How to Make a Chicken & Broccoli Stir Fry
Are you looking for a quick, healthy, and satisfying meal? Chicken and broccoli stir fry is a perfect choice!
This classic dish brings together tender, juicy chicken and crisp broccoli in a flavorful sauce that’s easy to make and loved by all. Stir-frying is a fantastic cooking technique that allows you to create a nutritious meal in minutes, with vegetables and proteins maintaining their best textures and flavors.
In this recipe, lean chicken breast or thighs are marinated and stir-fried to lock in flavor, then tossed with fresh broccoli in a savory, slightly sweet sauce. This sauce combines soy sauce, garlic, ginger, and a hint of oyster sauce, creating a rich umami profile that perfectly complements the chicken and broccoli. It’s an adaptable recipe, too—add other vegetables like bell peppers, carrots, or snap peas if you like.
Serve this chicken and broccoli stir-fried over steamed rice or noodles for a wholesome dinner that’s light on prep but heavy on flavor. It’s ideal for weeknights, it’s a go-to recipe you’ll want to keep in your rotation for its simplicity, taste, and health benefits. Enjoy a balanced and flavorful meal that the whole family will love!
Check out my post, How to Stir Fry, for tips, techniques, and suggestions for better home stir-frying.
Chicken and Broccoli Stir Fry Tips
Here are some top tips to make your chicken and broccoli stir fry even better:
- Prep Ingredients First: Stir-frying moves quickly, so have all your ingredients—chicken, broccoli, aromatics, and sauce—ready before you start cooking. This way, you’re not scrambling to chop or measure while the pan is hot.
- Cut Chicken Evenly: Slice the chicken thinly and evenly to ensure it cooks quickly and consistently. Partially freezing the chicken for 15-20 minutes can make it easier to slice thinly.
- Marinate the Chicken: Even a quick marinade of soy sauce, garlic, and a bit of cornstarch gives the chicken a tender texture and richer flavor. Cornstarch also helps the sauce cling to the chicken.
- Blanch the Broccoli: To keep broccoli bright and crisp, blanch it in boiling water for 1-2 minutes, then plunge it into ice water to stop the cooking. This step is optional but recommended for extra vibrant green broccoli.
- Use High Heat: Stir-frying requires high heat, so use a wok or large skillet that can handle it. High heat gives that slightly charred, smoky flavor typical of restaurant-style stir-fries.
- Don’t Overcrowd the Pan: Cook the chicken in batches if needed to prevent steaming. Once the chicken is cooked, remove it from the pan, cook the broccoli, then add everything back together at the end.
- Add Sauce Last: Stir the sauce in during the last minute of cooking so it coats everything without reducing too much.
Following these tips will make your stir fry flavorful, colorful, and full of great texture!
Oyster Sauce
Oyster sauce is a rich, savory condiment commonly used in Asian cuisine, especially in stir-fries, marinades, and sauces. Made from oyster extracts, soy sauce, and sometimes caramelized sugar, it has a deep umami flavor with hints of sweetness and a slightly thick consistency.
This unique balance of salty and sweet flavors enhances the taste of meats and vegetables, giving dishes a depth that’s hard to replicate with other ingredients. If you don’t have oyster sauce on hand or are looking for a vegetarian option, here are some suitable substitutes:
- Soy Sauce and Hoisin Sauce: Mix equal parts soy sauce and hoisin sauce to achieve a similar salty-sweet flavor. Hoisin adds a touch of sweetness and thickness, making it a close match.
- Soy Sauce and Mushroom Sauce: Mushroom sauce, often labeled as vegetarian oyster sauce, is a great plant-based alternative with a similar umami taste.
- Soy Sauce and a Little Sugar: For a more straightforward substitute, add a small amount of sugar or honey to soy sauce to mimic the sweetness and saltiness.
- Fish Sauce (with caution): Fish sauce is much stronger and saltier, so use it sparingly—just a few drops mixed with a bit of sugar can bring a similar flavor in a pinch.
Each of these substitutes works well in stir-fries and sauces where you need that savory depth!
Chicken and Broccoli Stir-Fry
Ingredients
Marinade
- ¼ cup chicken stock
- ¼ cup dry sherry or rice wine
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons oyster sauce
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 3 chicken breasts boneless, sliced into thin strips
Other Ingredients
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon ginger minced
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 3 tablespoons oil
- 1 bunch broccoli cut into florets
- 1 red pepper julienne
- 1 large onion cut into chunks
- ¼ cup halved cashew nuts
Instructions
For the Marinade
- Whisk all the ingredients together.
- Pour over the chicken strips and let marinate for about an hour.
For the Stir Fry
- Cut up your broccoli and onion and julienne the red pepper.
- Have all your ingredients cut and ready to fry.
- Preheat wok or frying pan over high heat.
- Add 2 tablespoons oil and add chicken, reserving marinade. Stir-fry for 3-4 minutes until chicken is no longer pink. Cook in batches if necessary. Remove and set aside.
- Add remaining tablespoon of oil and stir-fry the aromatics for 10 seconds or until fragrant.
- Add the vegetables and stir-fry 3-4 minutes.
- Add the reserved marinade and reserved chicken and cook until sauce thickens, stirring frequently.
- Toss with cashews and serve over white rice.
2 Responses
May I use a couple of your photos for some exam questions for a Hospitality course. I can acknowledge the source. The material is purely for assessment purposes (to make questions more interesting) and are not sold on in any way or form. Do I have your permission to use 3 to 4 photos?
Dr. Leonard, you do NOT have permission to use any photos but thank you for asking.
loved your article on mise en place-plz put me on your email list for more!