This Chinese chicken and broccoli stir fry is all juicy chicken and crisp-tender broccoli in a glossy, sweet-and-savory sauce! It uses regular grocery store ingredients and cooks in one skillet in under 30 minutes.
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This is a great recipe that turns out perfect every time! The directions are easy to follow and it is a family favorite! I add sliced jalapeños with the broccoli which gives it a nice spicy flavor.
– Lisa
Before You Get Started
Stir fry is fast, which means the mistakes happen fast, too! These three tips make the difference between a takeout-worthy skillet and a sad, steamy one:
- Get the skillet screaming hot. High heat sears the chicken in seconds. A lukewarm pan steams it instead, and steamed chicken turns gray and tough.
- Add the broccoli raw. No boiling or blanching first. It hits the hot oil straight from the cutting board and comes out crisp-tender in about four minutes.
- Dissolve the cornstarch first. Whisk it into the cold sauce until no grit remains. Add it to a hot pan undissolved and you get lumps instead of gloss.
How to Make Chicken and Broccoli Stir Fry
Start your rice before you do anything else, because once the skillet is hot this moves quickly. Have everything chopped, measured, and within arm’s reach of the stove.
Step 1: Stir Together the Sauce
Combine the soy sauce, rice vinegar, brown sugar, sesame oil, ginger, garlic, and cornstarch in a mason jar or small bowl.
Shake or whisk until the cornstarch is fully dissolved and the liquid looks uniform rather than cloudy at the bottom.
⇢ Do not swap the sesame oil. That toasty note is what your brain reads as “restaurant,” and no other oil replicates it.
Step 2: Marinate the Chicken
Toss the chicken with about a quarter cup of the sauce and set it aside while you prep everything else. Ten minutes is plenty. Reserve the rest of the sauce for later.
Chicken breast and chicken thighs both work here. Thighs are the more forgiving choice because they stay juicy even if you cook them a minute too long, so reach for those if dry chicken is your usual worry.
Step 3: Sear the Broccoli, then Set it Aside
Heat a tablespoon of oil in a large cast iron skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Add the broccoli and stir fry until it turns bright green with a few charred spots, about four minutes. It should still have snap when you bite it. Remove it to a plate.
⇢ Want softer broccoli? Cover the skillet for the last minute of cooking. The trapped steam takes it from crisp-tender to fully tender without turning it mushy.
Step 4: Cook the Chicken
Wipe the pan clean, add the remaining two tablespoons of oil, and heat it over high until it shimmers.
Add the chicken, leaving most of the marinade behind in the bowl, and spread it into a single layer. Now leave it alone for a full minute so it can brown. Then flip and toss occasionally for another five to six minutes until cooked through.
If your skillet cannot hold the chicken in one layer without crowding, cook it in two batches. Crowding is the number one reason home stir fry comes out steamed instead of seared.
⇢ Swapping the protein? My Shrimp and Vegetable Stir Fry uses the same approach with shrimp, which needs only two to three minutes in the pan. Thinly sliced flank steak also works in this recipe.
Step 5: Bring it Together
Add the water or chicken broth, the reserved sauce, and the broccoli back to the skillet.
Bring it to a simmer over high heat and stir for 30 seconds to a minute, until the sauce turns glossy and coats everything.
Turn off the heat. It will keep thickening as it sits.
⇢ Sauce too thick or too thin? Splash in more broth to loosen it. To thicken, simmer another minute, but remember it tightens as it cools.
Step 6: Taste and Serve
Taste before it leaves the pan and add salt or black pepper if it needs it. Serve over rice with your favorite garnishes.
⇢ Add-In Options: Sliced mushrooms cook alongside the broccoli. Thin carrots or bell peppers add color. Toss in roasted cashews at the end for crunch, or stir in a spoonful of hoisin for a richer, sweeter sauce. Crushed red pepper flakes or a splash of sriracha bring the heat.
What to Serve This With
Steamed white rice is the classic answer! It soaks up the sauce the way it does at a restaurant. But if you want to build out a fuller spread, or you are feeding a crowd, a couple of cool, crunchy sides balance all that warm glossy sauce nicely.
- Shrimp Fried Rice
- Sesame Ginger Snap Pea Salad
- Ramen Noodle Coleslaw
- Marinated Cucumbers
- Homemade Egg Noodles
- Rice Pilaf
Store-bought egg rolls baked while the stir fry cooks make it feel like the real thing. Fortune cookies for dessert are optional, but strongly encouraged!
Storage, Freezing, and Reheating
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days. The sauce thickens considerably once chilled, which is normal.
Freeze in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Fair warning: the broccoli comes out noticeably softer after thawing, so this is a texture tradeoff rather than a perfect one.
Reheat in a skillet over low heat with a splash of water or broth to loosen the sauce, or microwave for 30 to 60 seconds. Go easy either way, because overheating dries out the chicken fast.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why isn’t my stir fry sauce thickening?
