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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! :)
I definitely appreciate the quick, simple meals you post on here because when it comes down to getting dinner ready at night, that’s really what I want/need! The institute at your church sounds SO fun… I would love that. And would also love this yummy chicken dinner, obviously! :)
Happy Friday Ali, I think this blog should especially be called gimmesome12minutechickenandbroccoli.
But you 12 minutes and I believe you because you go to church!
So glad you taught a cooking class at your church even though it’s not your favorite thing. I go to a very small 60 person Free Methodist church and oh my, if you taught a class here, I’d be the first one in line!
That class sounds so fun! Thanks for posting such a quick and easy recipe. It is perfect for weeknights. I love broccoli but I’d say my husband is still where you are…he’ll eat it, but he won’t ever request it!
Tastee! Knowing me I’d probably have to make it to 13 minute Chicken and Broccoli and Shitaake Mushroom Stir-Fry. I can’t seem to eat one without the other!
12 minutes? Sold!!! I love that your church offers these community classes on any subject someone is willing to teach. Jump on the broccoli train, it’s one of my favorites!
Umm… yum! I don’t think you need an elevator pitch, just show them your photos and they will follow! :) Loving this recipe girl, 12 minutes and healthy… winner winner chicken dinner!
Awww … delicious! I love stir-fries, but all that chopping can take some time. As there’s only chicken and broccoli to worry about here … I’m in! I’m like you, I only like quick and easy! :-)
This recipe was delicious! It tasted like lighter, healthier chicken and broccoli take out. I will say, it took me at least 30 mins, plus additional time because I also made rice. But, still a quick and easy meal. Crowd pleaser! Thanks!
This recipe was AWESOME! It’s pretty rare to follow a recipe exactly and not have to add “something else” to make it better. This tastes exactly like take-out.
I am so in love with this blog! Between the spinach lasagna recipe and the chicken broccoli, I am so excited to plan some dinners this week. I have three young kids, five animals and a husband who works late so the recipes that are quick and healthy are a Godsend!! Thank God I found you.
Great recipe! I’ve tried to do stir fry broccoli and chicken before, but the veggies were either undercooked or too crunchy, and the chicken rubbery or raw. Made your recipe using chicken thighs and threw in a bit of siracha at the end to give it a bit more “umph.” A definite winner – and thanks for the step by step instructions, I will use them again for improvisational guidance. Yummy!
This was great! Super quick and tasty. I also like that there is not a ton of soy sauce since I have to watch my sodium. The whole family loved it even my crazy picky 6 year old! I think it would be great with string bean as an alternative as well. Maybe even flank steak thinly sliced. Thanks for sharing!
I tried this last night , I did more of the sauce than what is indicated because I knew my family would love it! They sure did, I love how simple yet tasty this turned out to be. Haa haa this gives Chinese take a run for their money
I made your chicken and broccoli recipe last night, I made a lot of it. My family loved it and none was left. They loved it so much, they begged me to make it again today for lunch. Very, very delicious and healthy. Thank you.
Love this recipe! I have made it several times now. Though, I think the only way it would take me 12 minutes to make it is if the sauce was pre-made, the chicken was pre-cut, and the broccoli was prec-cut, lol.
This was delicious and gluten free. The sauce was amazing. Better than Chinese take out. It took me way longer than 12 minutes but I’m sure I could do it faster next time. I might steal your “institutes” idea for my church too. Thanks so much.
Just a word about the gluten-free part of this. There is still some debate as to whether soy sauce can be considered gluten free. While most agree that the fermentation process breaks gluten down into proteins that are digestible for those with gluten sensitivities, if you are celiac, you might want to substitute a soy sauce that is specifically gluten free.
I cooked some onions in it. did not have honey so i added a bit of brown sugar + spicy oil and red chili bits. Served on chinese noodle. It was delicious!
This was so tasty. I was going out with my friends for the evening and wanted to make sure my fiance had something to eat for dinner. I decided to make this dish. It took me about 30 minutes to make, that including prep time (im a slow prepper) and making boil in the bag brown rice. I doubled the sauce ingredients because we like it saucy. This recipe is a definite keeper and I already had the majority of the ingredients in the house. Very good.
Made this tonight and added mushrooms and water chestnuts. It was delicious. The sauce was amazing. I added a little bit of sugar to the sauce. My husband loved it too.
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I definitely appreciate the quick, simple meals you post on here because when it comes down to getting dinner ready at night, that’s really what I want/need! The institute at your church sounds SO fun… I would love that. And would also love this yummy chicken dinner, obviously! :)
Happy Friday Ali, I think this blog should especially be called gimmesome12minutechickenandbroccoli.
But you 12 minutes and I believe you because you go to church!
So glad you taught a cooking class at your church even though it’s not your favorite thing. I go to a very small 60 person Free Methodist church and oh my, if you taught a class here, I’d be the first one in line!
That class sounds so fun! Thanks for posting such a quick and easy recipe. It is perfect for weeknights. I love broccoli but I’d say my husband is still where you are…he’ll eat it, but he won’t ever request it!
As a busy mom, a dinner recipe with “12 minutes” in front of it is absolutely perfect. Gotta try this!
Perfection. More broccoli!!!
