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30-Minute Chicken and Broccoli

30 minute chicken and broccoli with a glossy soy-garlic sauce that clings to tender chicken bites and bright-green broccoli florets. Stir-fry method thickens the sauce fast for a dark amber glaze—great over fluffy white rice.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: Asian-American
Calories: 520
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Chicken breast
  • 1.5 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
Salt and pepper
  • 0.25 salt and pepper to taste
Cornstarch
  • 1 tbsp cornstarch
  • 1 tbsp cornstarch For the sauce
Vegetable oil
  • 2 tbsp vegetable oil
Broccoli
  • 4 cup broccoli florets
Garlic
  • 4 clove garlic, minced
Ginger
  • 1 tsp fresh ginger, grated
Soy sauce
  • 0.25 cup soy sauce
Oyster sauce
  • 2 tbsp oyster sauce
Hoisin sauce
  • 1 tbsp hoisin sauce
Brown sugar
  • 1 tbsp brown sugar
Chicken broth
  • 0.5 cup chicken broth
Sesame oil
  • 1 tsp sesame oil
Serving toppings
  • 1 sesame seeds and green onions for serving

Equipment

  • 1 cast iron skillet

Method
 

Coat the chicken
  1. Toss chicken with salt, pepper, and cornstarch until coated. Make sure each bite looks dry-matte before it hits the pan.
Sear and cook the chicken
  1. Heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in a large wok or skillet over high heat, until shimmering. Cook chicken for 5-6 minutes until golden and cooked through, then remove to a plate.
Stir-fry the broccoli
  1. Add remaining oil to the pan and stir-fry broccoli for 3-4 minutes over high heat. Cook until bright green and just tender-crisp.
Glaze with the soy-garlic sauce
  1. Stir-fry garlic and ginger for 30 seconds over high heat, just until fragrant. Pour in the whisked sauce and cook 1-2 minutes, stirring, until thickened and glossy.
Combine and serve
  1. Return chicken to the pan and toss to coat in the dark amber sauce. Serve over rice with sesame seeds and green onions.

Notes

Pro tip: cut chicken into even bite-size pieces so everything finishes in the same window. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge up to 3 days; reheat in a skillet or microwave until hot. Freezing is not recommended because the cornstarch coating can soften the broccoli. For a lighter swap, use low-sodium soy sauce and reduce the brown sugar to 2 teaspoons.