Garlic Ginger Chicken and Broccoli Stir Fry
Chicken and broccoli stir fry in a light garlic ginger sauce with tender chicken and crisp-tender broccoli. Ready in 35 minutes, served over rice.
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Chicken and Broccoli Stir Fry is my go-to when the fridge is thin and dinner needs to happen in the next half hour. Sliced chicken gets a quick cornstarch coating, broccoli steams right in the pan until it’s bright green and still has snap, and a garlic ginger sauce reduces around everything until it turns glossy. It’s lighter than the takeout version and about a third of the sodium.
The cornstarch on the chicken does two jobs. It forms a thin shell that holds moisture in during a hard sear, which is a simplified version of the velveting Chinese restaurants do, and it gives the sauce something to grab so it coats each piece instead of sliding into the bottom of the pan. Ten minutes of rest after tossing it on is all you need.
The sauce is deliberately light: chicken broth, soy sauce, rice vinegar, a spoonful of honey, fresh garlic, and a lot of grated ginger. No oyster sauce, no dark soy, nothing that turns the whole plate brown. You can actually taste the ginger and the broccoli, which is the point. Dinner takes 35 minutes, with rice going in a pot alongside the skillet.
Why You’ll Love This Chicken and Broccoli Stir Fry Recipe
- A sauce you can see through. Broth, soy, rice vinegar, and honey stay light and glossy instead of the heavy brown gravy takeout gives you.
- Tender chicken, no marinade time. A 10-minute cornstarch coat keeps thin-sliced chicken breast juicy through a high-heat sear.
- Broccoli with actual snap. Steaming it right in the skillet with a splash of water gets it crisp-tender in 5 minutes flat.
- Ready in 35 minutes. Prep everything before the pan gets hot and the cooking part is over in about 15.
Chicken and Broccoli Stir Fry Ingredients
Use fresh ginger, not the ground jarred kind. Ground ginger tastes dusty and slightly bitter in a pan sauce, while fresh ginger grated on a microplane gives you that clean, warm bite the sauce is built around. A knob keeps in the freezer for months and grates even easier frozen.
- 1 1/2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts, thinly sliced
- 2 tbsp cornstarch, divided
- 4 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce, divided
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil, divided
- 1 lb broccoli florets (about 6 cups)
- 1/4 cup water
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tbsp fresh ginger, grated
- 3/4 cup chicken broth
- 1 tbsp rice vinegar
- 1 tbsp honey
- 2 tsp toasted sesame oil
- 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes (optional)
- 2 green onions, sliced, for garnish
- 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds, for garnish
- 4 cups cooked white rice, for serving
Recipe Variations
- Use boneless, skinless chicken thighs sliced thin instead of breasts. They don’t need the cornstarch coat as much, though it still helps the sauce cling.
- Add sliced carrots, snow peas, or red bell pepper with the broccoli for more color; give harder vegetables an extra minute before the water goes in.
- Serve it over cooked ramen or lo mein noodles instead of rice, tossing the noodles into the skillet with the sauce at the end.
How to Make Chicken and Broccoli Stir Fry
- Coat the chicken: Toss the thinly sliced chicken with 1 tablespoon of the cornstarch and 1 tablespoon of the soy sauce until every piece is lightly coated. Let it sit for 10 minutes while you prep everything else.
- Whisk the garlic ginger sauce: In a small bowl, whisk the remaining 1 tablespoon cornstarch with the remaining 3 tablespoons soy sauce until smooth and lump-free. Whisk in the chicken broth, rice vinegar, honey, toasted sesame oil, and red pepper flakes if using. Set it near the stove.
- Steam the broccoli in the skillet: Heat 1 tablespoon of the vegetable oil in a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Add the broccoli and stir for 2 minutes, then pour in the water, cover, and steam for 3 minutes until the florets are bright green and crisp-tender. Transfer them to a plate and wipe the skillet dry.
- Sear the chicken: Add the remaining 2 tablespoons vegetable oil to the skillet over high heat. Spread the chicken in a single layer and leave it undisturbed for 1 minute, then toss and cook 3-4 minutes more, until browned and a thermometer reads 165°F. Cook in two batches if the pan is crowded.
- Bloom the garlic and ginger: Reduce the heat to medium, push the chicken to one side, and add the minced garlic and grated ginger. Stir for 30-45 seconds, just until fragrant, then toss with the chicken.
- Add the sauce: Whisk the sauce again to redistribute the cornstarch, pour it into the skillet, and stir constantly for 1-2 minutes until it thickens and turns glossy enough to coat the back of a spoon.
- Return the broccoli and serve: Add the steamed broccoli back to the pan and toss for about 1 minute until everything is coated and hot. Spoon the chicken and broccoli stir fry over cooked white rice and top with sliced green onions and toasted sesame seeds.
Recipe FAQs
How Do I Keep the Chicken from Getting Tough?
Slice it thin against the grain, coat it in cornstarch, and get the pan genuinely hot before it goes in. Thin chicken in a hot pan cooks in about 5 minutes, and the damage happens when it sits over medium heat slowly drying out.
