly good. Wonderful with noodles too.
Delicious! Even the kids enjoyed it. Going into the rotation.
Another hit! I added some quartered mushrooms into the mix, with a few roasted cashews. Didn’t want to change the flavour profile too much.
Absolutely loved by everyone, simple sauce and so quick to make. Thanks Navi
Just cooked this tonight for me and my better half. She and I loved it, the smells reminded us of some of the better take away we have ordered. Try it, you won’t be disappointed!
Nagi, thank you so much for being conscientious and always including alcohol-free substitutes in your recipes! I’m from the States and pre-ordered your cookbook as a birthday present to myself. Can’t wait!
Followed this recipe exactly tonight with the small addition of water chestnuts for extra crunch. Was an absolute hit with my 3 year old. Had the perfect amount of sauce and the flavour was fantastic, I will be adding this to our regular dinners. Followed it up with bread and butter pudding. Love your recipe’s Nagi xx
Made this tonight replaced broccoli with beansprouts delishes when can I purchase your book I’m from Scotland