Chicken Broccoli Stir Fry

Name: Chicken Broccoli Stir-fry
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 25 min
Ingredients: 3 green onions (sliced thinly); 3 cloves garlic (minced, divided); 2 tablespoons fresh ginger (grated, divided); 1 tablespoon soy sauce; 2 tablespoons white sugar; 2 tablespoons cornstarch (divided); 1 teaspoon salt; 1 tablespoon sesame oil; 1.5 lb chicken breast (cut into bite sized pieces); 1/4 cup water; 3 tablespoons vegetable oil; 6 cups broccoli (cut into florets); 1/4 teaspoon salt; 1/4 teaspoon pepper; 2 tablespoons hoisin sauce; 1 teaspoon sesame seeds (toasted (see notes)); 4 cups cooked rice

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This Chicken Broccoli Stir Fry is fabulous! A delicious and fast weeknight winner. Tender chicken, bright broccoli and a delicious sauce, dinner is going to be lit!

Another good weeknight dinner! This easy chicken stir fry recipe is easy to throw together and has a really nice balance of flavors. Weeknight dinners can be a real time crunch, but this meal will be on your table in under 30 minutes!

If you love Asian flavors, you’ll also enjoy my Bang Bang Chicken, too!

Whether it’s back to school, back to work, activities or even just a busy weekend – getting dinner on the table is a thing. Like, every day. EVERY single day my family expects dinner. Crazy, right? Thankfully, I have this recipe up my sleeve – and now, you do too!

Step-by-step photos and instructions are below. Jump to the recipe card if you wish!

chicken broccoli stir fry in a wok with a wooden spoon.

Why you’ll love this

Chicken stir-fry is a great recipe to prep ahead, making your total cook time much quicker, which is awesome when you have a hungry family ready to eat!
Easy to make in bulk, so you can meal prep your lunches or dinners for the week. Add some rice and you’re good to go.

This one makes me super happy because, my whole family will eat it without complaining. Broccoli is a favorite vegetable in my house. Add in some juicy chicken, and rice – and a fun addition of kid-friendly chopsticks and sprinkle fortune cookies around the table as incentive, and we have a winning dinner.

If you love broccoli stir fry recipes, check out my Honey-Soy Beef & Broccoli. It’s epic!

It works like a charm: Exhibits H and C. Excuse the milk mustaches and lack of shirt.

boy with blue chopsticks eating stir fry.

What to serve with Stir Fry

White rice, brown rice, farro or quinoa are all great options. Cauliflower rice is a delicious low carb side, too.

FAQs

What is a slurry and why is it used?

A slurry means a mixture of liquid and flour or cornstarch. It is used to thicken the sauce of many dishes. Stir Fry sauce can be thin, so thickening it up so it coats the meat and vegetables is great!

Are stir fries healthy?

They are! Using fresh vegetables and lean proteins, you can really pack a lot of nutrition into your meal.

What is the best oil for stir frying?

The best oil for stir frying is one with a high smoke point, canola oil is excellent as is peanut oil, and avocado oil. I use sesame oil for flavoring in the marinade.

Step-by-step photos and tips and tricks are below. Jump to the full recipe card instead

stir fry in a white bowl with chopsticks.

Key Recipe Ingredients

Note: This highlights some ingredients. Full list is in the recipe card.

Chicken Breasts. You can absolutely sub chicken thighs in this recipe.
Green Onions. Also known as scallions, these add a delicate onion flavor to the chicken
Broccoli. Use fresh broccoli florets. Frozen broccoli will release too much water in it to stir fry effectively.
Garlic. I use fresh garlic in stir fries.
Ginger. This is super important, it gives the recipe a really great punch of flavor. The fresh ginger root in the produce section is easy to grab and grate freshly too.
Soy Sauce. I use a low sodium soy sauce, but have used regular and tamari in its place with great results. Use what you have on hand!
Hoisin Sauce. A thick, brown Asian sauce that is kind of salty/sweet. Soy/brown sugar ish. It’s delicious!! It’s in the Asian section of the grocery too.
Corn Starch. Known as corn flour in some parts of the world, this is used to make a thicker sauce, you may omit it (and the water) if you wish, but I like it!
Sesame Oil. This adds amazing flavor to the chicken marinade – don’t skip it! You can find it in the Asian section of your grocery store, or on Amazon.
Cooking oil. I use vegetable oil, but canola, avocado oil or any neutral oil will work. Olive oil also works if you are careful with the heat!

ingredients to make chicken broccoli stir fry laid out and labeled,

How to toast Sesame Seeds

There are other methods of toasting sesame seeds – but this is how I’ve always done it!

