Juicy chicken stir fried with broccoli in a savory sauce. This quick and easy chicken and broccoli recipe beats Chinese takeout and made with simple ingredients saving you money! Perfect as a main on a busy weeknight!
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Chicken and Broccoli is a popular Chinese stir-fry featuring juicy chicken tossed with crisp broccoli in a savory sauce with garlic and ginger. You can find this dish served at many Chinese restaurants. It's best served over rice.
The tender chicken is velveted in a simple marinade and the stir-fry sauce is also packed with flavor with umami! I share secret tips on how to get the chicken so tender with key ingredients.
This Chinese food is one of my favorite recipes because it's made in one pan in less than 30 minutes! It's also a nutritious meal packed with fiber and lean protein.
My mother would make a variation of this dish often for us hungry kids! Sometimes, she would swap the protein for beef or shrimp (check out my Beef and Broccoli or Shrimp and Broccoli recipe) to keep things interesting!
Ingredients & Substitutions
Please scroll down to below recipe card for exact measurements.
Note: Most Asian grocers will carry these ingredients. You may find some at your select grocery store or online, like on Amazon.
- Skinless Chicken Breasts: or feel free to substitute with skinless boneless chicken thighs.
- Broccoli Crown: Or substitute with frozen broccoli florets or with any of these veggies: snap peas, snow peas, carrots, celery, bell peppers, cauliflower, button mushrooms, gai-lan, bok choy or yu choy sum.
- Garlic
- Fresh ginger
- Neutral oil:like avocado oil, sunflower oil, grapeseed oil, peanut oil, vegetable oil or canola oil with a high smoke point. Avoid olive oil that has a low smoke point.
- Cold water: help cook the broccoli cook faster
Chicken marinade
- Regular soy sauce: or substitute with low sodium soy sauce or light soy sauce.
- Cornstarch: to tenderize chicken breasts. The cornstarch helps to lock in the moisture from the oil.
- Baking soda: to tenderize meat by raising the pH to prevent protein bonding! Do not skip!
- Black pepper
- Neutral oil: this adds more moisture to the chicken.
- Sesame oil: for that nutty flavor!
Stir Fry Sauce
- Oyster sauce or sub with vegetarian stir fry sauce if you don't like oysters.
- Regular soy sauce
- White granulated sugar or brown sugar: to help balance the salty flavors
- Shaoxing wine: a Chinese cooking rice wine. Or substitute with rice vinegar or Dry Sherry Wine. For a non-alcoholic version, substitute with a broth of your choice.
- Cornstarch: to thicken our stir fry sauce.
- Unsalted chicken stock: or substitute with vegetable stock, beef stock or water.
Variation
- For a gluten-free version: substitute the soy sauce with tamari sauce, coconut aminos or a gluten-free soy sauce. Substitute the oyster sauce with a gluten-free oyster sauce.
Expert Tips
- Source crisp broccoli that isn't limp, with a vibrant dark green color without any yellowing.
- Use fresh chicken breasts! I know this goes without saying but since this is the main ingredients you want to ensure the chicken doesn't have any gamey odors.
- Slice the chicken on a bias or against the grain on an angle into ¼-inch thick pieces for ultra tender chicken.
- To thinly slice the chicken, freeze thawed chicken for 45-60 minutes exposed to the freezer air and use a sharp knife. This hardens the exterior making it more easy to create thin pieces.
- Marinate the chicken for at least 15 minutes for that tender chicken!
- Do not skip the baking soda or cornstarch. The baking soda and the cornstarch are key ingredients that Chinese restaurants use to make ultra-tender chicken.
- Careful to not overcook the chicken. Cook until it's no longer pink and a little brown on the edges.
- Use water to help you steam cook the broccoli so you don't need to parboil it.
Instructions
Below are step-by-step instructions on how to make chicken and broccoli:
Slice and Marinate Chicken
Thinly slice chicken against the grain into ¼ inch thick pieces. Optional tip: if chicken is thawed, freeze chicken in a reusable bag for 45-60 minutes and when it's slightly frozen, so you will be able to cut it very thinly.
Marinate thinly sliced chicken with marinade ingredients (as listed above) for 15 minutes.
Make Sauce and Fry Chicken
In a small bowl, mix Stir Fry Sauce ingredients (as listed above) until well combined and set aside.
In a hot wok or large pan on medium-high heat, add oil. Once you have hot oil, fry chicken until cooked. Remove chicken from pan.
Cook Broccoli and Sauce
Into the pan, add ginger, garlic, and broccoli. Pour ¼ cup water into pan and mix with broccoli. Cook until broccoli becomes vibrant green.
Move broccoli to the side of the pan. Pour in stir fry sauce mixture. Allow the sauce to simmer to thicken. Mix with your broccoli.