Almost always one of two things. Either the cornstarch did not fully dissolve before it hit the pan, or the sauce never came to a real simmer. Cornstarch needs actual bubbling heat to activate. Bring it up to a simmer over high heat and stir for a full 30 seconds, then pull it off the burner and give it a minute. It thickens more as it cools than most people expect.
Can I use frozen broccoli?
You can, but drain and pat it very dry first, and expect softer florets than the fresh version. Frozen broccoli releases a lot of water, which cools the pan and steams everything. Add it to the skillet straight from frozen rather than thawing, and give it an extra minute or two.
Do I need a wok to make this?
No. A large cast iron skillet works just as well, and that is what I use most often. What matters is surface area and heat retention, not the shape of the pan. Any heavy skillet wide enough to hold the chicken in a single layer will do the job.
How long should the chicken marinate?
Ten minutes is enough, and it is really just the time it takes to prep the broccoli and heat the pan. This is a quick flavor soak rather than a true marinade. You can go up to 30 minutes, but the soy sauce is salty enough that longer stretches start to firm up the texture of the meat.
More Takeout-Style Dinners
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If you enjoyed this recipe, please leave a comment with a 5-star review at the bottom of the post. Thank you!
Chicken and Broccoli Stir Fry
Ingredients
- ½ cup less-sodium soy sauce, plus more for serving
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon minced or grated fresh ginger (or about 1 teaspoon ground ginger)
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- ½ lb. broccoli florets cut into 1-inch pieces (about 4 cups)
- 1 ½ lb. skinless, boneless chicken thighs or chicken breasts, trimmed of fat and cut into ¾-inch pieces
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
- ½ cup water or low-sodium chicken broth
- Kosher salt, to taste
- Cooked white rice, for serving
- Optional garnish: additional soy sauce, sliced green onion, toasted sesame seeds, chopped peanuts, cashews, or crushed red pepper flakes
Instructions
- In a large mason jar or small bowl, shake or whisk together the soy sauce, rice vinegar, brown sugar, sesame oil, ginger, garlic, and cornstarch until the cornstarch is completely dissolved. Set aside.
- Place the chicken in a large bowl. Add about ¼ cup of the soy sauce mixture and toss to coat. Set aside, reserving the remaining sauce for later.
- Heat 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil in a large cast iron skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Add the broccoli and stir fry until crisp-tender and bright green, about 4 minutes. Remove to a plate and set aside.
- Wipe the pan clean, add the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil, and heat over high heat. Once the skillet is very hot, add the chicken, leaving most of the marinade in the bowl (discard that marinade). Spread the chicken into a single layer and let it sit undisturbed for about 1 minute so it browns. Flip and cook through, tossing occasionally, for 5 to 6 minutes.
- Add the water or chicken broth, the reserved soy sauce mixture, and the broccoli to the skillet.
- Bring to a simmer and cook over high heat, stirring, for 30 seconds to 1 minute. Turn off the heat. The sauce will continue to thicken as it sits. Taste and season with salt if necessary.
- Serve over rice and garnish with optional toppings.
Notes
- Dissolve the cornstarch completely in the cold sauce before it goes anywhere near the pan. Undissolved cornstarch makes lumps.
- Get the skillet very hot before adding the chicken. High heat sears; low heat steams and toughens the meat.
- Do not crowd the pan. If the chicken will not fit in a single layer, cook it in two batches.
- Thighs stay juicier than breasts and are more forgiving if you overcook them slightly. Both cuts work.
- The broccoli goes in raw. No boiling or blanching needed. For softer florets, cover the skillet for the last minute.
- For a thicker sauce, simmer an extra minute. It also thickens as it cools. To thin it back out, add a splash of water or broth.
- Do not substitute the sesame oil. Its toasty flavor has no real stand-in.
- Store fresh ginger in the freezer so you always have some to grate. Ground ginger works in a pinch.
- Variations: replace some broccoli with sliced mushrooms, add thin carrots or bell peppers, toss in roasted cashews at the end, stir in 1 to 2 tablespoons of hoisin for a sweeter sauce, or swap the chicken for shrimp or thinly sliced flank steak.
- Make it spicy with crushed red pepper flakes or a splash of sriracha.
- Storage: refrigerate in an airtight container for 3 to 4 days, or freeze up to 3 months (broccoli softens after thawing). Reheat gently with a splash of broth.
Nutrition
Originally published in April, 2021, this post was updated in August, 2026.
This is one of my go to recipes. The only thing I do different is I blanch the Broccoli and add mushrooms. It’s awesome.
Sounds perfect. Thank you, Rick!
This is a great recipe that turns out perfect every time! The directions are easy to follow and it is a family favorite! I add sliced jalapeños with the broccoli which gives it a nice spicy flavor.
Thank you, Lisa! We’re so glad you enjoyed it.