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!
Chicken and Broccoli
- Prep Time: 3 minutes
- Cook Time: 9 minutes
- Total Time: 12 minutes
- Yield: 0 About 2-4 servings 1x
Description
This quick Chicken and Broccoli Stir-Fry recipe is full of zesty flavors, it’s easy to customize, and it can be ready to go in a snap!
Ingredients
Stir-Fry Ingredients:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
- salt and pepper
- 1 batch Stir-Fry Sauce (see below)
- 1 bunch broccoli, chopped into small florets, stem discarded
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- toppings: sliced green onions, toasted sesame seeds
Stir-Fry Sauce Ingredients:
- 2/3 cup water
- 1/3 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
Instructions
To Make The Stir-Fry:
- 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! :)
Can I use grapeseed or olive oil instead of sesame?
Hey Pricila! I would use grapeseed oil, or even peanut oil would be good in this recipe!
I made this the other night and it was sooo delicious! Took myself a little longer than 12 minutes, but I believe anyone else who isn’t as slow of a cook as me could definitely do it in that time ;) I might add some red chili pepper flakes or sriracha next time for a little kick. Just wanted to let you know I love your blog! I’m newer to cooking but have a tried a couple of your recipes and they’ve all turned out amazing; can’t wait to try more!
Thanks, Brittany! I’m glad you liked this, and I’m glad you like some of the other recipes you’ve tried — thanks for reading!
: )
I enjoyed this recipe! It was extremely simple and I had all the ingredients on hand which was a big plus. I honestly thought the broccoli was the best part; probably because it soaked up the sauce.
Thanks, Veronica, I’m glad you 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!
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!
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!
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!
Sounds tasty, needs a burst of color; red pepper, carrots and mini corn would add that.
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.
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!