This Chinese chicken and broccoli stir fry tastes just like, if not better, than Chinese takeout! It's saucy, super easy to make, and takes 30 minutes or less to make at home. This easy chicken stir fry recipe is great with some white rice or egg fried rice or even some shrimp lo mein. If you want a large variety of veggies, try our chicken with mixed vegetables and if you prefer beef, our beef and broccoli will be perfect.
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What to eat with chicken and broccoli
Chicken and broccoli with some plain white rice or egg fried rice is a complete meal on its own, but why not complete your Chinese takeout feast with these additional sides:
- Fried rice - We have quite a few fried rice options from egg fried rice to house special and Thai fried rice
- Noodles - Shrimp lo mein and chicken lo mein are our go-to, but this Cantonese chow mein is also a great choice.
- Appetizers - Can't go wrong with egg rolls or crab rangoons!
- Soups - Egg drop soup and hot and sour soup are definitely two of the most popular ones, and their both pretty easy to make.
Ingredient notes
Please scroll down to the recipe card for the ingredient quantities!
For marinating the chicken:
- Chicken breast - Boneless, skinless chicken breasts are perfect for making chicken and broccoli. Just cut them into ¼ inch slices.
- Water - For hydrating the chicken which ensures the meat stays as juicy as possible.
- Shaoxing cooking wine - A Chinese pantry staple and must have. In the marinade, Shaoxing rice wine helps to get rid of any unwanted flavor in the chicken.
- Salt - For seasoning the chicken.
- Baking soda - To slightly tenderize the chicken. Baking soda also encourages water retention, which helps to keep the chicken breast super juicy.
- Cornstarch - This will bind the liquid part of the marinade to the chicken and a crucial ingredient for velveting the chicken breast slices.
- Oil - Any neutral oil will do.
To make the chicken and broccoli sauce:
- Soy sauce - We recommend light sodium soy sauce so that the sauce is not super salty.
- Water - To dilute the soy sauce. You could also use unsalted chicken stock instead.
- Sugar - Regular granulated sugar is fine. It's for sweetening the brown sauce. If you prefer, you could use honey instead, but the flavor will be slightly different.
- Cornstarch - For thickening the stir fry brown sauce.
- Toasted sesame oil - An Asian pantry must have! Sesame oil adds a toasted flavor to beef and broccoli.
For the rest of the dish:
- Broccoli - The co-star of this dish! You can use both already cut broccoli florets or cut your florets from a broccoli crown.
- Garlic and ginger - Both of these aromatics add lots of flavor the stir fried brown sauce!
How to make Chinese chicken and broccoli stir fry
Please scroll down to the recipe card for the full recipe and instructions!
Marinate the chicken:
1. Season. Combine the sliced chicken breast, water, shaoxing rice wine, salt and baking soda in a mixing bowl. Mix until the chicken has absorbed most of the liquids.
2. Velvet the chicken. Add the cornstarch and mix until no more dry cornstarch is visible and the the chicken pieces are well coated. Finish the marinade by mixing in oil. Set the chicken aside to marinate for about 10 to 15 minutes or overnight.
🌟 Pro tip: Cut and marinate your chicken breasts first! You can prepare the rest of your ingredients as the chicken marinates to maximize your time.
Prepare the sauce:
In a bowl or large measuring cup, combine all of the ingredients for the sauce (soy sauce, water, sugar, cornstarch, and sesame oil). Whisk well until no more clumps of cornstarch is visible. Set aside until needed.
📝 Note: If you prefer a thicker sauce, use 1 to 2 teaspoons extra cornstarch.
Make the chicken and broccoli:
1. Boil the broccoli. Bring a pot of water to a boil and add the broccoli florets. Cook the broccoli for about 30 seconds to 3 minutes, depending on your preferred tenderness. Drain the broccoli and set it aside until needed.
2. Sear marinated chicken. In a wok or sauté pan over medium high heat, add enough oil to generously coat the bottom. Once the oil is hot, add the marinated chicken and cook on both sides until the chicken is cooked through. Remove from the wok/pan and set aside.
📝 Note: The chicken doesn't need to have color, but if you prefer, you can sear the chicken until golden brown. Do make sure to separate the chicken so that it gets evenly cooked, and cook in small batches if necessary.
