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Chicken and Broccoli is a quick and easy stir-fry featuring tender chicken and crisp-tender broccoli in a sweet and savory sauce. It is made with simple ingredients, minimal prep, and always a hit--even with the picky eaters!
Just like my Ground Beef and Broccoli Stir-Fry, this Chicken and Broccoli Stir-Fry is a quick and easy weeknight dinner recipe that delivers take-out vibes without being heavy or overpriced.
Kristen's Keys for Chicken and Broccoli
- Velveting the chicken is the secret to restaurant-quality results. A quick 15-minute marinade in a seasoned cornstarch mixture will give the chicken a melt-in-your mouth velvet-like texture.
- Be efficient with your time. Prepare the stir fry sauce, chop the broccoli, grate the ginger and garlic while the chicken is marinating, ensuring dinner gets on the table in under 30 minutes from start to finish!
- Mirin is best. While I typically offer ingredient swaps, this is one time where I don't recommend replacing the Mirin. It is a subtly sweet Japanese rice wine that is utterly delicious and helps to tenderize the chicken.
5-Star Reader Review
It's delicious! I just finished cooking this for dinner tonight. My house smells amazing and the food was so good! It tastes like my favorite restaurant dish. The recipe was easy to follow (even for a super slow cook like me) and extra bonus: my pickiest eater gobbled it up. 😊 -Julie
How to Make Chicken and Broccoli Stir-Fry
Think of this section as me right there with you, guiding you through the steps and sharing a few helpful tips along the way.
Step One: Marinate the Chicken
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together cornstarch with soy sauce, mirin, and sriracha. Add thinly sliced chicken to this mixture and toss to coat. Let sit in this mixture for at least 10 minutes or up to 60 minutes, which will give the chicken enough time to become super tender.
Step Two: Prepare Stir-Fry Sauce
Whisk together the chicken stock, soy sauce, chicken broth, honey, Mirin, sesame oil, hot sauce, and cornstarch until well incorporated and the cornstarch has dissolved. Set aside to add to the stir-fry towards the end of the cooking process.
Step Three: Stir-Fry Chicken
Heat a bit of oil in a large wok or sauté pan for 1 minute or until glistening. Then remove the chicken from the marinade, add to the pan, and cook for 2-3 minutes, or until just golden and almost cooked through. Remove the chicken to to a plate.
Step Four: Stir Fry Broccoli and Aromatics
Add a bit more oil to the pan and let heat. Once heated add the broccoli florets and cook for 1 minute, or until lightly toasted. Then add in the garlic and ginger and lightly sauté for 30 seconds until just fragrant.
Like softer broccoli? This stir-fry yields crisp broccoli, but if you like your broccoli on the softer side, you can opt to steam or blanch the broccoli before adding to the stir-fry. Alternatively, omit the chicken stock from the stir-fry sauce. Add it to the pan NOW, along with the broccoli, cover the pan, and let simmer until softened. If doing this, I would recommend also adding the garlic and ginger to the stir-fry sauce, rather than sautéing.
Step Five: Combine and Thicken
Give the prepared stir-fry sauce one last stir, then pour it over broccoli. Add the chicken back to the skillet and cook, tossing to coat everything evenly into the sauce, until the sauce thickens and coats the chicken and broccoli.
Step Six: Serve
The sauce in this Chicken and Broccoli deserves to be soaked up and devoured, meaning it is best served over rice (Instant Pot Brown Rice, Instant Pot Jasmine Rice, or cauliflower rice to keep it low-carb). This ensures you enjoy every last drop of the ridiculously delicious sauce.
Recipe Modifications
- Use Frozen Broccoli: Steam the broccoli according to package directions, then add to the pan once the chicken has finished cooking. Add the sauce, ginger, and garlic, and cook until the sauce has thickened.
- Swap out the Veggies: Replace the broccoli with any quick-cooking vegetables you like. Options include; asparagus, bell peppers, green beans, etc.
- Adjust the Heat: Use more or less Sriracha depending on your tolerance to spice. Feel free to use cayenne pepper sauce (hot sauce) in its place.
- No Mirin? Use sherry or marsala wine or rice wine vinegar with a pinch of sugar to balance out the acidity.
- Gluten-Free: Use tamari instead of soy sauce and confirm your broth is also gluten-free.
More Flavorful Skillet Recipes
Chicken and Broccoli
Video
Ingredients
Chicken and Marinade
- 3 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon Mirin
- 1 teaspoon sriracha
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts , cut into thin strips
Stir Fry Sauce
- ¼ cup low-sodium soy sauce
- ½ cup low-sodium chicken broth
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 tablespoon Mirin
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon sriracha
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
For the Stir-Fry
- 1 tablespoon oil, divided (canola, vegetable or peanut oil)
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon grated ginger
- 4-5 cups broccoli florets, cut into bite size pieces
Instructions
- Marinade: In a large mixing bowl or large shallow dish, whisk together 3 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce, 1 tablespoon Mirin, 1 teaspoon sriracha, and 1 tablespoon cornstarch until well combined and the cornstarch has dissolved.
- Thinly slice the chicken against the grain into strips no thicker than ¼-inch. Place the sliced chicken into the bowl with the marinade and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate for at least 10 minutes, or up to 60 minutes.
- Prepare stir-fry sauce by whisking together ¼ cup low-sodium soy sauce, ½ cup low-sodium chicken broth, 2 tablespoons honey, 1 tablespoon Mirin, 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil, 1 teaspoon sriracha, and 2 teaspoons cornstarch until the cornstarch is dissolved.
- Heat ½ tablespoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat for 1 minute, or until hot and shimmering. Once hot, remove the chicken from the marinade, letting the excess marinade drip back into the bowl, add it to the pan and cook, stirring often, until golden, about 2-3 minutes. Once cooked through, remove the chicken to a plate.
- Heat the remaining ½ tablespoon oil in the same skillet until hot and shimmering. Once hot, add the broccoli florets and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add minced garlic and grated ginger, and stir fry for 30 seconds.
- Return the chicken to the skillet. Whisk the sauce to recombine then add to the skillet. Cook, stirring constantly, until the sauce is thickened, chicken is cooked through, and broccoli reaches the desired tenderness, about 1-2 minutes.
- Serve with rice and garnish with green onions and sesame seeds if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Kristin
What does .13 cup equal on half receipe?
Thanks
Hi Kate! I get those weird fractions can be a bit tricky to interpret when halving recipes 🙂 For .13 cup, you would use 2 tablespoons. Enjoy!
Thank you. Happy Mothers Day!
This was amazing. Kristen, your recipes never disappoint! I had to make 2 substitutions due to supply issues: I didn’t have Mirin or Sriracha Sauce so I used white cooking wine and cayenne powder. Since we prefer less sweet food (and especially after reading the ingredients of Mirin and Sriracha sauce,) I’m very happy with the results! This dish is definitely a new favorite - again, many thanks.
Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a comment, Suzanne! I am thrilled you were able to use what you had on hand to deliver a dish perfect for you!
It’s delicious! I just finished cooking this for dinner tonight. My house smells amazing and the food was so good! It tastes like my favorite restaurant dish. The recipe was easy to follow (even for a super slow cook like me) and extra bonus: my pickiest eater gobbled it up. 😊
Yay for a good meal that the picky eaters enjoyed! Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a comment and review 🙂