Recipe

This post may contain affiliate links. Read our disclosure policy here.

This simple chicken and broccoli stir fry helps you use up leftovers, and the whole family will love it!

Need a mid-week dinner that tastes like Asian takeout that you can pull together fast? This chicken and broccoli stir fry will become your go-to recipe.

Quick Chicken Broccoli Stir Fry

Since my chicken stir fry with zucchini has been a keeper for years, I make little changes to that recipe, and here we are: chicken and broccoli stir fry!

What I love about this recipe is that I can make the sauce, clean and cut the chicken, and have the veggies set aside, all prepped. And, should you not have broccoli around, you can substitute it with other veggies… the possibilities are endless!

Ingredients

For the sauce, you’ll use soy sauce, sesame oil, brown sugar, grated garlic cloves, fresh ginger, and cornstarch for thickening. To build this meal, you’ll need chicken breasts, broccoli florets, and rice (you can use cauliflower rice for a low-carb swap). Peppers, peas, mushrooms, and shredded carrots are also great add-ins or swaps.

How to Make Chicken and Broccoli Stir Fry

As you can see in the steps and the video below, this meal comes together quickly and it’s a healthier choice than takeout food:

Prep the rice, mix the sauce ingredients in a jar, and cut the chicken into pieces. For meal prep, cook the chicken and the rice, and combine the sauce in a jar. Refrigerate each one in separate containers and assemble the stir-fry in a few minutes the day you're going to eat it.
Cook the chicken pieces in a wok or a large skillet. This step takes 5 to 7 minutes. Remove the chicken and cook the broccoli florets for 4 minutes in the same skillet. The broccoli will absorb the tasty chicken tidbits!
Combine the chicken and the sauce with the broccoli in the skillet. Cook for about 1 minute or until the sauce is slightly thick.
Serve this delicious chicken and broccoli stir fry over a bed of cooked rice and enjoy!

How to Cut Chicken for Stir Fry

Cubes or strips? In this recipe, I cut chicken breasts into cubes for quick and even cooking. Whether you cut them one way or the other, always use a sharp knife and a plastic cutting board to avoid injuries. Cut the chicken meat against the grain, into ¼-inch thick slices. Then, slice each slice into smaller, cubed pieces. Check all my tips for cutting chicken breasts in this post.

How to Thicken Chicken Broccoli Stir Fry Sauce

Once you combine the chicken and broccoli in the skillet with the sauce, you need to bring the sauce to a boil so the cornstarch can thicken it. Bringing the sauce to a boil and using cornstarch to make the sauce are key to getting a thick sauce.

Storing Leftovers

Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 to 4 days. Reheat them in the microwave for about a minute to 90 seconds, stirring halfway through.

Chicken and Broccoli Stir Fry (Easy Recipe)

chicken and broccoli stir fry in a skillet

Servings: 4

Prep Time: 10

Cook Time: 20

Total Time: 30

This simple chicken and broccoli stir fry helps you use up leftovers, and the whole family will love it!

5 from 29 votes

Print Pin

Ingredients

For the sauce:

½ cup low-sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons sesame oil
3 tablespoons brown sugar
2 large garlic cloves, grated
2 teaspoons fresh ginger, grated
3 tablespoons cornstarch

Stir-fry:

1 ½ lbs chicken breasts, cubed
Salt & pepper, for seasoning
2 tablespoons oil, divided
2 broccoli crowns, chopped into florets or,
12 oz bag florets, thawed
Rice, for serving

Instructions

Prep:

Begin to cook 4 servings of rice following the package directions.
In a lidded jar, combine all the sauce ingredients. Seal with the lid and shake vigorously.
Cut chicken breast into 1-inch pieces and season with salt and pepper on all sides. Set aside.

Stir-fry:

Heat a large nonstick pan over medium-high heat. Once hot, add 1 tablespoon of the oil. Add the chicken pieces to the pan and cook them for 5 to 7 minutes, flipping them halfway through. Once cooked, remove them from the pan onto a plate and set them aside.
Reduce the heat to medium and add the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil to the pan and once it is hot, add the broccoli florets. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the broccoli is tender, about 4 minutes. If using frozen broccoli florets, you can microwave them for the time listed on the bag, and add them to the pan hot with the chicken.
Return the chicken to the pan with the broccoli. Pour the sauce over the chicken and broccoli and stir to coat everything with the sauce. Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce the heat to low, and simmer it, stirring, for 1 minute or until the sauce thickens slightly.
Serve the chicken and broccoli with the cooked rice.

Notes

The sauce must come to a boil in order for the cornstarch to work as a thickening agent. Once it starts to boil, reduce the heat to a simmer. If you want more sauce, add up to ½ cup warm water to the pan and mix to combine.