Easy Chicken and Broccoli is a lightening-quick stir fry recipe your whole family will love. Prep the chicken, broccoli, and sauce up to three days ahead of time and dinner will be on the table in no time! This healthy stir fry recipe is also gluten and dairy free.
Few things make me feel like I’m crushing life like having dinner prepped and ready to cook in the refrigerator.
#adulting
Taking 10 minutes on the weekend to prep the components of Chicken and Broccoli Stir Fry ensures this simple yet flavorful meal will go from fridge to table in about 15 minutes. It’s the perfect healthy dish for hectic weeknights!
Flavored with sesame, ginger, and garlic, chicken broccoli stir fry is extra saucy and a complete meal in one, checking off the protein, veggie, and carb boxes. My family, especially my husband, LOVES this easy chicken and rice recipe!
Ingredients Needed
This simple stir fry with a thick and luscious sauce calls for kitchen staples. Raid the fridge and pantry for…
- Broccoli: snag a 12oz bag of broccoli florets at the store then trim them up so they’re all the same size. Easy!
- Chicken breast: cooks quickly in the hot wok or skillet.
- Sesame oil: is used to stir fry the chicken and add a ton of flavor to the dish.
- Cornstarch: thickens the stir fry sauce so it’s thick and bubbly.
- Chicken broth or water: is added to the cornstarch to create a smooth sauce.
- Tamari: provides that signature, Asian-style stir fry flavor. I highly recommend San-J reduced-sodium gluten free Tamari — the flavor is amazing! If you don’t need to eat gluten free, you can use traditional, reduced-sodium soy sauce.
- Honey: adds a hint of sweetness to the sauce.
- Rice vinegar: balances the sweet honey and savory Tamari.
- Garlic and ginger paste: add craveable flavor.
- Red chili pepper flakes: add a little or a lot — it’s totally up to you!
Customize Your Stir Fry
This broccoli chicken stir fry is extremely straight-forward, but I like to think of it as a bit of a blank canvas. That said, here are a few ways to make it your own:
- Chicken swap: use boneless, skinless chicken thighs instead of chicken breasts. Be sure to cut them into small bite-sized pieces, and plan on tacking on a few extra minutes of cooking time in the hot wok. Diced shrimp would also be delicious!
- Add veggies: one vegetable my entire family can agree on is broccoli, which is why I love it as the base of this recipe. That said, feel free to add diced zucchini, baby corn, bell peppers, green beans, onions, asparagus, etc. Stir fry those separately in a bit of oil before stir frying the chicken, then stir the cooked vegetables into the sauce at the end.
- Add nuts: we love adding cashews to the sauce at the end to warm through, or topping our bowls with minced peanuts. Love that extra flavor and crunch.
Meal Prep Tip
Like I said, this is a great meal to prep up to 3 days ahead of time so it goes from the fridge to the table extra quick. Here’s how to prep the three components ahead of time:
- Chicken: dice the chicken breasts into bite-sized pieces then store them in an airtight container.
- Broccoli: trim the broccoli florets so they’re all the same size then store in an airtight container or gallon-size Ziplock bag.
- Stir fry sauce: stir together the stir fry sauce then store in an airtight container.
Alrighty! This recipe is as easy as it is delicious — let me show you how to make it!
Try Easy Chicken Fried Rice
How to Make Chicken and Broccoli
Step 1: Make the Stir Fry Sauce
Start by stirring together the stir fry sauce. In a bowl or glass measuring dish, add cornstarch and water or chicken broth then stir until the cornstarch is smooth.
Cornstarch makes the sauce thick and glossy like a restaurant’s.
Next add gluten free reduced-sodium Tamari, honey, rice vinegar, minced garlic, ginger paste, and a pinch (or more or less) of red chili pepper flakes. Stir to combine then set the sauce aside.
Step 2: Steam the broccoli
Just like my Beef and Broccoli recipe, I like to steam the broccoli separate from the sauce so it doesn’t become soggy. Nobody likes soggy broccoli!
