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!
Made a gluten free version of this and WOW! Family of 7 and guests loved it. Loved it so much that one of my girlies has requested it for her birthday dinner. Can be difficult to find quick and easy gluten free that doesn’t require donation of an organ to buy the ingredients. We have added edamame and water chestnuts; the girlies love to crunch! Great recipe
Thanks for sharing with us, Jeanne — we’re so happy it was a hit with folks, and that’s so sweet that your daughter requested it for her birthday dinner! :D
Was in a great hurry and with hungry teenagers who didn’t want the same thing again but something different…I found this recipe…after making some tweaks of my own (like swapping potatoes for rice because my son doesn’t like rice) making a soy sauce glaze; I had some very happy teens in minutes. Thanks so much for the great idea.
Thanks, Julianne — we’re happy you and your kids enjoyed this!
This was crazy amazing! I subbed red wine vinegar and canola oil for the sauce and didn’t have any sesame seeds for garnish and it was still amazing! Perfect with a healthy amount of sriracha on top for good measure. My husband raved over it and he’s usually not one to do that. This is going into my rotation for sure!
Thanks, Liz — we’re so happy to hear you and your husband loved it! :D
Hi! Love your recipes!
Not sure if you’ll see this as I know this is an older post – but – I’m planning to make this tonight and my son is only 9 months so can’t have honey (or can maybe have cooked honey? But apparently no one knows so I’m trying to be conscious of that and not risk it ha!) Anywayyy – do you think sugar or agave would be a better sub for the honey in this recipe?
Hi Alex! We think you could definitely use some brown sugar (dissolved in some hot water), or agave (though you might not need quite as much agave). We hope you and your little one enjoy this!
Overdid it with salt just a “little” bit, but other then that it turned out great and was really easy to make. Thank you!
We’re glad you enjoyed it!
Hi, this recipe sounds fantastic! In a effort to not buy what I really don’t need, I was wondering if a bag of frozen broccoli florets could be used instead of fresh broccoli? I have several bags hanging out in my freezer that need to get used… thanks!! :)
Thanks Jenn — we hope you enjoy it! And of course, you can definitely use frozen broccoli florets instead. :)
Made this today and it was amazing! Will be making it again! I also put some duck sauce on mine after!
Awesome Brittney — we’re so happy you liked it! :)
This looks delicious! Is there a substitute for the ginger or can it be omitted? I am allergic to ginger, but want to give this recipe a try!
Thanks Mandy! You can just leave the ginger out. If you’d like to add more garlic or maybe some chopped cilantro and/or basil, we think those would be yummy swaps! :)
This blog is a life saver–I LOVE your simple but delicious recipes. My son ( 2 yrs old) os a fan of the fluffy dinner roll recipe. Thank you!!
This isn’t gluten-free, even tho you added it to your gluten-free list.
Soy sauce has gluten. Go for a gluten-free tamari instead, and you’re golden, tho.
Hey there! We’re not sure where you saw this listed as gluten-free?