Craving a flavorful, healthy dinner that's ready faster than takeout? This chicken broccoli stir fry explodes with tender chicken, crisp broccoli, and a mouthwatering savory sauce, all on your table in mere minutes.
Get ready to ditch the dinner dilemmas and discover your new weeknight go-to!
Ingredients
First, let's get the stuff we'll need–it's all about the ingredients, right? For the chicken, you're gonna want 500g of thinly sliced chicken breast! Or, if you're feeling rebellious, use boneless thighs.
Next, for the sauce–oh boy! We're talking 2 tbsp of cornstarch, 3 tbsp of light soy sauce (or all-purpose–no dark soy, please!), 1 1/2 tbsp of Chinese cooking wine (or Mirin, if you're fancy!), 3 tbsp of oyster sauce (vegetarian works too!), 2 tsp of toasted sesame oil, and a dash of white pepper. This concoction will give the chicken some of the same flavors as Chicken Stir Fry Chop Suey.
Now, the stir-fry squad! Grab 2 tbsp of oil, 1/2 sliced onion, 2 minced garlic cloves, and 400g of broccoli florets. Don't forget 1 1/4 cups of water–got it? Last, serve over rice, obviously!
Instructions
Okay, let's explore into how we're gonna cook this awesome stir-fry! First, if you're using chicken breast—which, let's be honest, is kinda boring—consider tenderizing it. It's like giving your chicken a spa day, but with baking soda.
Next, get your broccoli ready. Steam it, boil it, microwave it—whatever floats your broccoli boat. Just make sure it's cooked but not soggy. No one likes a waterlogged floret; they dilute the sauce. Now, whisk together your sauce ingredients until smooth, no lumps allowed! For a quicker meal, you might consider pre-cooked chow mein noodles instead of rice. Time to stir-fry! Heat oil in a large skillet over high heat, then toss in your garlic and onion. Stir 'em around for about 10 seconds till the garlic starts turning golden—mmm, smells amazing, right? Add the chicken and cook for two minutes or until it's just cooked through.
Lastly, toss in the broccoli, sauce, and water. Stir well, and cook for 1–2 minutes until the sauce thickens and gets glossy. And that's it! Serve over rice!
Recipe Notes
Now that you're ready to hit the kitchen, let's get started on some extra tips I've picked up along the way that will help you nail this recipe!
First, if you're using chicken breast, tenderizing it is a game-changer—seriously! It's not essential, but it makes it like takeout. No need if you use chicken thighs.
Use regular or light soy sauce; dark is a bit too intense. Shaoxing wine? Get it! Sherry works if you're short on it. No booze? Use chicken broth and lessen up on the oyster sauce by a tablespoon.
Vegetarian oyster sauce is a neat trick these days, even supermarkets have it!
Don't skip the toasted sesame oil, it's brown and flavorful. Think you found Charlie? 7 tablespoons will do the trick instead of the regular sauce. Speaking of leftovers, they're good for 3-4 days in the fridge. Freezing? Not so much; the cornstarch gets weird.
Nutrition Information
Let's switch gears and talk about what's inside this tasty dish!
The numbers for this chicken broccoli stir fry are based on 5 servings—minus the rice, of course. Each serving clocks in at roughly 239 calories; not bad, right?!
Now, I'm going to rattle off some numbers. We are looking at 11 grams of carbs, 25 grams of protein, and 10 grams of fat. It's got a bit of sodium – 1045mg, so maybe don't add extra salt, okay?
There is a good dose of Vitamin C – 73mg, which is like, almost 90% of what is recommended. Plus, you're getting some Vitamin A, calcium, and iron, too. So, you're basically being healthy while enjoying delicious takeout flavors; awesome!
Short Recipe Version
Chicken Broccoli Stir Fry
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes
Servings: 4
Ingredients:
- 1 lb chicken breast, cubed
- 1 head broccoli, cut into florets
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 2 tbsp honey
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1/2 tsp ginger, minced
- 1/4 cup water
Instructions:
- In a bowl, whisk together soy sauce, honey, cornstarch, garlic, ginger, and water.
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat.
- Add chicken and cook until browned and cooked through.
- Add broccoli florets and stir-fry for 5 minutes, until tender-crisp.
- Pour sauce over chicken and broccoli and cook until sauce thickens.
- Serve immediately.
Nutrition (per serving approximate):
- Calories: 250
- Protein: 30g
- Fat: 8g
- Carbohydrates: 15g