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
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
Did you make this?Let me know how it turned out in the comments below!
We had this tonight and it was DELICIOUS! I made a half a batch without the rice vinegar (because I didn’t have any) and it was really good. Even my husband liked it. It curbed the Chinese craving but was a lot less of each ingredient as others I have seen.
We’re so happy you and your husband enjoyed it Tammy! :)
This recipe is definitely a keeper! My family absolutely loved it and has asked me to make it again next week. Thank you so much for a fast, easy and fabulous chicken recipe.
Thank you Penelope — we’re so happy to hear that!
Do you think this would be just as good with liquid aminos instead of the soy sauce? Looks delicious!!
Hi Emma! We haven’t tried this with liquid aminos instead of soy sauce, so we can’t say for sure, but we definitely think it’s worth a try — we hope you enjoy! :)
It was really easy to make. And easy + delicious is what i like. I added carrots and sliced green pepper as we love spicier food. I added some chili powder in the sauce and omitted honey as we don;t like sweetness in the food. Had to add some chilli sause too in the end as it wasn’t still spicy enough for our taste bud or maybe to get rid of a still there sweetness. But to tell you the truth it was AWESOME. Thank you so much for posting the recipe. :)
Thanks for your feedback — we’re so glad to hear you enjoyed this! Also, the carrots and green pepper sound like yummy additions! :)
I am hoping to make this tonight for dinner. Is the rice wine vinegar necessary? It’s the only ingredient I don’t have. Is there something I can substitute?
Hi Samantha! Do you have white vinegar? That would work fine as a substitute! We hope you enjoy this!
We have just started eating healthy and oh my god this recepie turned out just so delicious! We have made it twice in this month alone. Love the flavor it has
Thank you Pooja — we’re so glad you enjoy this! :)
We’re so glad you liked it Pooja! :)
i can’t use the same oil u used. Is there a different one i could use…like canola is what i usually use. I can’t have seeds.
Hi Shana! Yes, you can use vegetable or canola oil. We hope you enjoy!
Sounds delicious, am thinking of adding snow peas, mini corn and shredded carrots. Would add color and not alter the cooking time.
Those sound like yummy additions Elizabeth — we hope you enjoy this! :)
Awesome recipe! I was looking for a quick chicken recipe for dinner tonight and I found a real gem. Everyone in my family of 5 loved it! ….Including the 2 fussiest critics ;-) … I will use this recipe weekly and even use it when friends with fussy kids visit <3
Thanks Kristi — we’re so glad you and your family enjoyed this (especially the picky eaters)! :D
Great recipe but what happened to the second tablespoon of olive oil? Did I miss something? Thanks!
Step 3: Once the chicken is browned, add the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil and broccoli, and stir to combine. :)