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Skip Chinese takeout — this chicken broccoli stir fry comes together faster than delivery! With chicken breast, fresh broccoli, and a slightly sweet, flavorful sauce, it’s a quick and easy weeknight meal that the whole family will love. Like many of my healthy Asian recipes, you can have this chicken stir fry with broccoli on the table in less than 30 minutes!

Why You’ll Love This Chicken Broccoli Stir Fry Recipe

Slightly sweet, flavorful sauce made with pantry staples
Tender meat and veggies
Easy to make
Simple, common ingredients
Ready in just 20 minutes
Naturally healthy dinner

Chicken stir fry with broccoli, rice in the background.

Ingredients & Substitutions

This section explains how to choose the best ingredients for easy chicken stir fry with broccoli, what each one does in the recipe, and substitution options. For measurements, see the recipe card below.

Stir Fry Sauce:

Oyster Sauce – A small amount delivers big umami flavor. Almost every variety has added sugar and many are not gluten free, so if you’re looking for a cleaner option, my sugar-free teriyaki sauce would make a fine substitute.
Coconut Aminos – My favorite gluten-free soy sauce substitute. If you prefer, you can use tamari or low sodium soy sauce instead.
Sea Salt & Black Pepper – For enhancing the savory flavors.
Sesame Oil – Adds a slightly nutty flavor. You can use regular or toasted. In a pinch, you can substitute another neutral cooking oil.
Crushed Red Pepper Flakes – These are totally optional, but delicious if you want a little heat to your chicken broccoli stir fry.
Cornstarch – If you like a thicker sauce, just a small amount of cornstarch (the entire recipe uses less than a tablespoon cornstarch!) helps to thicken it. You could also use 1/8 teaspoon xanthan gum or another cornstarch substitute for a low carb option.

Stir Fry:

Olive Oil – You can also use another neutral cooking oil, such as avocado oil.
Chicken Breasts – Use boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces. You can also use boneless skinless chicken thighs, or swap the chicken with beef (try beef and broccoli stir fry or a classic beef stir fry), pork, or shrimp.
Broccoli – Break into florets. You can also use other stir fry vegetables, such as snap peas, baby corn, celery, carrots, bamboo shoots, or onions for more texture and flavor.
Garlic – I minced a fresh garlic clove for the best flavor, but you could use jarred minced garlic as well. Feel free to use several cloves garlic if you love it.
Ginger – Although fresh ginger tastes best, you can also substitute 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger.
Mushrooms – White mushrooms work well here, but you can use other varieties too.
Bell Pepper – Red bell pepper adds a nice flavor and color to this dish, but you could use whatever color if you prefer.
Optional Garnishes – Including crushed red pepper flakes, sesame seeds, and lemon wedges. You could also add nuts such as chopped almonds, cashews, or peanuts for a nice crunch.

How To Make Chicken and Broccoli Stir Fry

This section shows how to make broccoli chicken stir fry, with step-by-step photos and details about the technique, to help you visualize it. For full instructions, including amounts and temperatures, see the recipe card below.

Make sauce. In a small to medium bowl, mix oyster sauce, soy sauce, water, black pepper, sesame oil, and red pepper flakes. Whisk in cornstarch or xanthan gum, if using.
Cook chicken. Heat olive oil into a large wok (or large nonstick skillet with a heavy bottom) over medium-high heat. Add chicken pieces in a single layer and cook, flipping once, until golden and cooked through. Transfer to a plate and cover to keep warm.

Sauce ingredients whisked together in a bowl.

Saute veggies. Add more olive oil into the wok. Add bell pepper and broccoli. Cook until crisp tender.
Add mushrooms. Place sliced mushrooms in the pan and cook until all veggies are fully tender.

Broccoli and red bell peppers added to wok.

Add garlic. Stir in the minced garlic. Cook until fragrant.
Combine. Return chicken to the pan. Pour sauce over the healthy chicken and broccoli stir fry. Cook until the sauce thickens to your liking.

TIP: Adjust the sauce as needed.

Taste and adjust with salt. For a thinner sauce, thin out with water or make it without cornstarch.

Garlic added to veggies and mushrooms in wok.

Chicken and veggies cooking together in wok.

Garnish. If desired, garnish with sesame seeds, extra chili flakes, and lemon wedges.

Recipe Variations

If you want to change up your chicken broccoli stir fry, try these variations:

Teriyaki – Use teriyaki sauce instead of the sauce in this recipe, or simply add broccoli to my teriyaki chicken recipe.
Spicy – Make a spicy version of this stir fry by adding extra crushed red pepper flakes or chili oil to the sauce.
Wine Or Vinegar – Replace a few tablespoons of the coconut aminos with dry sherry, shaoxing wine, or rice vinegar.
Veggies – Other than the broccoli, my version has mushrooms and red bell peppers. You can also swap in any other stir fry vegetables here.
Rice – Of course you can serve chicken broccoli stir fry over rice, but you could also add cooked rice right into the stir fry.

Storage Instructions

Store: Keep leftovers in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Meal prep: You can prepare the entire stir fry ahead of time and refrigerate or freeze. Alternatively, for a more fresh result, prep sauce and chop vegetables, and store both separately until ready to cook.
Reheat: Warm Chinese chicken broccoli stir fry in a skillet or wok with a drizzle of oil.
Freeze: Store in an airtight container in the freezer for 2-3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight before reheating.

What To Serve With Chicken Broccoli Stir Fry

To make this chicken and broccoli stir fry more filling, serve it over white or brown rice. For a low carb option, serve over cauliflower rice or shirataki rice.

If you want something else to serve with it, pair this dish with other Asian sides like smashed cucumber salad, kani salad, or hakurei turnips.

More Healthy Stir Fry Recipes

There are so many fresh and flavorful ways to cook Asian stir fry meals! Try some of these favorites next:

Hunan beef in a bowl with broccoli, cauliflower rice, and chopsticks.

Recommended Tools

Wok – The shape of a wok works well for cooking stir fry dishes fast. You can also use a large skillet, but make sure it has a heavy bottom so that it retains heat well.

Chicken Broccoli Stir Fry Recipe

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4 Comments

Roxie
0 January 30, 2023Reply

Paired it with rice, and it’s a perfect dinner. Easy to cook and delicious.
Cam
0 January 29, 2023Reply

Love this super delicious recipe!
Dana
0 January 28, 2023Reply

This was a hit with our family! It was easy to make and full of veggies. The kids even asked for seconds!
Journa Liz Ramirez
0 January 27, 2023Reply

This is a perfect combo for dinner! We enjoyed this chicken broccoli stir fry, the chicken and broccoli were perfectly cooked. The sauce is a winner! Highly recommended!