In a small non stick frying pan, add 2 tablespoons of sesame seeds. Do not add anything else!
Toast the seeds over medium high heat, shaking the pan often so they do not burn.
They will start to “pop” and turn brown VERY quickly – so be ready!

collage showing how to toast sesame seeds.

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How to make this recipe

This is a step-by-step photo guide. Full ingredients and instructions are in the printable recipe card below.

Jump

Get Prepped. Chop and prep the garlic, ginger and measure out the soy and hoisin sauces and cut the broccoli into florets.

Marinate the chicken. In a medium bowl, mix together the green onions, 1 tsp of the garlic, all of the ginger, soy sauce, sugar, 1 tsp of the cornstarch, 1 tsp of salt, and the sesame oil.

Make a thin slurry by mixing the remaining cornstarch with 1/4 cup cold water in a small bowl, set aside.

Marinate the diced chicken for 15 minutes at room temp.

collage of images showing marinating chicken for stir fry.

Cook the broccoli. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of the oil. Add the broccoli , and stir-fry for 30 seconds. Add the remaining garlic, ginger, 2 tablespoons of water, and season with 1/4 tsp salt, and pepper. Stir-fry until the broccoli is bright green but still crisp, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a plate and keep warm.

collage of cooking broccoli for stir fry.

Cook the chicken. Get the skillet good and hot again, and then heat 2 more tablespoons of oil. Add the marinated chicken pieces and stir fry until the chicken is cooked, and golden brown.

collage showing cooking chicken in a wok.

Combine and complete. Return the broccoli to the pan, add the hoisin and toss to heat through. Stir in the cornstarch slurry and cook until thickened.

collage of chicken and broccoli in a wok, adding a cornstarch slurry to thicken the sauce.

Add more water if need to thin the sauce, if necessary. Serve with toasted sesame seeds and rice. Devour!

Kylee’s Notes

Top Tips

The best way too cook a good stir fry is to use a medium-high heat. The point of stir-frying is to cook at high heat for a short time. You’ll need a hot wok or skillet to get best results.

Don’t overcook the broccoli. We’re going for crisp broccoli, and tender chicken pieces here!

When chopping the chicken, cut pieces as close to the same size as possible – it helps with making sure the chicken cooks evenly

Add more water if necessary to thin the sauce.

Additions/Substitutions

If you don’t love broccoli, use sugar snap peas, or cauliflower in this recipe. Your snap peas only need a couple of minutes to cook properly.

Add some red bell peppers and make the color pop!

If you like a bit of heat, add some red pepper flakes.

Storing Leftovers

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator – lunch for work the next day!

To Prep Ahead

Marinate the chicken the night before. Chop and prep the garlic, ginger and measure out the soy and hoisin sauces. Cut the broccoli into florets. Pre-cook the rice.

Continue with recipe at the point where you heat the oil in a wok (step 4 in the recipe).

More recipes to love

Chicken Piccata Recipe. An old time classic, that is quick and easy to make and full of flavor. Butter, lemon juice and capers make the delicious sauce!
Pesto Stuffed Chicken (with Cream Cheese). Super easy to make, finishes in the oven for some hands-off cooking! Creamy and delicious, everyone will love this dinner!
Chicken Florentine. A great way to make a weeknight dinner a bit more special.
Chicken Divan. A classic casserole with broccoli, chicken, cheese and a crunchy topping. You will make this family favorite over and over!
Lemon Butter Chicken. A quick & easy dinner, packed full of flavor. Great for a weeknight meal when you are staring at the fridge and pantry “what to make?
ALL CHICKEN RECIPES
ALL WEEKNIGHT RECIPES

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Update: This recipe was originally published in June of 2012. It was updated and republished in October of 2022.

About Kylee Ayotte

I am a born and raised New Zealander (a Kiwi), now living in Phoenix, Arizona. I’m happily married to the love of my life – a hot American boy I met while traveling the world. I’m a mama to 2 awesome little boys and love red things, rugby, cheesecake, and bacon. Mmmmm. Bacon. Meet Kylee