Looking for a quick, healthy weeknight meal? We've got your back. This chicken and broccoli stir fry recipe can be prepped 100% in advance for your busiest nights.
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Questions
What's the basic formula for a stir fry?
- Protein: chicken, beef, pork or shrimp
- Fresh Vegetables: for color, texture and crunch.
- Nuts (Optional): peanuts, cashews, walnuts or almonds
- Sauce: mix to coat the meat and vegetables.
- Starch: rice, Asian noodles, quinoa, cauliflower rice, or zoodles
- Garnish (Optional): toasted sesame seeds or green onion
How do you cut chicken for stir fry?
- Pat it dry with paper towel.
- Have it slightly frozen to help with cutting.
- Cut against the grain.
- Cube it up in bite sized pieces or cut into thin strips.
What kind of sauce do you put in a stir fry?
Here's a few different sauces you can try in a stir fry.
- Thickening: slurry of water and cornstarch or arrowroot - 1:1 ratio.
- Basic: honey, toasted sesame oil, soy, rice vinegar
- Teriyaki: brown sugar, honey, toasted sesame oil, soy
- General Tso's: sugar, toasted sesame oil, soy, rice vinegar
- Kung Pao: balsamic, toasted sesame oil, soy, hoisin
- Sweet and Sour: salt, sugar, soy, ketchup, apple cider vinegar
Can this recipe be made ahead?
- Prep all the ingredients in advance, and it will only take 12 minutes to cook and serve fresh.
- If you plan on cooking it in advance, undercook the broccoli and make the sauce thinner (use less cornstarch or more water in the sauce).
- Reheat the stir fry in a hot skillet on the stovetop (or in a microwave at half power) to prevent overcooking.
How to Make
Gather all the ingredients for the stir fry.
Measure the ingredients for the sauce.
Mince the garlic and ginger, slice the scallions, and cut up the broccoli and chicken.
Heat up 3 tablespoons of oil in the skillet, then cook the chicken until no longer pink. Transfer the chicken to a clean bowl.
Add the last tablespoon of oil to the skillet, and saute the scallions, ginger and garlic.
Add the broccoli stems.
Add the broccoli florets and water. Cook until the broccoli is a bright green, scraping the bottom of the pan to deglaze it.
Whisk the honey, soy sauce, sesame oil and cornstarch together.
Add the chicken back to the skillet and make a hole in the center. Pour in the sauce, and let it boil and thicken. If necessary, add water to thin it.
Mix the sauce with the chicken and broccoli. Serve hot over fresh jasmine rice.
Chicken and broccoli stir fry is the answer to your weeknight dinners: it's healthy, fast, and can be prepped in advance.
However you choose to eat it, it will fill you up and satisfy your dinner cravings for Chinese take out.
Variations
- Don't want a starch? Use quinoa, cauliflower rice, or zoodles.
- Want to marinate the chicken first? Use salt, pepper, and toasted sesame oil.
- Want to make it gluten free? Sub arrowroot for cornstarch and Tamari for soy sauce.
- Want to spice up it up? Use cumin, ground ginger, or red chili flakes.
- Looking for other fresh veggies? Try sliced carrots, bell pepper, zucchini, and mushrooms.
- Want other add-ins? Try water chestnuts, baby corn, or bamboo shoots.
- Want to add nuts? Try cashews, walnuts, peanuts, or almonds.
- Want a different meat? Try shrimp, flank steak, pork tenderloin.
- Want a garnish? Try toasted sesame seeds or scallions.
Pro Tip
- Start the jasmine rice at the same time as the stir fry.
Use up fresh broccoli in these delicious recipes.
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Recipe
Chicken and Broccoli Stir Fry
Ingredients
For the Stir Fry
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 large skinless boneless chicken breasts, thinly sliced and cut into strips
- 4 tablespoons fresh ginger, minced
- ½ cup white and green scallions, cut on the bias
- 1 tablespoon garlic, minced
- 2 large bunches of broccoli, cut into florets, trim the stems and slice (keep separate)
- ½ cup water
For the Sauce
- 4 tablespoons honey
- 3 tablespoons toasted sesame seed oil
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
Instructions
- Heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet set over medium high heat. When the oil is hot, add the chicken. Sprinkle with salt. Stir constantly, until the chicken is no longer pink inside, about 4 minutes. Transfer chicken to a bowl.
- Add the last tablespoon of olive oil to the skillet. Let the oil heat up, then add the scallions and ginger. Stir continuously for 1 minute, then add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds or until fragrant.
- Add the broccoli stems and cook for 30 seconds, stirring constantly, then add the broccoli florets. Pour in ½ cup of water and scrape the bottom of the skillet with a wooden turner to deglaze the pan. Continue to cook until the broccoli has turned a bright green, roughly 2 minutes, then mix in the chicken.
- Whisk the honey, sesame seed oil, soy sauce, and corn starch in small bowl. Use a wooden spoon to make a hole in the center of the stir fry, then pour the sauce in the center of the skillet. Let the sauce boil and thicken. If necessary, add more cornstarch the sauce to thicken it, or water to thin it.
- Mix the sauce into the stir fry and serve immediately over hot white or brown rice, Asian noodles, quinoa, cauliflower rice or zoodles.
Notes
- At the same time you start cooking the stir fry ingredients, start the Jasmine rice.
Nutrition
Serving sizes and nutritional information are only an estimate and may vary from your results.
Beth
I enjoy eating Chinese food, and this recipe is really good. The chicken and broccoli go well together.
Emma
Thank you, Beth! It's fun to recreate some Chinese restaurant food at home.