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Spicy Chicken Stir-Fry with Broccoli

5 from 16 community reviews

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A quick, super-tasty chicken and broccoli stir-fry with green broccoli florets and tender chicken in a spicy sesame sauce with sriracha and garlic.

Chunks of sesame chicken and broccoli in a serving bowl over brown rice.

This is a healthy chicken and broccoli recipe that everyone seems to devour as soon as it hits the table. It’s so tasty that sometimes we eat it straight out of the pan!

The recipe is a nod to our favorite Chinese takeout — at least mine, anyway. Chicken with spicy, garlicky sauce is one of my all time faves, right next to Thai Basil Chicken.

Every bite is full of savory chunks of chicken and bright green broccoli florets, coated in a garlic and sesame sauce.

Ingredients for Chinese-style chicken and broccoli on a plate and maple cutting board: Fresh broccoli, garlic, ginger, sesame, sugar, soy sauce and cornstarch.

If you’re looking for an easy chicken stir-fry for a busy weeknight dinner, try this quick and tasty recipe.

There’s no need to marinate the chicken ahead of time, which means this a great dinner to make when time is short.

Ingredients for chicken and broccoli

  • Chicken: Boneless chicken thighs or chicken breasts will work.
  • Broccoli: Use fresh or frozen broccoli florets.
  • Garlic
  • Ginger
  • Green onions
  • Toasted sesame oil and sesame seeds
  • Mirin: This ingredient is a type of sweet rice wine. You can substitute with sake or leave it out.
  • Chicken broth: Use a prepared low-sodium broth or homemade chicken broth.
  • Soy sauce or tamari: The gently spicy sauce for this dish is a mixture of soy (or tamari sauce) that provides the salty umami base.
  • Honey
  • Cornstarch
  • Hot sauce: I add a good hit of sriracha for an extra hit of flavor and subtle heat.
Chicken and broccoli stir-fry in a skillet with a serving spoon and a bowl serving with rice.

Cooking and prep tips

  • I prefer to use boneless chicken thighs for the best flavor, but chicken breast works equally well.
  • Cut the chicken into large bite-size cubes. Keep in mind that the meat will shrink up a bit after it’s cooked so don’t slice them too small.

Pro tip for cooking broccoli

Perfectly cooked broccoli should have a balance of tenderness and crunch, with a bright green color that looks vibrant and appetizing.

Most recipes for chicken with broccoli will have you cook the broccoli along with the chicken, which means you might end up with dry overcooked chicken and broccoli that’s either mushy or almost raw.

  • Instead of throwing the chicken and vegetables in the pan to cook together, blanch the broccoli florets separately in boiling salted water for just a few minutes, drain and rinse with very cold water.
A gray ceramic bowl full of short grain brown rice, chunks of chicken and broccoli florets in a sesame glaze.

This is the secret to green, green broccoli — the salt adds a bit of flavor while setting the color, and the cold water stops the cooking.

When the chicken and sauce are just about ready, add the florets to the pan to warm them and coat with the rest of the ingredients. Then all you have to do is serve it up and eat.

Serving suggestions

This is a perfect dish to pair with cooked rice or rice noodles if you’re not counting carbs.

Spicy Chicken Stir-Fry with Broccoli

Karen Tedesco
A quick, super-tasty chicken and broccoli stir-fry full of green broccoli and tender chicken chunks in a spicy sesame sauce.
Print Pin
5 from 16 community reviews
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Course Chicken
Cuisine Asian
Servings 4 servings

Ingredients

For the sauce

  • ¾ cup (185 ml) chicken broth
  • cup (75 ml) soy sauce or tamari (gluten-free)
  • 3 tablespoons (45 ml) mirin
  • 2 tablespoons (30 g) cornstarch
  • 1 – 2 tablespoons (30 ml) sriracha sauce, to taste
  • 1 tablespoon (15 g) granulated sugar or honey
  • 2 tablespoons (15 ml) toasted sesame oil

Stir-fry

  • 4 cups (285 g) broccoli florets and tender light green stem, about 1 bunch
  • 2 tablespoons (30 ml) high-heat vegetable oil, such as canola or avocado
  • 1 ½ pounds (750 g) boneless chicken thigh or breast, cut into bite-size chunks
  • 2 tablespoons (30 g) grated or pressed garlic
  • 2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
  • 1 green onion, sliced thin on the diagonal
  • 1 tablespoon (9 g) brown or white sesame seeds

Instructions 

Prepare the sauce

  • Whisk together the chicken broth, soy sauce, mirin, cornstarch, sriracha, sugar and sesame oil in a medium bowl until dissolved.

Chicken and broccoli

  • Cook the broccoli in boiling water for 2 minutes. Drain, rinse under cold running water and drain again.
  • Add the oil to a large (12-inch) non-stick skillet and heat on medium-high heat until it begins to shimmer. Add the chicken and cook 5-7 minutes, stirring frequently, until the chicken is cooked through and no longer pink.
  • Stir in the garlic and ginger and cook a few seconds until fragrant. Pour in the broth mixture and bring to a simmer. Cook 3-4 minutes, until the sauce is thickened. Add the broccoli to the pan and stir to combine with the chicken and sauce.
  • Sprinkle the green onion and sesame seeds over the chicken and serve.

Karen’s Notes and Tips

  • Frozen broccoli florets can be used in place of fresh. Blanch them for 1 minute instead of 2 in step 1.
  • Serving suggestion: Serve with hot cooked rice or rice noodles.

Nutrition

Calories: 446kcal | Carbohydrates: 23g | Protein: 39g | Fat: 23g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Sodium: 1632mg | Potassium: 838mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 654IU | Vitamin C: 90mg | Calcium: 94mg | Iron: 3mg

Nutrition facts are calculated by third-party software. If you have specific dietary needs, please refer to your favorite calculator.

Did you make this recipe? Search @Familystylefood or tag #familystylefood on Pinterest
Recipe developer Karen Tedesco of the popular website Familystyle Food in her kitchen making a kale salad.

Hey, I’m Karen

Creator of Familystyle Food

I’m a food obsessed super-taster and professionally trained cook ALL about creating elevated dinners with everyday ingredients. Find simplified recipes made from scratch and enjoy incredibly tasty food! Read more about me here.

5 from 16 votes (14 ratings without comment)

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2 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    This was so tasty and easy!!! This recipe just made it into my regular rotation. Thank you so much!!

  2. Aaron Finkel says:

    5 stars
    Just made this dish for my family – they loved it. It was nice, easy and quick to prepare and was delicious? Just the right amount of spices. We served it over brown rice so made for a complete meal. I’ll definitely be adding this to my repertoire. Can’t wait to try some of Karen’s other recipes.