3. Saute aromatics. Reduce the heat to medium and keep about 2 tablespoons of oil in the pan. Drain excess oil if necessary. Add the minced garlic and ginger and sauté until fragrant, about 15 to 30 seconds.
4. Add the sauce. Give the prepared stir fry sauce a good stir and pour it into the pan with the garlic and ginger.
Let the sauce heat up until it starts to simmer and the sauce looks thickened and glossy. Make sure to stir frequently to prevent the sauce from scorching on the bottom.
5. Add the chicken and broccoli. Once the sauce looks thick and glossy throughout, reduce the heat to low and add the chicken and the broccoli florets. Toss until everything is well coated with sauce.
Recipe tips
- Cook the broccoli to your preferred tenderness. We usually cook our broccoli florets for about 45 seconds to 1 minute, so that they are still kind of crispy. Do note that the cook time will be dependent on how big your broccoli florets are.
- Add the chicken to the sauce first can make coating with sauce easier. We like to add the stir fried chicken into the sauce and generously coat it with sauce first. Then, add the broccoli. This method ensures the broccoli florets don't absorb all the sauce and leave the chicken barely with sauce.
Storage
Leftover chicken and broccoli can be stored in the fridge for up to 4 days. Just make sure to let the chicken and broccoli cool completely before storing.
Do note that the broccoli will become softer and look yellower the longer it's stored.
Reheating
You can reheat the chicken and broccoli stir fry using the microwave or on the stovetop.
Microwave method: Place the chicken and broccoli into a microwave safe container and cover loosely. Microwave until hot throughout and make sure to stir midway through heating.
Stovetop method: Place the leftover chicken and broccoli onto a pan over medium heat. Allow the sauce to heat until simmering and the broccoli and chicken it hot. Stir occasionally and cover with a lid so that it heats up faster.
📝 Note: The chicken and broccoli sauce will thin out as it sits. If you'd like, you can re-thicken the sauce by stirring in 1 to 2 tablespoons of slurry (start with 1 tablespoon cornstarch mixed with 1 tablespoon water). Make sure to allow the sauce to simmer until thickened.
FAQ
Some dry sherry diluted with water is a good substitute if you don't have Shaoxing rice wine. If you don't want to use alcohol at all, just substitute the rice wine for equal amounts of water. But do note that the chicken won't be as aromatic without the rice wine.
If you prefer, you can use equal amounts of potato starch to replace the cornstarch in both the chicken marinade and the stir fry brown sauce.
Baking soda helps to tenderize the chicken breast and encourages water retention in meats.
📖 Recipe
Chinese Chicken and Broccoli
Ingredients
For marinating the chicken:
- 20 ounces skinless boneless chicken breast cut into ¼ inch slices (about 2 chicken breast)
- 3 tablespoons water
- 1 tablespoon Shaoxing rice wine
- ½ teaspoon Kosher salt (if using fine salt, use a little less)
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon oil any neutral oil is fine
For the stir fry sauce:
- ⅔ cup soy sauce light sodium
- ⅔ cup water
- 4 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 2½ tablespoons cornstarch
- 1½ teaspoons toasted sesame oil
For the rest of the dish:
- 1 pound broccoli cut into florets (about 1 crown)
- 1½ tablespoons garlic minced (about 4 cloves)
- 1½ tablespoons ginger minced (about an 1½ inch knob)
Instructions
Marinate the chicken:
- In a mixing bowl, first combine the sliced chicken breast, water, shaoxing rice wine, salt and baking soda. Mix well until the chicken has absorbed most of the liquids.
- Next add the cornstarch and mix until the chicken pieces are well coated. Finish the marinade by adding the oil. Mix until evenly combined. Set the chicken aside to marinate for about 10 to 15 minutes as you prepare the rest of the ingredients or let the chicken marinate overnight.
