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This 12-Minute Chicken and Broccoli recipe is ultra-quick and easy to make, and tastes SO delicious!
For those nights when you just need dinner on the table…like that. 💨 ✨ 🙌
This easy Chicken and Broccoli recipe won’t let you down.
It’s been one of my go-to quick and healthy dinner standbys for years and years now. And, since I first posted this recipe on the blog four years ago, thousands of you have now also made and loved it, and reported back that it’s one of your faves too. Understandably! This one is incredibly quick and easy to make, the zesty stir-fry sauce is made with simple ingredients you like keep stocked your pantry, and that classic duo of chicken and broccoli always has a way of hitting the spot. Simple and healthy stir-fry FTW!
That said, as much as I love the classic chicken and broccoli combo, I should note that this recipe’s incredibly versatile if you want to mix things up. For example, feel like subbing in a different protein? Go for it. Have some leftover zucchini or onions or bell peppers or other veggies on hand? By all means, toss ’em in too. Feel like serving it up over quinoa or noodles, or even just some sautéed greens? Use whatever you have! The sky’s the limit for customizing here. But…this base recipe is an excellent one to bookmark as a good place to begin.
So that when life gets busy, yet you still want a healthy homemade dinner you can feel good about, this winner winner of a chicken dinner can be on the table in no time. 👊
12-Minute Chicken and Broccoli | 1-Minute Video
As I shared in my original post about this recipe, the inspiration for this one came back in the day from my Burmese friend, Si Si, who loaded me up one summer morning with a CSA bag overflowing with fresh broccoli, since she knew it was my fave.
Years later, I still always think about her whenever I make this recipe. Especially now that Barclay’s in my life, whom she affectionately always calls “Broccoli” with a smile and a laugh, since his name was hard to pronounce when she was first learning English. Love this girl and her broccoli…and my Broccoli. 😉
That said, since the initial photos of this post were looking a little tired, I decided to snap some new ones this month to give this post a little update. Plus, we have two snazzy new videos ready for you too!
First, a quick tutorial on how to chop broccoli, in case you need a refresher. 👆
As you can see, there’s not much to it. Just cut up a few chicken breasts into bite-sized pieces. Sauté them in a skillet until cooked through. Then add the chopped broccoli and sauté for a few more minutes with the chicken, until it turns bright green and slightly tender (but I like mine to still be very crisp).
Then meanwhile, as the chicken and broccoli are cooking, whisk together a simple stir-fry sauce. As I mentioned above, I’ve kept the ingredients for this one limited to a short list of pantry staples. So (hopefully!) it should be an easy one to whip out, without having to make an extra trip to the store. Just stir it in at the last second and stir for a minute or so, until thickened.
Then this quick and easy dinner will be ready to go! And as the title promises, if you have those ingredients ready to go and are moving at a lively pace, this one really can be ready in just 12 minutes. Boom.
Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add chicken breasts, and season with a generous pinch of salt and pepper. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is browned and mostly cooked through.
While the chicken is cooking, make your sauce. (See below.)
Once the chicken is browned, add the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil and broccoli, and stir to combine. Continue cooking for an additional 3 minutes, until the broccoli is bright green. Stir in the sauce, and cook for an additional 1 minute until the sauce has thickened. Remove from heat and stir in the sesame oil until combined.
Serve warm, garnished with green onions and toasted sesame seeds. Or transfer to a sealed container and refrigerate for up to 3 days.
To Make The Sauce:
Whisk all ingredients together in a small bowl until combined.
Notes
I slightly tweaked the sauce recipe in 2017, to add just a bit more to the recipe. But it should still taste the same! :)
About how many pounds of chicken would you say to use?
Tessa —
I have made this several times since finding the recipe a while back and it always comes out great. Definitely one of my go-to quick dinners! I’ve also tossed everything in the slow cooker in the past and had it turn out wonderfully.
99% of the time I make it as written but sometimes I add in a can of pineapple chunks for some extra kick of flavor.
★★★★★
Katie —
I’m making this for the second time and find I use around 1lb chicken.
Thank you, this recipe as is was wonderful. It is easy and perfect. I love that you added a tutorial about cutting broccoli as well because I waste so much of it. I appreciate all your recipes. I am ready to really get Asian down.
★★★★★
Cindykay —
I made this tonight for my hubs & I. Used 2 boneless skinless large thighs since it’s what I had. I only added 1/2 tsp. Ginger as my hubby doesn’t like ginger, and skipped the honey completely as I can’t have it, but we never noticed. It was fabulous, fast and easy, and will become a regular dish in our home. Thx for the great recipe!
made this last night – super yummy! the only changes i made were to the sauce. i used a bit more honey and tamari/GF soy then was listed and also added a fair amount of sriracha and chili paste since my hubby and I love spice. I served over brown rice and topped with cashews. Great, easy weeknight meal!
Great and very easy my husband is so picky but has to change his eating habits loved it and hates anything healthy. Thankyou this was a great dish am making it again this week.