12 minutes?! I love it! (I’m a 4 on the enneagram so imagine me jumping up and down with lots of drama and excitement!)
Looks perfect-o!!!
Teaching a cooking class sounds like so much fun! I completely agree with you on the quick and easy meals, nothing can beat them. Happy Friday. :)
12 minutes?!? I’m in!
Tastee! Knowing me I’d probably have to make it to 13 minute Chicken and Broccoli and Shitaake Mushroom Stir-Fry. I can’t seem to eat one without the other!
12 minutes? Sold!!! I love that your church offers these community classes on any subject someone is willing to teach. Jump on the broccoli train, it’s one of my favorites!
Love seeing stir-fry-sauce ingredients that I already have :) I’ll be trying this at some point for sure!
I could literally eat this meal every day, no doubt about it. And so easy too!
Umm… yum! I don’t think you need an elevator pitch, just show them your photos and they will follow! :) Loving this recipe girl, 12 minutes and healthy… winner winner chicken dinner!
Looks great. I love quick and healthy recipes. I’ll shoot for 11 minutes.
Wow Ali this dish looks super flavorful and love that it’s super easy and quick too!
Awww … delicious! I love stir-fries, but all that chopping can take some time. As there’s only chicken and broccoli to worry about here … I’m in! I’m like you, I only like quick and easy! :-)
Healthy and simple!!!
I made this for supper last night and the husband and I both loved it. So quick, easy, healthy, and delicious. Thanks, Ali!
This recipe was delicious! It tasted like lighter, healthier chicken and broccoli take out. I will say, it took me at least 30 mins, plus additional time because I also made rice. But, still a quick and easy meal. Crowd pleaser! Thanks!
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This recipe was AWESOME! It’s pretty rare to follow a recipe exactly and not have to add “something else” to make it better. This tastes exactly like take-out.
Soo good! Keep ’em coming!
Thanks so much for this recipe! I love the combination of chicken and broccoli so I’m very excited to try this!
I am so in love with this blog! Between the spinach lasagna recipe and the chicken broccoli, I am so excited to plan some dinners this week. I have three young kids, five animals and a husband who works late so the recipes that are quick and healthy are a Godsend!! Thank God I found you.
Great recipe! I’ve tried to do stir fry broccoli and chicken before, but the veggies were either undercooked or too crunchy, and the chicken rubbery or raw. Made your recipe using chicken thighs and threw in a bit of siracha at the end to give it a bit more “umph.” A definite winner – and thanks for the step by step instructions, I will use them again for improvisational guidance. Yummy!
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This was great! Super quick and tasty. I also like that there is not a ton of soy sauce since I have to watch my sodium. The whole family loved it even my crazy picky 6 year old! I think it would be great with string bean as an alternative as well. Maybe even flank steak thinly sliced. Thanks for sharing!
I tried this last night , I did more of the sauce than what is indicated because I knew my family would love it! They sure did, I love how simple yet tasty this turned out to be. Haa haa this gives Chinese take a run for their money
I made your chicken and broccoli recipe last night, I made a lot of it. My family loved it and none was left. They loved it so much, they begged me to make it again today for lunch. Very, very delicious and healthy. Thank you.
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Love this recipe! I have made it several times now. Though, I think the only way it would take me 12 minutes to make it is if the sauce was pre-made, the chicken was pre-cut, and the broccoli was prec-cut, lol.
This was delicious and gluten free. The sauce was amazing. Better than Chinese take out. It took me way longer than 12 minutes but I’m sure I could do it faster next time. I might steal your “institutes” idea for my church too. Thanks so much.
Thanks Jared, I’m so glad to hear that!
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Just a word about the gluten-free part of this. There is still some debate as to whether soy sauce can be considered gluten free. While most agree that the fermentation process breaks gluten down into proteins that are digestible for those with gluten sensitivities, if you are celiac, you might want to substitute a soy sauce that is specifically gluten free.
That said… This dish was amazing!
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I cooked some onions in it. did not have honey so i added a bit of brown sugar + spicy oil and red chili bits. Served on chinese noodle. It was delicious!
I tried this recipe. It was super easy and my family liked it. Though, I would halve the amount of ground ginger. It was a bit overpowering.
Sounds tasty, needs a burst of color; red pepper, carrots and mini corn would add that.
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My 10 month old cannot have honey just yet. What is a good substitute? Maple syrup or brown sugar?
Hey Mindy, yes, maple syrup or brown sugar would work great!
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This was so tasty. I was going out with my friends for the evening and wanted to make sure my fiance had something to eat for dinner. I decided to make this dish. It took me about 30 minutes to make, that including prep time (im a slow prepper) and making boil in the bag brown rice. I doubled the sauce ingredients because we like it saucy. This recipe is a definite keeper and I already had the majority of the ingredients in the house. Very good.
Thanks so much Megan, I’m glad it was a hit! I love quick and simple recipes, especially when I’m pinched for time. Cheers!
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Made this tonight and added mushrooms and water chestnuts. It was delicious. The sauce was amazing. I added a little bit of sugar to the sauce. My husband loved it too.
Thanks Madelyn, I’m glad you guys enjoyed it!
Made this tonight. Such a quick, easy, and delicious recipe! Thank you for posting
Thank you for making it, glad you enjoyed it!
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