I also like doing this because the broccoli steams while the chicken and sauce are cooking, making the overall cooking time shorter.
All that said, place a steamer basket inside a medium-sized cooking pot then add a couple inches of water. Add the broccoli then turn the heat to high to bring the water to a boil. Place a lid on top then turn the heat down to low and steam for 6-7 minutes or until the broccoli is tender.
Step 3: Stir fry the chicken
While the broccoli is steaming, heat a wok or large skillet over high heat. Add sesame oil then, once hot, add diced chicken breast and season with salt and pepper.
Recipe Tip
Sesame oil has a low smoke point and can burn if overheated. I add it to the hot wok then let it heat for just 5 seconds before adding the chicken.
Let the chicken pieces sit and sear undisturbed until the bottoms are golden brown, 1-2 minutes, then stir fry until the chicken is nearly cooked through, 2-3 more minutes.
As always, I will take this opportunity to share how baby Kristin procured this wok from Curtis Stone in the flesh. #neverforget
Step 4: Add the Stir Fry Sauce
Give the stir fry sauce a stir to reincorporate the cornstarch, which will settle to the bottom of the bowl, then add it to the wok and turn the heat down slightly. Stir with a spatula until the sauce is thickened and bubbly, 1-2 minutes.
That’s all she wrote!
Scoop cooked rice onto plates then top with the cooked chicken and sauce, plus perfectly steamed broccoli.
Cooking rice ahead of time is another one of my favorite meal prep tricks. Cook, fluff, cool, then store the rice in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat in the microwave and you’re set!
Whether you’re meal prepping for a quick weeknight dinner, or making this tasty dish on the fly — I hope you love every savory, saucy bite. Enjoy!
More Quick Stir Fry Recipes
- 12 oz broccoli florets
- 1 Tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 lb chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
- salt and pepper
For the Stir Fry Sauce:
- 2 Tablespoons cornstarch
- 2/3 cup chicken broth or water
- 1/3 cup gluten free reduced-sodium Tamari, or reduced-sodium soy sauce if not GF
- 2 Tablespoons honey
- 1-1/2 Tablespoons rice vinegar
- 3 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
- 1 teaspoon ginger paste, Gourmet Gardens recommended
- 1/4 teaspoon red chili pepper flakes, or more or less
For the broccoli:
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Place a steamer basket inside a medium-size pot over a couple inches of water. Add the broccoli to the basket then turn the heat to high. Once the water is boiling, place a lid on top, turn the heat down to low, then steam until the broccoli is tender, 5-7 minutes. Set aside.
For the stir fry:
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Heat the sesame oil in a large wok or 12” skillet over high heat just until hot — do not burn the sesame oil. Once hot, add the chicken then spread it into an even layer in the bottom. Season with salt and pepper then let the chicken sit and sear undisturbed until golden brown on the bottoms, 1-2 minutes. Stir fry until the chicken is nearly cooked through, 2-3 more minutes.
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Turn the heat down slightly then give the stir fry sauce another stir to ensure the cornstarch has not settled into the bottom of the bowl. Pour it in the the pan then stir with a spatula until the sauce has slightly thickened and reduced, 1-2 minutes, turning the heat down if necessary. Remove the pan from the heat.
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Scoop cooked rice into bowls then top with the chicken and sauce, and broccoli then serve.
- In order to prevent soggy, overcooked broccoli, I like to serve the steamed broccoli on top of the chicken and sauce then have each person mix it all up in their own bowl before eating.
Calories: 240kcal, Carbohydrates: 20g, Protein: 29g, Fat: 5g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 2g, Trans Fat: 0.01g, Cholesterol: 73mg, Sodium: 1243mg, Potassium: 746mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 10g, Vitamin A: 601IU, Vitamin C: 78mg, Calcium: 55mg, Iron: 2mg
Nutritional values are estimates only. Please read our full nutrition information disclaimer.
Photos by Ashley McLaughlin