Toss in Cooked Chicken
Add in cooked chicken and toss everything together. Remove off heat. Serve and enjoy!
Storage
- Leftovers will last up to 4 days stored in an airtight container in the fridge. To reheat, you can cook it on the stovetop in a nonstick pan or microwave for 2-3 minutes.
- Freezer friendly? This can be stored in a freezer friendly bag and frozen up to 3 months or until you see freezer burn. To reheat, defrost it and reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop in a pan.
Pairing Suggestions
Chicken and broccoli stir fry serves well with:
- starters like egg rolls, crab rangoons, egg drop soup, hot and sour soup
- white or brown rice, cauliflower rice, fried rice, chow mein, lo mein, plain noodles, soup noodles
- cooked vegetables like bok choy, spicy garlic bok choy, choy sum, gai lan, garlic green beans or stir fried snow pea leaves.
FAQ
This can be made in advance and you can store it in an airtight container in the fridge and it'll last up to 4 days. When ready to enjoy, reheat it in the microwave or in a pan on the stovetop on medium heat.
Yes, feel free to substitute with marbled beef, pork, or shrimp.
This can be due to a few reasons and they include not marinating with baking soda, cornstarch and oil as these are the key ingredients for ultra tender chicken, not marinating for a long enough duration (15 minutes is the key time frame), not slicing the chicken against the grain on an angle, or not thinly slicing the chicken so the marinade can penetrate.
Other recipes you may enjoy
📖 Recipe
Quick & Easy Chinese Chicken and Broccoli
Ingredients
- 1 lb chicken breast skinless boneless (or sub with chicken thighs)
- 1 large broccoli crown chopped into similar size florets
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- ½ inch ginger peeled and sliced
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil or any neutral oil
- ¼ cup water
Chicken marinade:
- 1 tablespoon regular soy sauce (not dark soy sauce)
- 1.5 tablespoon cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper or white pepper
- 2 teaspoon vegetable oil or any neutral oil
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil toasted
Stir Fry Sauce (If you prefer more sauce, double the quantity of ingredients below:)
- 1 tablespoon oyster sauce or sub with vegetarian stir fry sauce
- 1 tablespoon regular soy sauce (not dark soy sauce)
- 2 teaspoon white granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoon Shaoxing wine or sub with rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- ½ cup chicken stock unsalted (or sub with vegetable stock/beef stock)
Instructions
- Thinly slice chicken breast against the grain into ¼-inch thick pieces. Transfer sliced chicken into a large bowl. Optional tip: to easily thinly slice the chicken breast, freeze the thawed breasts for 45-60 minutes and it'll be much easier to slice.
- Marinate thinly sliced chicken with Marinade ingredients (as listed above) for 15 minutes.
- In a small bowl, mix Stir Fry Sauce ingredients (as listed above) until well combined and set aside. Note: If you prefer a very saucy stir fry, double the quantity of ingredients for the Stir Fry Sauce only.
- In a wok or large nonstick pan on medium-high heat, add vegetable oil or any neutral oil. Once oil is hot, fry chicken until cooked. Remove chicken from pan.
- Into the pan, add ginger, garlic, and broccoli. Pour water into pan and mix with broccoli. Cook until broccoli becomes vibrant green, about 1-2 minutes.
- Once broccoli is vibrant green, move it to the side of the pan. Pour in stir fry sauce mixture. Allow sauce to simmer a bit to thicken and mix with broccoli.
- When sauce has thickened, add in cooked chicken and toss everything together. Remove off heat. Serve and enjoy!
John F
Christie, there are so many "chefs" on social media touting their dishes. Your content, cuisine, and presentation style is at the top of the list. You make it so easy with the logical explanations of ingredients, kitchen tools, and preparation techniques. Thanks for all your effort!
Christie Lai
Thank you SO MUCH for this very kind review, John! I truly appreciate these words and I am so glad I can share my recipes with details and helpful tips! I appreciate all your support as it keeps my blog going, so thank you again! Have a fantastic day!
Tina
First time making an Asian dish and this was very tasty. My son loved it. Recipe was easy to follow and quick to make.
Christie Lai
Thank you so much for making my recipe Tina! I am so glad you and your son enjoyed it 🙂
Elizabeth Johnson
My husband absolutely LOVED it! Said it tasted just as good as our local restaurant when they had good food..
christieathome
Thanks so much for making my recipe, Elizabeth! So happy it worked out well and tasted better as good as your local restaurant 🙂
Lisa
Your recipes are so authentic!
So delicious
christieathome
Thanks so much Lisa! I appreciate that!
Forhad
Went out on a limb to buy a bunch of these ingredients and it all paid off! Delicious recipe. I top off my broccoli with the sauce and its lip-smackin good! Yum yum yum.
christieathome
Thank you so much for making my recipe, Forhad! I am so glad that it all paid off! Happy you enjoyed it 🙂