Super Saucy Chicken Broccoli Stir Fry (perfect to serve over rice!)
Super saucy chicken broccoli stir fry is perfect for serving with rice to soak up all that delicious flavor. Chicken broccoli stir fry is quick and easy to make for weeknight dinners and is sure to be a crowd-pleaser!
Nothing feels perfect for a quick weeknight dinner the way a homemade bowl of rice topped with stir fry does!
This chicken broccoli stir fry just happens to take under 30 minutes to make and comes complete with extra sauce. The thing I get asked the most whenever I share a recipe that has a sauce is ‘can I double the sauce ingredients if I want more?’ So this time, I took the liberty of making you extra sauce from the get-go so that your bowl of stir fry and rice is extra cozy and extra delicious!
It should come as no surprise that stir fry dinners are a weekly occurrence around here. By midweek, I’m a little tired from cooking and recipe testing, so I save the stir-fries and make them around Wednesday or Thursday.
Chicken and broccoli also happen to be staple ingredients around here. There’s rarely a time when we don’t have both on hand. And pretty much everything else in this recipe is a pantry staple.
Ingredients you need to make chicken broccoli stir fry:
- Boneless Chicken: you can use chicken breasts, tenders, or even thighs for this recipe. Just be sure to make then slices.
- Baking soda: baking soda acts as a natural tenderizer in this recipe. It is my secret ingredient for take-out fake-out recipes as it gives the chicken a tender texture even if you marinate it for just a few minutes!
- Seasonings: we’re using red pepper flakes and white pepper for this recipe
- Cornstarch: cornstarch is used in two different ways for this recipe. The first is to coat the chicken so that when we cook it in oil, it seals the juices in. The other reason is to help thicken the stir fry sauce.
- Broccoli florets: I use fresh broccoli florets from the grocery store, but you can also use frozen broccoli here. Just be sure to steam the broccoli lightly before adding it to the recipe. You want it to remain crisp but not raw. I usually steam them in the microwave, but if you don’t have one or don’t want to steam it in the microwave, you can also do so in a steamer basket.
- Onions + Garlic: onions and garlic are the aromatics for this recipe. They lend tons of flavor to the overall stir fry.
- Low sodium soy sauce: the soy sauce is the base for the sauce. Make sure you do not use regular soy sauce as it would be way too salty when combined with chicken stock.
- Seasoning sauce: seasoning sauce is used to add additional umami to the recipe. It is sometimes sold as golden mountain sauce, and other times, it’s called ‘seasoning sauce.’ Most grocery stores now carry this in the Asian food section. If you cannot find it in stores, it is available online.
- Chicken Stock: chicken stock and soy sauce are the two liquids we use to make the sauce
- Toasted sesame oil: the toasted sesame oil adds a sweet, nutty flavor to the sauce
How to make chicken broccoli stir fry:
- Marinate the chicken. Start by adding the chicken to a bowl and tossing it with the baking soda, a pinch of cornstarch and a splash of water. Stir and let the chicken sit and marinate for at least 5 minutes. If time permits, I suggest letting it go for 30 minutes.
- Sauce. To make the sauce all you have to do is add everything to mason jar that has a tight-fitting lid and give it a few good shakes so that the cornstarch dissolves.
- Broccoli. At this point you want to steam your broccoli. I usually add it to a microwave-safe bowl and add a tablespoon of water. I use a microwave cover and cook the broccoli for 2-3 minutes or until it turns bright green and is no longer raw. Set this aside for now, you won’t need it still later.
- Stir fry. Heat the oil in a large pan. Add the onions and give them a 30 second head start, then add the garlic. Once the garlic is fragrant and golden, you’ll want to add the chicken to the pan and spread it out into a thin layer. Allow the chicken to cook for at least 1 minute before trying to move it. This is when it’ll develop a nice golden crust on the outside. Then stir and allow the chicken to cook all the way through. When the chicken is done, add the broccoli to the pan and toss. Give the jar of sauce a few good shakes and then pour the sauce into the skillet with the heat on the medium-high setting. You want the sauce to start sizzling and thickening as soon as it hits the hot pan. Cook the sauce until it thickens just a bit. Then, serve warm over fluffy rice!
Can I use other veggies in addition to the broccoli?
Yes, mushrooms would be delicious in addition to the broccoli. I would sauté them with the onions before adding the garlic. You could even add a can of drained and rinsed water chestnuts if you like a little crunch! Rinsed and drained baby corn would also work well for this recipe. Snap peas are another great idea!
How long does leftover stir fry last?
