Chicken and Broccoli Stir Fry

This Chicken and Broccoli Stir Fry is a healthy dinner idea that is super easy to make! There is plenty of delicious sauce to serve with rice or noodles.

Prep Time10

Cook Time20

Total Time30

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Servings: people

Calories: 520kcal

Author: Stephanie

Ingredients

2 Tablespoons peanut oil can sub vegetable or olive oil.
1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts
Salt/White Pepper to taste
3 cups broccoli florets washed and patted dry
1 yellow onion sliced
1 bell pepper sliced

Sauce

3 Tablespoons cornstarch + 3 tbsp. cold water
1 ½ cups chicken broth
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 ½ tablespoons honey
2 cloves garlic minced

For Serving

3 cups cooked rice any kind. See notes.

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Prep Work

Combine cornstarch + 3 Tablespoons water in a covered container and shake to combine. Set aside in a cool place.
Combine remaining sauce ingredients in a medium bowl and set aside. Prepare additional ingredients before beginning.

Cook the Chicken

Cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces and pat completely dry. Season with salt/white pepper. Heat peanut oil over medium-high heat. Once heated and glistening, add the chicken. Let it sear, undisturbed, for about 3 minutes, then rotate and allow the other sides to cook through and turn golden, about 2-3 more minutes. Remove and set aside.

Cook the Vegetables

Reduce heat to medium and add a splash more oil if needed. Add the broccoli and onions and toss to coat. Cook for 3 minutes, until slightly softened. Add the bell peppers and cook for 1-2 minutes.

Add the Sauce

Add sauce mixture and bring to a gentle boil. Let it simmer/reduce for 2-3 minutes. Take the cornstarch mixture and give it a shake. Slowly stir it into the sauce. Let it continue to bubble gently until desired thickness is obtained. Reduce heat to low.

Add the Chicken Back

Stir in the chicken and let it heat through. Serve over rice! *See notes for my process on making perfectly cooked, flavorful rice.

Notes

Pro Tips:

Frozen broccoli may also be used. Thaw and pat dry and proceed as outlined in the recipe.
Ingredient additions include: Julienned carrots, water chestnuts, celery, kale, and more.
Topping options include: Green onions, roughly chopped peanuts, sesame seeds, crunchy chow mein noodles, and sliced almonds.
To control sodium in this recipe: Consider using low sodium soy sauce and/or reduced sodium broth.
After cooking the chicken, feel free to deglaze the skillet with 1/2 cup dry white wine, (such as Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio, and Sauvignon Blanc) reduce by half over medium heat, then add the broccoli/onions.
Feel free to try my variation of this recipe that uses Ground Beef.

My process for perfectly cooked rice:

Bring 2 cups of water to a boil. (I add 2 chicken bouillon cubes to the water for enhanced flavor.)
Add 1 cup of white long grain rice and let the liquid come back up to a boil.
Cover tightly and reduce heat to a gentle simmer for 15 minutes. (I set my heat to low.)
Remove from heat and let it stand in the pot for 10 minutes with the lid on, any rice stuck to the bottom will release.
This yields 3 cups of flavorful, perfectly cooked rice. I use a Dutch oven for this which conducts heat well.
Note that other varieties of rice may require different liquid measurements and/or cooking times.

Storage:

Store in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months. (Leftovers do freeze well!)

The Nutrition Information is per serving, there are 4 servings in this recipe, and the rice is included. Note that the nutritional information is an estimate and can vary based on ingredient brands used, etc.

Nutrition