THIS ONE-PAN CHICKEN & BROCCOLI STIR-FRY WILL BEAT TAKE-OUT ANY NIGHT OF THE WEEK

If you're like me, nothing sounds better on a busy weekday than a quick and easy stir-fry. Instead of turning to take-out, reach for this recipe. This fast and easy one-pot chicken and broccoli is coated in a sweet and savory sauce with plenty of ginger and garlic for a weeknight dinner that beats take-out any day of the week. The best part? This dish comes together in 20 minutes with minimal prep work; plus, it’s a total crowd-pleaser.

Yields: 4-6 servings

Prep Time: 5 mins

Total Time: 20 mins

Ingredients

  • 1/2 c.

    low-sodium chicken broth

  • 1/3 c.

    reduced-sodium soy sauce

  • 3

    cloves garlic, finely chopped

  • 3 tbsp.

    honey

  • 2 tbsp.

    cornstarch

  • 1 tbsp.

    finely grated peeled ginger

  • 2 tsp.

    toasted sesame oil

  • 1 tbsp.

    neutral oil

  • 1 lb.

    boneless, skinless chicken thighs or breasts, cut into 1/2" pieces

  • 2

    medium heads broccoli, cut into bite-sized florets

  • Cooked brown or white rice and toasted sesame seeds, for serving

Directions

  1. In a small bowl, whisk broth, soy sauce, garlic, honey, cornstarch, ginger, and sesame oil until cornstarch is dissolved.
  2. In a large skillet or wok over high heat, heat neutral oil. Cook chicken, undisturbed, until it easily releases from pan, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown on all sides and just cooked through, about 5 minutes more. Transfer to a plate.
  3. In same skillet over medium-low heat, toss broccoli in broth mixture. Cover skillet and let broccoli steam until crisp-tender, 2 to 3 minutes.
  4. Uncover and return chicken and any accumulated juices to skillet. Cook, stirring, until sauce is thickened and chicken and broccoli are well coated, 1 to 2 minutes more.
  5. Divide rice among plates or bowls. Spoon stir-fry over. Top with sesame seeds.

How To Make Chicken & Broccoli

Ingredients

• Chicken Broth: I prefer to use low-sodium chicken broth in the sauce (bonus points if it’s homemade!). If you only have full-sodium broth, you can substitute your chicken broth with some water to make sure the stir-fry isn’t too salty.

• Soy Sauce: I also recommend using low-sodium soy sauce here. If you only have full-sodium, just use slightly less, and remember that you can always add more to taste.

• Garlic: I’m a big garlic fan, so I use 3 cloves here, but feel free to taste and adjust based on your preferences.

• Honey: Honey adds that necessary sweetness to the sauce to balance out all of that umami goodness.

• Cornstarch: The cornstarch is a must, as it thickens the sauce so it coats the veggies and chicken to ensure every bite is fully saturated in flavor.

• Ginger: You’re going to want to peel and finely grate your ginger. This will get added to our sauce alongside our garlic, adding a bright, zingy flavor.

• Toasted Sesame Oil: This adds a nutty, slightly smoky, caramelized flavor to our sauce.

• Chicken: You can use chicken breasts or thighs for this stir-fry, but chicken thighs tend to be more flavorful, as they’re slightly higher in fat. The fat also helps keep the meat nice and moist.

• Broccoli: I recommend using fresh broccoli here, but you can use frozen in a pinch.

Step-By-Step Instructions

First, whisk all of your sauce ingredients together in a small bowl. Whisk until the cornstarch is fully dissolved—I don’t want to see any lumps!

Next, chop and cook your chicken until it’s golden-brown and fully cooked through. Once done, set aside on a plate.

Now, it’s broccoli time. Chop your broccoli florets up, then place in the pan alongside your sauce. Cover the broccoli and sauce and let it steam until the broccoli is crisp-tender. Cooking the broccoli alongside the sauce not only lets the sauce begin to thicken, but adds even more flavor to the broccoli.

Once the broccoli is tender enough, add your chicken back in, and toss everything together. Keep cooking and stirring until the sauce is thick and evenly coats every piece of chicken and broccoli.

When everything is combined and well coated, spoon servings over bowls of rice, and top with sesame seeds. Or, serve this dish however you want—you really can’t go wrong.

Chicken & Broccoli Variations

If you’d like to add some diversity to this dish, you can replace some of the broccoli with other veggies. Bell peppers, onions, snap peas, green beans, or even asparagus would all work well. The key to adding any vegetables to this dish is to cut them into equally sized pieces. This way, the dish will cook at the same time and you won’t end up with any undercooked, crunchy veggies or any wilted and sad bites.

Storage

You can keep leftover chicken and broccoli in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

What To Serve With Chicken & Broccoli

Made This?

Let us know how it went in the comments below!

2024-03-19T16:03:41Z dg43tfdfdgfd