One of my favorite meals when we go out for Chinese food is Chicken and Broccoli with white rice. I am a creature of habit and I love the flavors of this dish. I was gifted a beautiful wok and I decided I would make Chicken and Broccoli Stir Fry. My plan was to surprise my family with a fantastic meal and demonstrate my skills. I tried this recipe and it turned out fabulous. The flavors are spot on, and the meal came together quickly – I also got the hang of using my wok and I love it! If you don’t have a wok, don’t worry, this recipe is also great made in a skillet.
It is important to have all your ingredients prepped before beginning because you can’t stop to chop something! I don’t usually prep and organize all my ingredients but for this dish, I recommend doing so – you will be thankful you did.
Next time you or your family are craving Chinese food, you must make this Chicken and Broccoli Stir Fry.
Enjoy!
Ingredients
Chicken and Broccoli
1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breast – cut into ¾” pieces
2 Tbsp. cooking oil – I use Avocado Oil – Divided
1 lb. broccoli (about 5 cups) – cut into florets
1 small yellow onion – sliced into strips
½ lb. white button mushrooms – thickly sliced
Stir Fry Sauce Ingredients
⅔ cup low sodium chicken broth
3 Tbsp. low sodium soy sauce (or Tamari for gluten free)
2 Tbsp. light brown sugar – packed (or honey if you prefer)
1 Tbsp. corn starch
1 Tbsp. sesame oil
1 tsp. fresh ginger – peeled and grated
1 tsp. garlic (2 small cloves) – grated
¼ tsp. black pepper – plus more to season chicken
Directions
Sauce
In a small bowl, combine all the sauce ingredients and whisk to dissolve sugar and corn starch (slightly warm the broth to help dissolve the sugar faster). Set sauce aside.
Chicken
Cut chicken into small bite-sized pieces (no more than 3/4” thick) and season lightly with pepper.
Heat a wok or large heavy skillet (cast iron preferably) over medium-high heat and add 1 Tbsp. oil.
Add chicken in a single layer and let it sit undisturbed for 1 minute to get a good sear – then stir fry for another 5 minutes until golden brown and cooked through.
Remove to a bowl and loosely cover to keep warm.
Vegetables
Using the same wok or skillet, add another 1 Tbsp. oil along with the broccoli florets, sliced onion, and sliced mushrooms.
Stir fry 3 minutes or until the mushrooms have softened and broccoli is crisp-tender. Then reduce heat to medium/low.
Bringing it all Together
Give the sauce a quick stir in case there was any settling of starch and pour all of it over the vegetables.
Simmer 3-4 minutes or until sauce has thickened and the flavor of the garlic and ginger have incorporated.
If the sauce is too thick, add water a tablespoon at a time until you achieve your preferred consistency.
Return chicken to the pan and stir another 30 seconds or until heated through.
Adjust the seasonings by adding more soy sauce to taste if needed.
Serve over hot white rice.
Notes
• Chicken – I typically use boneless skinless chicken breast, but boneless, skinless thighs are wonderful and becoming my favorite!
• Stir Fry Veggies – We love the combination of broccoli, onions, and mushrooms for an authentic Chicken Broccoli Stir fry. You could sub the broccoli with snap peas or zucchini and sub onions with julienned carrots. Or create a combination that sounds great to you!
• Chicken Broth – Chicken broth really makes the flavors of the sauce meld together with a richness you cannot achieve with water. However, if you find that you are out of chicken broth, you can use water in its place. Water makes it difficult to attain a depth of flavor so you will likely need to add extra seasoning.
• Low Sodium Soy Sauce – Since varied brands of soy sauce have different amounts of salt, be mindful when adding soy sauce to taste. You can always add more at the end, but you can’t take salt out of a dish. For gluten-free, use Tamari.
• Sesame Oil –There really isn’t an ingredient that substitutes for sesame oil. This one ingredient gives the sauce authentic Chinese stir fry flavor. Try not skip it because the stir fry will not taste as authentic.
• Ginger & Garlic – Nothing can truly replace the amazing flavor of fresh garlic and fresh ginger. However, if you don’t have one or both, you can substitute garlic powder and dried ginger.
Ginger and Garlic Substitutions
½ tsp. garlic powder for 1 tsp. fresh garlic
¼ – ½ tsp. ground ginger for 1 tsp. fresh ginger
Brown Sugar – We used 2 Tbsp. packed light brown sugar. If you do not have brown sugar, honey is a great option. You can use 1 ½ to 2 Tbsp. honey – or adjust the amounts to your preference.
• Corn Starch – Instead of all-purpose flour, if you need the dish to be gluten free, use cornstarch as a thickener.