I’m vegetarian, so I subbed 2 cups of Butler’s soy curls (follow instructions on the package) for the chicken. Otherwise followed the recipe as written. It came out great! I love the sauce and will definitely try it with other veggies/toppings in the future.
I found this recipe doing a search for what fit the ingredients already found in my fridge. And I am amazed at how delicious and simple this recipe was to make. New fan for sure!
This recipe was delicious! I used ginger paste instead of powder because that’s what I had on hand. I added an extra chicken breast and doubled the sauce. I also added extra honey, soy sauce, and sesame oil after it was cooked because I needed a little extra flavor boost. This was so easy and quick to make! I was impressed by this recipe and so was my family!!! Thanks for sharing!
Love this recipe! Does it freeze well? I was thinking about prepping it for maternity leave but not sure how the broccoli and chicken would taste after being frozen.
I was a little skeptical (mostly thought it would be too sweet), but I needed something quick, and I had all the ingredients. It was so good! We’ll definitely add this to our rotation of go-to meals.
I made this last night with fresh broccoli from the garden and it was absolutely delicious. Flavors were spot on and it was really a fast easy meal to make. Your recipes are ALWAYS just right and reliable. I have made many of your recipes and they have all been perfect. Thank you!
Amazing! Had it for dinner tonight and everyone loved it! It came together so quickly. Great tip on the broccoli, it was the perfect texture! Thank you!
Have had this saved for ages and finally gave it a go tonight after craving some crunchy veggies and chicken. Served it with sweet potato noodles. Delicious!! Super quick and easy.
Thanks for being my go-to place for food inspiration
I made this for dinner and my family loved it. My daughter who is the pickiest eater had two portions and said it was the best meal I have ever made. I say WOW! The sauce is great and this is very easy to make. Glad I found the receipe.
this recipe sounds delicious and I plan on making it tonight, however I only have frozen broccoli will that work and will the times change on how to cook it?
Loved this recipe but the first time it was a little to salty so i added more honey to it when I had leftovers the next night. So now I put 3 tablespoons instead of 2. And it is perfect.
Made this for dinner last night snd it was so GOOD!! And easy!!!
Perfect for a quick take out style kinda night but way better….because it was home made!
Totally recommed it and will become a keeper in our weekinght dinners planning.
IMO, the sesame oil and ginger overpowered the sauce. I was hoping for something sweeter more like broccoli chicken restaurants serve. The broccoli took way longer than three minutes to cook. Even after cooking it extra time and cooking it in the sauce for thanksgiving extra time too, it was still raw. I cut it pretty small too.
Delicious. Used 1.5 lbs chicken. My son recommended to add lemon and a dash of fish sauce.
Very good and easy.
Recipes are all great and thank you for this site!
Absolutely delicious and so easy to prepare. This is a go to recipe and replaces a slow cooker version which took hours. The bonus is, this tastes miles better. Thank you.
Wow…this was amazing. But I made it correct once and now I either use too much rice vinegar or too much ginger. Does it matter if the sauce sits around a few hours after its made?
This was quick and easy! I had some left over chicken so it made it even easier. Then added some brown rice made Japanese style. Great food, thanks !!! 😋😋😋🥰
It wouldn’t let me leave any stars
About how many pounds of chicken would you say to use?
I have made this several times since finding the recipe a while back and it always comes out great. Definitely one of my go-to quick dinners! I’ve also tossed everything in the slow cooker in the past and had it turn out wonderfully.
99% of the time I make it as written but sometimes I add in a can of pineapple chunks for some extra kick of flavor.
★★★★★
I’m making this for the second time and find I use around 1lb chicken.
Thank you, this recipe as is was wonderful. It is easy and perfect. I love that you added a tutorial about cutting broccoli as well because I waste so much of it. I appreciate all your recipes. I am ready to really get Asian down.
★★★★★
I made this tonight for my hubs & I. Used 2 boneless skinless large thighs since it’s what I had. I only added 1/2 tsp. Ginger as my hubby doesn’t like ginger, and skipped the honey completely as I can’t have it, but we never noticed. It was fabulous, fast and easy, and will become a regular dish in our home. Thx for the great recipe!
★★★★★
made this last night – super yummy! the only changes i made were to the sauce. i used a bit more honey and tamari/GF soy then was listed and also added a fair amount of sriracha and chili paste since my hubby and I love spice. I served over brown rice and topped with cashews. Great, easy weeknight meal!
★★★★★
A bit too sweet for me. Still a good recipe but next time I’ll leave out half the honey and add a bit of spice for more heat .
★★★
I replace the honey for a tad bit of brown Sugar or 2 tablespoons of sweet chili sauce for a kick… really good!
Great and very easy my husband is so picky but has to change his eating habits loved it and hates anything healthy. Thankyou this was a great dish am making it again this week.
★★★★★
I’m vegetarian, so I subbed 2 cups of Butler’s soy curls (follow instructions on the package) for the chicken. Otherwise followed the recipe as written. It came out great! I love the sauce and will definitely try it with other veggies/toppings in the future.
