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This 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.
Chicken and Broccoli | 1-Minute Video
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! Enjoy, everyone!
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! :)
I liked this recipe because it was different from the usual that I make. I did blanch the broccoli before cooking but I wouldn’t do that again. I would add more broccoli and maybe other vegetables though. The broccoli gets too mushy if you blanch it ahead of time because the sauce took a while to condense. I had to remove it before the dish was done to save its texture. Thank you for posting something different though. I am up to cooking most anything.
Followed recipe as best I could. I think it came out decent, maybe not an Asian restaurant type but good. I would do this again. It’s the seasonings that make it good and that’s what I have to practice to get right. I would certainly recommend this meal.
Tried the egg fried rice recipe from this platform this evening. So quick, didn’t need a lot of ingredients either and the family enjoyed it! Thank you so much for sharing
Thank you for a great recipe Ali! I was worried there wouldn’t be enough sauce, but it was perfect!
This was really fun since I used it as a base then decided to prepare broccoli, carrots, onion, red pepper, celery. I had 6 thighs cooked a bit longer. Then added the veggies and cooked them for few minutes. After adding the sauce, I stirred in some green onion and cashew halves for some crunch. Green pepper, pineapple and baby corn, mushrooms would be delicious also. It was very colorful and tasty. People…just add any ingredients you like and have fun with this one! :) Don’t over cook your veggies…have the veggies thin enough to soften.
Made this for dinner tonight for me and husband. Very tasty. We both liked it and I’ll make again and again. Nice to have something different to make with chicken breast and broccoli. Thank you
My go-to recipe for this dish! Have used it for years and is the perfect weeknight easy meal! I do steam my broccoli a bit before adding it in because I find it helps with the cooking of it!
Excellent! I added cauliflower pieces to it too, only because I had a small head of it that was going to go bad if I didn’t cook it in something. It went with this dish perfectly. Served it over rice. I will make this again!
Did a couple of things. Marinated chicken in 2tsp soy, 1/2 tsp corn starch, salt and sugar. Helps keep the chicken moist. Added 2 tbsp sample olek for spice. Adjust to tolerance. Nice dish
I found this recipe to be delicious and will repeat often! Great seasoning. A good use of vegetables and LOVED the sauce. This is easy enough to make for a quick meal.
I was unsure at first about it being too strong tasting due to the strong ginger smell, but this is by far my favorite recipe like this. The flavor is spot on, not too sweet, not too strong. I DID add the sesame seeds and green onions as toppings and it really brought it together. It was exactly what I was hoping it would be. I recommend it for sure.
This dish is AWESOME! Love it so much and will make it again. Next time I would use more broccoli (I used frozen), and I added yellow, red and orange peppers. I also used mikes hot honey (we love spicy food). Thank you!!
3 tablespoons of rice vinegar was too much for my palate. It soaked into the food and made it nearly impossible for me to eat it because all I could taste was the vinegar. The recipe was good despite that. It was quick and easy, and the chicken turned out tender and juicy without having to velvet it first. I will be making this dish again, only with less RW vinegar.
I made this quick meal tonight with a side of white rice. It was easy and delicious! Thank you for recipe. I do have a question about nutritional facts. Do you ever post them with your recipes? Maybe I am not seeing them for an unknown reason. Thank you again!
Quick and easy. One of the best sauces for flavor and texture. I added mushroom and onions as well. Yum! Will definitely keep this recipe and share it too!
I liked this recipe because it was different from the usual that I make. I did blanch the broccoli before cooking but I wouldn’t do that again. I would add more broccoli and maybe other vegetables though. The broccoli gets too mushy if you blanch it ahead of time because the sauce took a while to condense. I had to remove it before the dish was done to save its texture. Thank you for posting something different though. I am up to cooking most anything.
Followed recipe as best I could. I think it came out decent, maybe not an Asian restaurant type but good. I would do this again. It’s the seasonings that make it good and that’s what I have to practice to get right. I would certainly recommend this meal.
Very tasty, very easy. A great base for lots of variations in vegetables. Quinoa went well with these flavors.
Tried the egg fried rice recipe from this platform this evening. So quick, didn’t need a lot of ingredients either and the family enjoyed it! Thank you so much for sharing
We really like this recipe! Great tasting, easy to prepare and the sauce is the best!
Very tasty and so easy to make!
Thank you for a great recipe Ali! I was worried there wouldn’t be enough sauce, but it was perfect!
This was really fun since I used it as a base then decided to prepare broccoli, carrots, onion, red pepper, celery. I had 6 thighs cooked a bit longer. Then added the veggies and cooked them for few minutes. After adding the sauce, I stirred in some green onion and cashew halves for some crunch. Green pepper, pineapple and baby corn, mushrooms would be delicious also. It was very colorful and tasty. People…just add any ingredients you like and have fun with this one! :) Don’t over cook your veggies…have the veggies thin enough to soften.
Made this for dinner tonight for me and husband. Very tasty. We both liked it and I’ll make again and again. Nice to have something different to make with chicken breast and broccoli. Thank you
Quick easy and oh so delicious!!
My go-to recipe for this dish! Have used it for years and is the perfect weeknight easy meal! I do steam my broccoli a bit before adding it in because I find it helps with the cooking of it!
what can one substitute for sesame oil for those who cant eat it………
Made this tonight and was really pleased. The only thing I added was onions. The recipe is so easy and so delicious.
Excellent! I added cauliflower pieces to it too, only because I had a small head of it that was going to go bad if I didn’t cook it in something. It went with this dish perfectly. Served it over rice. I will make this again!
So Good!
Did a couple of things. Marinated chicken in 2tsp soy, 1/2 tsp corn starch, salt and sugar. Helps keep the chicken moist. Added 2 tbsp sample olek for spice. Adjust to tolerance. Nice dish
Perfect Recipe. I vaguely followed and it still came out yummy. I mixed in two eggs at the end and it made it even more perfect.
I found this recipe to be delicious and will repeat often! Great seasoning. A good use of vegetables and LOVED the sauce. This is easy enough to make for a quick meal.
My daughter asked me what restaurant I got this from😁
I was unsure at first about it being too strong tasting due to the strong ginger smell, but this is by far my favorite recipe like this. The flavor is spot on, not too sweet, not too strong. I DID add the sesame seeds and green onions as toppings and it really brought it together. It was exactly what I was hoping it would be. I recommend it for sure.
Soooo good and EASY! I omitted rice wine vinegar because. Didn’t have it on hand.
This dish is AWESOME! Love it so much and will make it again. Next time I would use more broccoli (I used frozen), and I added yellow, red and orange peppers. I also used mikes hot honey (we love spicy food). Thank you!!
3 tablespoons of rice vinegar was too much for my palate. It soaked into the food and made it nearly impossible for me to eat it because all I could taste was the vinegar. The recipe was good despite that. It was quick and easy, and the chicken turned out tender and juicy without having to velvet it first. I will be making this dish again, only with less RW vinegar.
I made this quick meal tonight with a side of white rice. It was easy and delicious! Thank you for recipe. I do have a question about nutritional facts. Do you ever post them with your recipes? Maybe I am not seeing them for an unknown reason. Thank you again!
Quick and easy. One of the best sauces for flavor and texture. I added mushroom and onions as well. Yum! Will definitely keep this recipe and share it too!