Okay so, leftover stir fry actually tastes better the next day because all of the flavors have a chance of mingling and mixing. So this recipe is ideal to make ahead or meal prep for weekly lunches or dinners. If you batch cook on the weekends, this recipe is ideal to throw together on Sundays for the week!
Other take out dishes to try at home:
- 15 minute fried rice
- 20-minute chicken teriyaki
- Garlic Noodles
- Beef and Broccoli Ramen Stir Fry
- Sweet and Tangy Thai cucumber salad
- Weeknight Dan Dan Noodles
- Thai Cashew Chicken
- Sticky Mongolian Beef Meatballs
Super Saucy Chicken Broccoli Stir Fry
Super saucy chicken broccoli stir fry is perfect for serving with rice to soak up all that delicious flavor. Chicken broccoli stir fry is quick and easy to make for weeknight dinners and is sure to be a crowd-pleaser!
Ingredients
Chicken Stir Fry:
- 1 pound chicken breast, thinly sliced (see notes)
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon EACH: cornstarch AND red pepper flakes
- 2 tablespoons high heat oil
- 1 small yellow onion, sliced
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 12 ounces broccoli florets, cut into small pieces
Stir Fry Sauce:
- ⅓ cup low sodium soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons EACH: seasoning sauce AND cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons oyster sauce
- 1 cup low sodium chicken stock
- 1 ½ teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- ⅛ teaspoon white pepper
Instructions
- MARINATE: Add the chicken to a medium bowl with the baking soda, ¼ teaspoon cornstarch, red pepper flakes, and 1 tablespoon of water. Stir and allow the chicken to marinate for at least 5 minutes (if you have time, 30 minutes is even better!)
- SAUCE + BROCCOLI: in a mason jar with a tight-fitting lid, combine the soy sauce, seasoning sauce, 2 tablespoons cornstarch, oyster sauce, chicken stock, sesame oil, white pepper, and 2 tablespoons of water. Cover with a lid, and shake until combined. You should also add the broccoli to a microwave-safe bowl and steam (this usually takes 2.5-3 minutes.)
- STIR FRY: Heat the oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, add the onions and give them 30 seconds to cook before adding the garlic. Stir and cook the garlic until it’s fragrant and golden. Then, add the chicken into the pan and cook the chicken until it browns evenly and cooks through; about 2-3 minutes. Add the steamed broccoli to the pan. Give the sauce one last shake in the jar before adding it into the pan. Continue to cook the sauce until it thickens, stirring occasionally so that the sauce doesn’t stick to the pan, about 1-2 minutes. Turn off the heat and serve with rice immediately.
Notes
- Chicken thighs or chicken tenders can also be used for this recipe.
- If you don’t want to steam the broccoli in a microwave, you could also use a steamer basket and steam the broccoli stovetop!
Can I use ground ginger and garlic powder in place of the fresh, and how much?
Hi Robin, you can swap the garlic for garlic powder, it should work just fine; you’ll need roughly 1/2 teaspoon. No ginger in this recipe 🙂
Hi there—what is the seasoning sauce? Also, could I sub fish sauce for oyster sauce? Not much experience so I wasn’t sure how interchangeable they were.
Hi Megan! Please see the post for a detailed explanation of seasoning sauce. If you are having trouble finding it in your area, feel free to sub with a 50:50 mix of soy sauce and Worcestershire sauce. Unfortunately, fish sauce isn’t a good substitute for oyster sauce. Oyster sauce is deeper in color, thicker, and is much sweeter than fish sauce. Fish sauce has a fishy flavor and is more the consistency of water. Oyster sauce is sold in the Asian section of most grocery stores, so hoping you can find it easily! Hope that clarifies things 🙂
delicious I made this tonight! Absolute hit!!
Hi there! I am so glad to hear it was a hit for you! Appreciate you taking the time to come back to leave a review!
Hi! Were do the red pepper flakes go? They do not appear in the instructions.
Thank you!
I made this for my family the other night. It was amazing! Followed the recipe exactly except we didn’t have the seasoning sauce. I’ve made a handful of your recipes, and they always come out so good. Your website has become my go-to when I sit down to meal prep for the week!
Made this today, the recipe and steps are easy to follow even though we use the metric system here in Norway so a little bit of conversion was needed.
The dish was very good, I added mushrooms as suggested and also I didn’t have the seasoning sauce so I substituted it with Worcestershire sauce instead. This turned out great and the family loved it. Thanks a bunch.
Made this tonight. Next time I will add a bit of rice wine vinegar and some brown sugar to make the recipe ‘pop’ a bit more. A very good base recipe.