• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to footer navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

RecipeTin Eats

Fast Prep, Big Flavours

  • My RecipeTin
  • Recipes
  • Recipes By Category
    • Mains
      • Chicken
        • Chicken mince
      • Beef Recipes
        • Ground Beef (Mince)
      • Pork
      • Lamb
      • Turkey
      • Shrimp / Prawns
      • Salmon
      • Fish
      • Salad Meals
    • Quick and Easy
    • Soups
    • One Pot
    • Stews
    • Slow Cooker
    • Sides
      • All
      • Vegetables
      • Show Off Salads
      • Rice
      • Potato
    • Pasta
      • All
      • Pasta bakes
      • Pasta salads
    • Sweet
      • Cake recipes
      • Cupcakes & Muffins
      • Cookies
      • Puddings & Cosy Desserts
      • Bite Size
      • Pies
      • Slices & Bars
      • Frosting & Icing
    • Cuisine
      • Asian
        • All
        • Stir fries
        • Noodles
        • Soups
        • Chinese
        • Japanese
        • Korean
        • Thai
        • Vietnamese
      • French
      • Greek
      • Indian
      • Italian
      • Mediterranean
      • Mexican
      • Middle Eastern
      • South American
    • Dietary
      • Gluten Free
      • Low Calorie
      • Vegetarian
    • Other Categories
      • BBQ
      • Breakfast
      • Burgers
      • Cocktails
      • Party Foods
      • Rice Recipes
      • Roasts
      • Sandwiches & Sliders
  • ✨Special✨
  • Collections
  • About
    • Me
    • RecipeTin Meals
    • Free Recipe Books
    • Contact
    • eBooks
      • The Food Photography Book
      • Chicken Wings Cookbook
    • Food Bloggers Central
    • Nitty Gritty
      • Policy: Use of Recipes & Images
      • Privacy & Disclosure
Home Stir fries

Chicken Broccoli Stir Fry (extra saucy!)

By:Nagi
Published:27 Jul '20Updated:1 Aug '20
164 Comments
Recipe v Video v Dozer v

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!

Close up of saucy Chicken Broccoli Stir Fry, ready to be eaten

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!

Overhead photo of Chicken Broccoli Stir Fry

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!

What goes in Chicken Broccoli 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.

How to make Chicken Broccoli Stir Fry

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.

Chicken Broccoli Stir Fry served over rice, ready to be eaten

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.

Close up of saucy Chicken Broccoli Stir Fry, ready to be eaten

Chicken Broccoli Stir Fry (extra sauce!)

Author: Nagi
Prep: 10 mins
Cook: 6 mins
Mains, Stir Fries
American Chinese, Asian, Chinese
4.95 from 67 votes
Servings5 - 5 people
Tap or hover to scale
Print
Recipe video above. This is just about the minimum ingredients you can use to make a great stir fry that still really stacks up to real Chinese take out! Extra saucy is how I like this - because broccoli florets have a tendency to hold lots of sauce but I still want some to soak my rice.
Shortcut using Charlie - see Note 5 (the sauce in this recipe is basically Charlie!).

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:

1. Soy Sauce - ordinary all purpose or light soy sauce. Do not use dark soy sauce - flavour is too strong and sauce will be very dark. See here for more information about different soy sauces.
2. Chinese Cooking Wine (Shaoxing Wine) - sub with dry sherry (near perfect sub). If you can't consume alcohol, use low sodium chicken broth in place of the cooking wine in the Sauce AND in place of the water, AND reduce oyster sauce by 1 tablespoon.
3. Vegetarian Oyster Sauce - Nowadays you can find vegetarian oyster sauce (suitable for vegans) even at supermarket. For example, Ayam Vegetarian Oyster Sauce. It's actually pretty good!
And here's homemade Vegetarian Oyster Sauce recipe by Omnivore's Cookbook, a Chinese recipe blog. I was extremely impressed with it.
4. Chicken - if using breast, option to tenderise using the Chinese method so it's super tender and juicy like you get at Chinese restaurants - see How to tenderise chicken the Chinese way (Velveting)
5. Charlie - to make this using Charlie (the affectionate name for my All Purpose Stir Fry Sauce!), use 7 tablespoons of Charlie instead of the Sauce in this recipe. The stir fry sauce in this recipe is basically Charlie.
6. Leftovers will keep in the fridge for 3 to 4 days. I don't recommend freezing - sauces thickened with cornflour/cornstarch tend to become watery if frozen. But other than sauce thickness, flavour holds up just fine!
7. Nutrition per serving assuming 5 servings, excluding rice.