Can I Use Frozen Broccoli?
Yes, though thaw it and pat it dry first. Frozen broccoli holds a lot of water and it releases into the sauce, thinning it out. Skip the covered steaming step and just stir it in the hot pan for 2-3 minutes.
Why Is My Sauce Thin?
Either the cornstarch settled to the bottom of the bowl and never made it in, or the pan wasn’t hot enough to activate it. Whisk right before pouring and let the sauce come to a real bubble for a full minute.
Can I Make This Gluten Free?
Yes, swap the soy sauce for tamari or coconut aminos. Coconut aminos are sweeter, so cut the honey back to about 2 teaspoons if you use them.
What Can I Serve This over Besides White Rice?
Brown rice, jasmine rice, cauliflower rice, or ramen noodles all work. Brown rice takes about 40 minutes, so start it before anything else if that’s your plan.
Cooking Tips
- Do all your slicing, mincing, and sauce mixing before you turn the burner on. Stir fry cooking moves faster than you can chop, and stopping mid-sear to grate ginger is how chicken overcooks.
- Wipe the skillet dry after the broccoli comes out. Leftover steam water in the pan drops the temperature and the chicken poaches instead of searing.
- Grate the ginger on a microplane instead of chopping it. Fine shreds melt into the sauce, while chopped pieces stay stringy and end up as chewy bits on someone’s fork.
Storage and Freezing
To store: Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Store the rice separately so it doesn’t soak up all the sauce overnight.
To freeze: Freeze for up to 2 months. The chicken and sauce come back fine; the broccoli softens and loses its snap, so plan on it being closer to tender than crisp.
To reheat: Warm in a skillet over medium heat with a splash of broth or water to loosen the sauce, stirring for 3-4 minutes. The microwave works too, in 1-minute bursts.
How to Serve Chicken and Broccoli Stir Fry
Chicken and Broccoli Stir Fry goes over cooked white rice at my house, though jasmine rice or lo mein noodles work just as well underneath. Add pot stickers or a cucumber salad with rice vinegar for a bigger takeout-style spread. This is one of the recipes in our August dinner collection, and more fast weeknight skillet dinners like it are on the way.
Loved This Recipe?
Chicken and Broccoli Stir Fry gets a real dinner on the table in 35 minutes with a light garlic ginger sauce that tastes better than the takeout container it replaces.
Leave a star rating in the comments below, it helps other people find this recipe. Made it? Tag @allwellfed on Instagram, I love seeing this one in other people’s kitchens.
Garlic Ginger Chicken and Broccoli Stir Fry
Equipment
- Instant-Read Thermometer 165°F, checked in two spots rather than one.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lbs chicken breasts boneless, skinless, thinly sliced
- 2 tbsp cornstarch divided
- 4 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce divided
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil divided
- 1 lb broccoli florets about 6 cups
- 1/4 cup water
- 6 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tbsp fresh ginger grated
- 3/4 cup chicken broth
- 1 tbsp rice vinegar
- 1 tbsp honey
- 2 tsp toasted sesame oil
- 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes optional
- 2 green onions sliced, for garnish
- 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds for garnish
- 4 cups cooked white rice for serving
Instructions
- Coat the chicken: Toss the thinly sliced chicken with 1 tablespoon of the cornstarch and 1 tablespoon of the soy sauce until every piece is lightly coated. Let it sit for 10 minutes while you prep everything else.
- Whisk the garlic ginger sauce: In a small bowl, whisk the remaining 1 tablespoon cornstarch with the remaining 3 tablespoons soy sauce until smooth and lump-free. Whisk in the chicken broth, rice vinegar, honey, toasted sesame oil, and red pepper flakes if using. Set it near the stove.
- Steam the broccoli in the skillet: Heat 1 tablespoon of the vegetable oil in a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Add the broccoli and stir for 2 minutes, then pour in the water, cover, and steam for 3 minutes until the florets are bright green and crisp-tender. Transfer them to a plate and wipe the skillet dry.
- Sear the chicken: Add the remaining 2 tablespoons vegetable oil to the skillet over high heat. Spread the chicken in a single layer and leave it undisturbed for 1 minute, then toss and cook 3-4 minutes more, until browned and a thermometer reads 165°F. Cook in two batches if the pan is crowded.
- Bloom the garlic and ginger: Reduce the heat to medium, push the chicken to one side, and add the minced garlic and grated ginger. Stir for 30-45 seconds, just until fragrant, then toss with the chicken.
- Add the sauce: Whisk the sauce again to redistribute the cornstarch, pour it into the skillet, and stir constantly for 1-2 minutes until it thickens and turns glossy enough to coat the back of a spoon.
- Return the broccoli and serve: Add the steamed broccoli back to the pan and toss for about 1 minute until everything is coated and hot. Spoon the chicken and broccoli stir fry over cooked white rice and top with sliced green onions and toasted sesame seeds.
Notes
If you made this, leave a star rating down in the comments. It takes about ten seconds, and it’s how other cooks decide whether a recipe is worth trying.
