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
Hungry for more? Subscribe to my newsletter and follow along on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram for all of the latest updates.
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!
Ellen says
Officially the best, easiest, anything-left-in-the-crisper stir fry ever! My 7 year old’s exact words: “I don’t mind eating broccoli when it’s smothered in THIS SAUCE!” 😂 Thanks for another awesome recipe, Nagi! We’re huge fans!
Nagi says
YES!!!! You’ve nailed it Ellen!! N x
Pam says
Made this for dinner last night. Delicious but too much sauce—even for this sauce loving family. Will definitely make again but will make only half the sauce. I added water chestnuts for some crunch.
Nagi says
Well this one is Extra saucy Pam – perfect to mop up with rice 🙂 N x
Shayla says
Wow, wow, wow!!!!! Now a family favourite. Usually have chicken breast on hand so I tried your tenderising method and OMG it works!
Nagi says
You’re converted now!! N x
Michelle says
It’s very yummy! But… the sauce is VERY STRONG! I added half a cup of water and it’s still very strong. What can I do to lesson the flavour? I do love string flavours but this one is extremely rich!
Nagi says
It deifnltey shouldn’t be overpowering Michelle, can I ask what type of soy you used here? N x
Alison says
So delicious!
Jamie says
Looks banging! I will be batch cooking this tomorrow, would adding some cider vinegar or white vinegar work? I’d like to add a bit tang!
Cheryl says
I use this recipe on a regular basis, but switch around the veggies & add a different ingredient to the sauce here and there. We LOVE it in this house. Thank you once again Nagi!! 🙂
Kasia says
Made this the other day, the dish is indeed extra saucy which makes it very much comfort food. I used thigh and it turned out delicious. Thank you for yet another well written recipe that works!
Nagi says
I’m so glad you enjoyed it Kasia, that’s great to hear!! N x
Jacqui says
This was delicious! Can’t believe what a difference tenderizing the chicken makes before hand…tastes just like takeaway but better!
Meagan says
I am excited to make this. I am not a huge fan of onion, but I do love broccoli chicken and mushroom stir fry when I buy from my local Chinese place
charlene says
Another winning recipe Nagi, perfect for week nights. Added mixed mushrooms for extra flavour
Christina says
Super fast and delicious! Thank you for another great recipe 🙂
Kara says
Wash the chicken better! Otherwise I discovered it tastes like bicarb 🤣
Anne says
Delicious!
Casey says
You know when you find the perfect sauce that you want to eat every day. This is it for me. I make this with tofu instead of chicken and vegetarian oyster sauce. I could lick the bowl clean. I’ve scaled it down to make a quick single serve with a steamer bag of frozen veg and some instant noodles, still amazing. Thank you so much Nagi for this absolute gem. Your recipes never fail me, I have loads in rotation, but this one, an absolute winner.
David says
Nagi,
Like all of your recipes, this was perfect.
I love how you offer hints, tips and secrets!
Soooo tasty, just like take away.
Kind regards from Wagga Wagga.
Tessa Cherry says
This is a new favorite of my picky daughter. Taste exactly like takeout.
Dawn says
Excellent! Have made this a handful of times and now it’s in the dinner rotation. I double the sauce every time – we love our stir fry’s saucy!
Will try using thin slices of pork next time.
Dawn says
Oops! Forgot to rate my original comment.
Laurence Butcher says
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!
Cheryl says
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