Nutrition Information:

Calories: 239cal (12%)Carbohydrates: 11g (4%)Protein: 25g (50%)Fat: 10g (15%)Saturated Fat: 1g (6%)Cholesterol: 64mg (21%)Sodium: 1045mg (45%)Potassium: 660mg (19%)Fiber: 2g (8%)Sugar: 2g (2%)Vitamin A: 525IU (11%)Vitamin C: 73mg (88%)Calcium: 50mg (5%)Iron: 1mg (6%)
Keywords: Chicken broccoli stir fry, quick stir fry
Did you make this recipe?I love hearing how you went with my recipes! Tag me on Instagram at @RecipeTinEats.

More Chicken and Broccoli recipes

For fellow chicken and broccoli tragics

Close up of spoon scooping up One Pot Chicken Broccoli Rice Casserole
One Pot Chicken Broccoli Rice Casserole
A stack of Broccoli Chicken Fritters
Broccoli Chicken Fritters
Baked Macaroni and Cheese with Chicken & Broccoli - Made in one pot, cheesy and creamy but made without a drop of cream!
Baked Macaroni Cheese with Chicken & BROCCOLI (One Pot)
This is how to make a HEALTHY Creamy Pasta Bake in one baking dish, from scratch. Loaded with broccoli, 5 minutes prep then just pop it in the oven. This Ultra Lazy HEALTHY Creamy Chicken Pasta Bake is magical! recipetineats.com
Ultra Lazy HEALTHY Chicken and Broccoli Pasta Bake
Creamy Bacon, Chicken and Broccoli Strata (Bread Bake)
Close up overhead photo of Magic Broccoli - the best roasted broccoli ever, fresh out of the oven
Broccoli recipes

And my favourite stir fries

Chinese Cashew Chicken with sauce on a white plate, ready to be served
Cashew Chicken
Chinese Beef and Broccoli in rice in a bowl, ready to be eaten.
Chinese Beef and Broccoli
Close up of Pork Stir Fry with Green Beans in a black skillet, fresh off the stove
Pork Stir Fry with Green Beans
Close up of Chinese Honey Pepper Beef in a skillet, fresh off the stove
Beef Stir Fry with Honey Pepper Sauce
Close up of Kung Pao Chicken with Kung Pao Sauce, fresh off the stove
Kung Pao Chicken
Crispy Sticky Mongolian Beef
Bright and colourful, this Sweet and Sour Chicken Stir Fry is made with a sauce that rivals the best Chinese restaurants! recipetineats.com
Sweet and Sour Chicken Stir Fry
Chop Suey - Chicken Stir Fry in a skillet, fresh off the stove ready to be served
Stir fries

Life of Dozer

Bed hair. Nobody wakes up looking perfect – not even Dozer!

Dozer bed hair

Previous Post
Doner Kebab Meat – beef or lamb
Next Post
Spinach and Ricotta Rotolo (Italian Lasagna Roll Ups)

Hi, I'm Nagi!

I believe you can make great food with everyday ingredients even if you’re short on time and cost conscious. You just need to cook clever and get creative!

Read More

Free Recipe eBooks

Join my free email list to receive THREE free cookbooks!

Related Posts

Close up photo of Prawn Stir Fry (Shrimp) in a skillet, fresh off the stove

Prawn (Shrimp) Stir Fry

Thai Cashew Chicken Stir Fry on jasmine rice in a bowl, ready to be eaten

Thai Cashew Chicken Stir Fry

Chop Suey / Chicken Stir Fry on a rustic white plate, ready to be served

Chop Suey (Chicken Stir Fry)

More Stir fries

Reader Interactions

Leave a Comment Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Cooked this? Rate this recipe!




164 Comments

  1. Hurrem says

    May 19, 2022 at 7:45 pm

    5 stars
    First time I tried this and it was absolutely delicious and my partner loved it too! I had no corn flour so I used plain flour (same measurement) and I didn’t precook my broccoli and I added some mushrooms since I needed to use them up. Blown away by the sauce. I will definitely be making this again and again.

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      May 20, 2022 at 2:34 pm

      That’s great Hurrem!! I am glad that you enjoyed it! N x

      Reply
  2. Cheryl says

    May 17, 2022 at 8:29 pm

    5 stars
    This is probably the 10th time I’ve made this & I never get sick of it – it’s BEE-U-TI-FUL!! Thanks Nagi, for giving this house so many smiles & yummy-in-my-tummies! I have never tried a recipe of yours that I didn’t like 🙂

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      May 18, 2022 at 1:57 pm

      Thanks Cheryl!! I’m glad you enjoy my recipes! N x

      Reply
  3. Anne says

    April 20, 2022 at 6:08 pm

    This is my all time weekly favourite stir fry. Tastes delicious, and I make sure there is always a little left over for lunch the next day. Thankyou so much for this amazing recipe, love the sauce.