★★★★★
I found this recipe doing a search for what fit the ingredients already found in my fridge. And I am amazed at how delicious and simple this recipe was to make. New fan for sure!
★★★★★
Every recipe I have tried is great tasting and easy.
Thank you!
★★★★★
Question: I don’t have rice vinegar. I have a little bit of balsamic. Should I swap or just not use vinegar at all or use lemon juice? Thanks
I had none either and used red wine vinegar. Turned out great!
★★★★
This recipe was delicious! I used ginger paste instead of powder because that’s what I had on hand. I added an extra chicken breast and doubled the sauce. I also added extra honey, soy sauce, and sesame oil after it was cooked because I needed a little extra flavor boost. This was so easy and quick to make! I was impressed by this recipe and so was my family!!! Thanks for sharing!
★★★★★
Loved this recipe. I did add a hot sesame oil drizzle to the finished dish just because I like spice. Delicious and easy.
★★★★★
Love this recipe! Does it freeze well? I was thinking about prepping it for maternity leave but not sure how the broccoli and chicken would taste after being frozen.
It was a delicious appetizing meal.i wish I could get more simple and quick diabetic recipes
Soo yummy! Came together so quickly too and doesn’t have strange ingredients. My picky toddler loved it, will definitely make again
★★★★★
|This recipe is great
Love this recipe it was so easy to make, and it tastes delicious.
★★★★★
Easy delicious and fast. Personally I would like a little heat added
★★★★★
I was a little skeptical (mostly thought it would be too sweet), but I needed something quick, and I had all the ingredients. It was so good! We’ll definitely add this to our rotation of go-to meals.
I made this last night with fresh broccoli from the garden and it was absolutely delicious. Flavors were spot on and it was really a fast easy meal to make. Your recipes are ALWAYS just right and reliable. I have made many of your recipes and they have all been perfect. Thank you!
★★★★★
I love this recipe! I also added shredded carrots and onions.
★★★★★
This was amazing!! Definitely part of my staples!!!! I did sub fresh ginger (grated), but it has a wonderful profile overall!!!!
★★★★★
Amazing! Had it for dinner tonight and everyone loved it! It came together so quickly. Great tip on the broccoli, it was the perfect texture! Thank you!
★★★★★
This is simply delicious and so easy to make. My family loved it and in my recipe file for future use. Thank you so much.
★★★★★
I added a tablespoon of peanut sauce and it was perfection ! Thank you !!!!!xoxo
So yummy but it doesn’t take 12 min unless you have everything prepared, very yummy though
★★★★★
Do you have the Nutrition Information for this recipe?
Have had this saved for ages and finally gave it a go tonight after craving some crunchy veggies and chicken. Served it with sweet potato noodles. Delicious!! Super quick and easy.
Thanks for being my go-to place for food inspiration
★★★★★
I made this for dinner and my family loved it. My daughter who is the pickiest eater had two portions and said it was the best meal I have ever made. I say WOW! The sauce is great and this is very easy to make. Glad I found the receipe.
hi there this recipe sounds delicious I’m going to be making it tonight but I only have a big bag of frozen broccoli will that be okay?
this recipe sounds delicious and I plan on making it tonight, however I only have frozen broccoli will that work and will the times change on how to cook it?
Loved this recipe but the first time it was a little to salty so i added more honey to it when I had leftovers the next night. So now I put 3 tablespoons instead of 2. And it is perfect.
★★★★
Made this for dinner last night snd it was so GOOD!! And easy!!!
Perfect for a quick take out style kinda night but way better….because it was home made!
Totally recommed it and will become a keeper in our weekinght dinners planning.
IMO, the sesame oil and ginger overpowered the sauce. I was hoping for something sweeter more like broccoli chicken restaurants serve. The broccoli took way longer than three minutes to cook. Even after cooking it extra time and cooking it in the sauce for thanksgiving extra time too, it was still raw. I cut it pretty small too.
★★
Added crushed red peppers…. and BOOM!!! Flavor explosion!!!! Nom nom
Made this after a day of hiking; everyone loved it! Will put this in regular dinner rotation 🥢 (I doubled it).
★★★★
Delicious. Used 1.5 lbs chicken. My son recommended to add lemon and a dash of fish sauce.
Very good and easy.
Recipes are all great and thank you for this site!
★★★★★
Tip: cover broccoli and chicken to steam it over the 3 min part. Ours came out perfect.
★★★★★
Sauce had almost no taste. Very disappointing.
★
Absolutely delicious and so easy to prepare. This is a go to recipe and replaces a slow cooker version which took hours. The bonus is, this tastes miles better. Thank you.
★★★★★
Wow…this was amazing. But I made it correct once and now I either use too much rice vinegar or too much ginger. Does it matter if the sauce sits around a few hours after its made?
★★★★★
This was quick and easy! I had some left over chicken so it made it even easier. Then added some brown rice made Japanese style. Great food, thanks !!! 😋😋😋🥰
It wouldn’t let me leave any stars