Prepare the sauce:
- In a bowl or large measuring cup, combine all of the ingredients for the sauce (soy sauce, water, sugar, cornstarch, and sesame oil). Whisk well until no more clumps of cornstarch is visible. Set aside until needed.*If you prefer a thicker sauce, use 1 to 2 teaspoons extra cornstarch.*
Make the chicken and broccoli:
- Bring a pot of water to a boil and add the broccoli florets. Cook the broccoli for about 30 seconds to 3 minutes, depending on your preferred tenderness. The cook time will also depend on how big the broccoli florets are. Once cooked, drain the broccoli and set aside.*We usually boil our broccoli for about 1 minute because we like it more on the crisp side.*
- In a wok or sauté pan over medium high heat, add enough oil to generously coat the bottom. Once the oil is hot, add the marinated chicken and cook on both sides until the chicken is cooked through. Remove from the wok/pan and set aside.*The chicken doesn't need to have color, but if you prefer, you can sear the chicken until golden brown. Do make sure to separate the chicken so that it gets evenly cooked, and cook in small batches if necessary.*
- Reduce the heat to medium and keep about 2 tablespoons of oil in the pan. Drain excess oil if necessary. Add the minced garlic and ginger and sauté until fragrant, about 15 to 30 seconds.
- Give the prepared stir fry sauce a good stir and pour it into the pan with the garlic and ginger. Let the sauce heat up until it starts to simmer and the sauce looks thickened and glossy. Make sure to stir frequently to prevent the sauce from scorching on the bottom.
- Once the sauce looks thick and glossy throughout, reduce the heat to low and add the chicken and the broccoli florets. Toss until everything is well coated with sauce.
- Serve with rice and enjoy while hot!
Notes
- Freeze the chicken for easier cutting. Having the chicken breast semi frozen will make slicing easier. But make sure to have the chicken full defrosted and drained before you start marinating!
Nadine says
I made this for dinner tonight and it was a hit! Easy and quick too. I added mushrooms alongside the brocoli and toasted sesame seeds for crunch.
Mei says
Hi Nadine!
Thanks for trying our recipe! So glad you enjoyed it and loving the addition of mushrooms and sesame seeds!
Mei ❤️
JENNIFER says
I made this recipe for dinner tonight. It was simple, delicious, nutitious and economical. I wanted to take a photo because it was so pretty, but it was dark and we were hungry!
Thank you!
Mei says
Hi Jennifer!
Thank you for trying our recipe and we're so glad that you enjoyed it! Haha, no worries at all! We'll look forward to your photos next time! 😉
Mei ❤️
roni brumm says
Absolutely delicious!
I added thin sliced carrots to the brocculi .... omg yum!
I look forward to trying more of your recipes.
Thank you for sharing.
Mei says
Hi Roni!
So happy that you enjoyed it and love the carrot addition! Thank you for all the love and hope you enjoy the other recipes as well!
Mei ❤️
Fran says
Just cleared the table and all the plates were licked clean! Fabulous recipe and great dinner. Way better than take-out!
Thanks!
Mei says
Hi Fran!
Thank you for leaving such a sweet comment! We are so happy to hear that everyone enjoyed it! You've totally made our day 🥰
Mei ❤️
Robbin Frantz says
Made for dinner tonight. Added carrots as well. Was a hit IF it weren’t so salty. Not sure what I did wrong? I doubled the recipe as I was cooking for a large group. I obviously missed measured something? 🤔 will have to try again without doubling. Only item I did not add was the shaoxing cooking wine. I thought I had fresh ginger but didn’t so I used ginger powder.
Mei says
Hi Robbin!
I'm so sorry to hear that the chicken and broccoli turned out too salty. 😕 There are two possibilities. Did you use regular soy sauce? For the recipe, we recommend light sodium soy sauce because regular soy sauce is too salty. If you did use regular soy sauce, we recommend using less of it or use more water. Second, for the sauce, we added water to help dilute and balance the saltiness. Did you use equal amounts of water to soy sauce? The ginger powder and shaoxing rice wine shouldn't affect the saltiness of the dish, so no worries there. I do absolutely love that you added carrots to the dish!
I hope these suggestions are helpful and please let us know if you have more questions!
Mei ❤️
Karen Westerfer says
Just made this for dinner tonight. I didn't have rice wine, so I used 2 Tbs. Rice Vinegar and 1 Tbs. Sherry Cooking Wine. I allowed the chicken to marinate for at least an hour. WOW! The chicken was so tender and the whole dish was better than the Chinese restaurants around us! I look forward to trying your beef with broccoli recipe next!