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      April 21, 2022 at 4:48 pm

      Yippee!! I’m happy you liked it Anne – and it’s great getting a bit ahead on the cooking! N x

      Reply
  4. Priscilla says

    February 6, 2022 at 6:33 pm

    5 stars
    Easy and delicious! I had a mix of cauliflower and broccoli so that’s what I used, came out so well! Ate it with your Nasi Goreng (minus the chicken). Super delicious dinner. Thank you

    Reply
  5. Linda says

    January 12, 2022 at 8:21 am

    Yum, yum, yum!!! Wow is all I can say. This is now my go to for chicken stir-fry! I added some zucchini and mushrooms that I had to use up. Love your recipes.

    Reply
  6. Carly says

    January 12, 2022 at 5:10 am

    Biggest fan here!! If I wanted to add cashews at what point could I? Right after the chicken is cooked?

    Reply
    • Bec says

      February 25, 2022 at 5:28 pm

      I just added them right at the end

      Reply
  7. Luz says

    December 18, 2021 at 2:42 pm

    Could the recipe be done without chicken? Vegetarian style?

    Reply
  8. Michelle Quinn says

    December 16, 2021 at 7:04 pm

    5 stars
    Five stars for ease, taste and clear instructions. Even my five year old fussy eater is devouring this absolutely delicious dish.

    Reply
  9. Dawn says

    December 9, 2021 at 10:00 am

    5 stars
    quick easy recipe! Husband and kids loved the extra sauce! Will make again to try other veggies as well 🙂

    Reply
  10. Bec says

    October 31, 2021 at 6:19 pm

    5 stars
    I’m making this right now. It’s just one I’ve made a few times amongst the many other Nagi recipes. Tomorrow night ziti pasta bake….sooooo good.
    My question is Nagi, do you think you’ll do a book signing?id love this for Xmas signed or unsigned and I can’t wait!

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      November 1, 2021 at 11:14 am

      We haven’t gotten that far yet with the schedule…I just want to get it written first!! N x

      Reply
  11. Jennifer Kurth-Kennedy says

    October 25, 2021 at 2:47 am

    I made this for Sunday dinner &it came so so tender just like you get from the Chinese restaurants. Now I want to velvet my chicken all the time !
    Of course I had to taste test it before we left to go apple picking. (It got two thumbs up from myself and my best friend.)
    We can’t wait to get home later &eat dinner , thanks for the great recipe &tip to “velvet” the chicken . I’ll definitely be making this again !

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      October 26, 2021 at 12:08 pm

      I am so glad you enjoyed it Jennifer! N x

      Reply
  12. Lena Eid says

    October 24, 2021 at 4:02 pm

    5 stars
    I just made this and I loved it and so did my hubbie and teenage boys. Also just discovered how to make fluffy basmati rice. Made more so I can try the chicken fried rice in a couple of days. BTW – cooked rice in the fridge for 2 days is still OK, right?

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      October 25, 2021 at 5:32 pm

      Hi Lena…cooked rice should be ok for two days in the fridge as longs as it was refrigerated within an hour of cooking it, but it is one of the foods that is quickest to spoil so always check the smell and if in doubt, throw it out. Another tip is to store on the lowest and coldest shelf in your fridge. Thanks! N x

      Reply
      • Lena says

        October 26, 2021 at 8:40 am

        Thanks for the advice 🙂 I made the chicken fried rice and it was a hit !

        Reply
        • Nagi says

          October 26, 2021 at 12:20 pm

          I am so glad you enjoyed it Lena! N x

          Reply
Older Comments

Primary Sidebar

Hi, I'm Nagi!

I believe you can make great food with everyday ingredients even if you’re short on time and cost conscious. You just need to cook clever and get creative! Read More

Free Recipe eBooks

Join my free email list to receive THREE free cookbooks!

Meet Dozer

Official taste tester of RecipeTin Eats! Meet Dozer
As Featured On

What's for Dinner?

Close up of beef enchiladas in a baking dish, fresh out of the oven

Beef Enchiladas

Butter Chicken served over basmati rice in a bowl, ready to be served

Butter Chicken

Overhead photo of 2 black bowls with Chinese Chicken Salad with Asian Dressing, ready to be eaten

Chinese Chicken Salad

Salisbury Steak recipe in skillet.

Salisbury Steak with Mushroom Gravy

Vietnamese Coconut Caramel Chicken - 7 ingredient magic. The coconut fragrance is heavenly! recipetineats.com

Vietnamese Coconut Caramel Chicken

Fast prep. Big flavours!

Never miss a recipe

Back to Top
  • Related
  • RecipeTin Japan
  • Food Bloggers Center
  • Help
  • Contact Us
  • Image Use
  • Privacy Policy & Terms
Site Credits Maintained by Zao Designed by Melissa Rose Design Developed by Once Coupled © RecipeTin Eats 2022 · All Rights Reserved Back to Top