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!
- Cooked broccoli – as noted above. Steamed or boiled, whichever you prefer.
- 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”;
- Soy sauce – use either light soy sauce or all purpose soy sauce. Do not use dark, flavour will be much too intense;
- 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;
- 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;
- Sesame oil (toasted) – for a lovely hint of sesame flavour;
- Cornflour/cornstarch – to thicken the sauce and make it shiny and glossy; and
- 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!
Really sad to not be able to give this recipe full marks!
I’ll admit to massively overcooking the broccoli (we got it al dente, but by the time we remembered to do rice it has steamed into oblivion).
We tried the velveted chicken option (as we used breast), and it resulted in chicken that felt totally wrong. For anyone British I’d recommend skipping that step based on our palette profile.
The sauce also wasn’t for us, and will likely be giving a wide berth to recipes calling for Oyster sauce in future.
But otherwise a good recipe!
Made this again for the 3rd time – coz we love it! I only had about 1 tablespoon left of the oyster sauce, so added a tablespoon of sweet chilli – it was really nice. Thanks again Nagi – we love your recipes so much!! x
Can I use fish sauce instead?
Hi Ang, it’s just not quite the same flavour unfortunately! N x
Needs a bit more punch in the sauce. Pleasant but plain. Love the velveting technique! 👌🏽
Made this and it is so good. I added Champignon mushrooms cos i swear it spoke to me and told me to add it. So saucy and excellent. Thanks Nagi and Dozer
Easiest, tastiest weekday lunch ever 🙌
Hi made this last night and did everything you said, I made Charlie delicious, and tenderised the chicken. I will absolutely be making this again it was wonderful, my husband loved it as well. Will be my new favourite. Thank you so much 🤗🤗
Really easy to make and so delicious. I will definitely make this again.
Once again, delicious and ridiculously easy to make!
Hi Nagi,
I would just like to say that this recipe is honestly amaaazing!
Juicy chicken and that sauce is sooo flavourful!
Sending love to Dozer too! X
I cooked this because it sounded very similar to what my family often orders from the local Chinese restaurant and it was exactly that! So happy that I can cook this at home now and not have to worry about the cleanliness of the food
This was so good I sent it to my friends/family to make as well. Can’t wait to try more of your recipes.
Which brand of bottled oyster sauce do you recommend? Thank you.
Hi Deanna, you’ll find this post useful https://www.recipetineats.com/asian-market-grocery-store-shopping-list/ 🙂 N x
This is so delicious Nagi. my family enjoyed. Thank you so much xx
You’re so welcome Hesala! N x
This is the BOMB!