Mei says
Hi Karen!
Thank you for trying our recipe and so glad you enjoyed it! If you don't have rice wine in your pantry, you can just substitute it with some dry sherry, as you did. But no need for the vinegar =) The purpose of the rice wine in the chicken marinade is to get rid of any unwanted chicken flavor and to make it more fragrant. We hope you enjoy the beef and broccoli recipe just as much!
Mei❤️
Tammy says
This recipe was so delicious! My kids ate everything!
Mei says
Thank you again, Tammy, for making another one of our recipes! It means even more when the kiddos approved of them!
Mei❤️
Brian says
This is amazing! I cooked it twice, but with a slight variation of seafood soy sauce rather than low sodium soy sauce and I can confirm this is as good as Queens NY Chinese take out!! Amazing recipe
Mei says
Hi Brian!
So glad to hear that you enjoyed the chicken and broccoli! And love the variation you made =)
Mei❤️
Jackie B says
Do you rinse off the chicken after marinating or simply drain it?
Mei says
Hi Jackie!
Once the chicken is marinated, please do not rinse it. If the chicken is marinated properly, there should be no more liquid left to be drained. Please make sure to mix the chicken until all the water and liquid is absorbed. Hope this helps!
Mei ❤️
Patricia Williams says
I made this tonight. I enjoyed it! This is simple to make & a made a tasty Sunday dinner for me!
Mei says
Hi Patricia!
Thank you so much for trying our recipe! We're so happy to hear that you enjoyed the Chicken and Broccoli! =)
Mei ❤️
Julia F says
Delicious!! Thank you for the recipe. Is there anything I can change to make it slightly less salty? Add more sugar? I already used low sodium soy sauce. Thank you!
Mei says
Hi Julia!
So glad you enjoyed it! If you'd like to make the sauce less salty, you can reduce the soy sauce by 1 to 2 tablespoons. We usually use low sodium soy sauce and have no issues, perhaps different brands of soy sauce taste different? Hope this helps!
Mei❤️
Margaret says
I made the chicken and broccoli for dinner and I added about half tablespoon of dark soy sauce to the sauce because I wanted the sauce to be a little bit darker. This came out delish better than takeout. Will be making it again.
Mei says
Hi Margaret! So happy to hear that you enjoyed the chicken and broccoli! And we second your choice of adding dark soy sauce to make the sauce darker. Such a great choice 👍
mei ❤️
Eve says
Loved how simple and quick this was to make. My son loved it and asked that this be one of his recipes from me when he moves out on his own.
Mei says
We're so happy to hear that you guys enjoyed the chicken and broccoli, Eve! Aww that is so sweet! Your soon must really enjoy your cooking =)
Mei ❤️
JackieC says
Everyone is eating their second bowl right now. Thank you so much for this recipe! I used coconut aminos instead of soy sauce and I doubled the recipe, it turned out delicious!
Mei says
Hi Jackie!
We're so glad to hear that everyone is enjoying it, and love the substitution you made!
Mei ❤️
Amanda says
I made this recipe along with the egg fried rice as recommended and my husband and I really liked it! The only issue I have is my chicken had an odd bitter aftertaste, so much so that we ended up not eating the chicken at all 🙁 because the rest of the recipe was so good, I'd like to give it a second try, I'm just not sure where I went wrong!
Mei says
Hi Amanda!
Thank you for trying our recipes and I'm sorry to hear that the chicken had a bitter aftertaste! The only things I can think of could be the baking soda or the Shaoxing rice wine. Please do not use more baking soda than what's listed in the ingredients and make sure to mix it up in the chicken well. For the rice wine, it does naturally have a slight bitter taste because it is still an alcohol. However, the bitter taste should naturally disappear after cooking the chicken. If you'd like, try omitting the rice wine when you try it next time.
Hopefully this helps and hope the second time is the charm!
Mei ❤️
Roxy says
Loved it with chicken! How well would this do with beef?
Mei says
Hi Roxy! So glad you enjoyed it! We actually have a recipe for beef and broccoli (https://twoplaidaprons.com/beef-and-broccoli/) and it tastes just as amazing!
Mei ❤️