Description
This Chicken and Broccoli Stir Fry is a quick, flavorful, and healthy weeknight dinner that combines tender chicken breast with crisp-tender broccoli, mushrooms, and onions in a savory ginger-garlic soy sauce. Ready in just 30 minutes, it’s perfect for a nutritious meal served over steamed rice.
Ingredients
Chicken
- 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into 3/4″ pieces
- 1/4 tsp black pepper, plus more to season chicken
- 2 Tbsp cooking oil (extra light olive oil), divided
Vegetables
- 1 lb broccoli florets (about 5 cups)
- 1 small yellow onion, sliced into strips
- 1/2 lb white button mushrooms, thickly sliced
Sauce
- 2/3 cup low sodium chicken broth (warmed)
- 3 Tbsp low sodium soy sauce (use Tamari for gluten-free)
- 2 Tbsp light brown sugar, packed (or honey to taste)
- 1 Tbsp corn starch
- 1 Tbsp sesame oil
- 1 tsp fresh ginger, peeled and grated (lightly packed)
- 1 tsp garlic (2 small cloves), grated
Instructions
- Make the Sauce: In a small bowl, whisk together low sodium chicken broth, soy sauce, light brown sugar, corn starch, sesame oil, grated ginger, and garlic until the sugar and corn starch are fully dissolved. Using warm broth helps the sugar dissolve faster. Set the sauce aside.
- Prepare Chicken: Season the bite-sized chicken pieces with black pepper lightly. Heat a large heavy skillet or wok over medium-high heat and add 1 Tbsp of cooking oil. Place the chicken pieces in a single layer and let them sear undisturbed for 1 minute to develop a golden crust. Then stir fry for another 5 minutes or until the chicken is just cooked through and golden brown. Remove chicken to a bowl and loosely cover to keep warm.
- Stir Fry Veggies: In the same skillet, add the remaining 1 Tbsp cooking oil. Add broccoli florets, sliced onion, and sliced mushrooms. Stir fry the vegetables for 3 minutes until the mushrooms soften and broccoli turns crisp-tender. Then reduce heat to medium-low to prepare for the sauce.
- Add Sauce: Stir the sauce again to redistribute any settled starch and pour it evenly over the vegetables in the skillet. Let it simmer gently for 3-4 minutes until the sauce thickens and the ginger and garlic flavors mellow. If the sauce is too thick, add water one tablespoon at a time to reach desired consistency.
- Combine and Serve: Return the cooked chicken to the skillet and stir everything together for another 30 seconds until the chicken is heated through and coated with the sauce. Taste and add more soy sauce if needed. Serve hot, ideally over steamed rice for a complete meal.
Notes
- Use tamari instead of soy sauce for a gluten-free version.
- Feel free to substitute brown sugar with honey for natural sweetness.
- For extra heat, add a pinch of red pepper flakes when stir-frying vegetables.
- Make sure not to overcook broccoli – it should remain crisp-tender.
- Stir sauce well before pouring to avoid lumps from settled corn starch.
- Serve immediately to enjoy the best texture of chicken and vegetables.