Chicken with Broccoli

5 from 1 vote

A light, saucy stir-fry that brings together tender chicken and crisp broccoli in a soy-based sauce.

Prep Time10

Cook Time12

Total Time22

Course: Main Dish

Cuisine: Chinese

Keyword: broccoli, chicken recipes, chicken stir fry

Servings: people

Calories: 291kcal

Author: Daisy Merano

Combine sliced chicken with soy sauce, sherry, and black pepper in a bowl. Mix all the ingredients. Marinate for 10 minutes.
1 lb. boneless chicken breast, 2 tablespoons light soy sauce, 2 tablespoons dry sherry, 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
Combine water (or chicken broth) with oyster sauce and cornstarch. Stir until the cornstarch is completely diluted. Set this aside for now.
2 tablespoons oyster sauce, 1 teaspoon cornstarch
Heat the oil in a wok or wide frying pan.
2 tablespoons peanut oil
Add the minced garlic. Sauté until it starts to get light brown.
1 teaspoon minced garlic
Stir fry the marinated chicken. You can pour the remaining marinade on the wok. Cook in high heat while stirring until the chicken turns light to medium brown. Ensure that the garlic does not get burnt in the process. Otherwise, you will need to adjust the heat to medium or lower and continue to cook until the chicken gets that nice color.
Add the broccoli florets. Stir fry for 1 minute if you are using steamed frozen broccoli. Add another minute if using fresh broccoli florets.
1 cup broccoli florets
Pour the bowl that contains the mixture of oyster sauce, water, and cornstarch. You may want to stir it one more time before pouring to be sure. Stir and cook until the sauce reduces in half or reaches your desired thickness.
½ cup water or chicken broth
Enjoy over a bowl of warm rice.

Marinate with care. The chicken only needs 10 minutes in the soy-sherry mix to pick up flavor and stay tender. Go much longer and the soy can tighten the outer layer. If prepping ahead, chill it, but don’t go past half an hour.
Choose your broccoli wisely. Frozen works fine if it’s been pre-steamed and not clumped with ice. I go with fresh florets when I want a brighter look and more crunch. Cut them evenly so they cook at the same pace.
Don’t overdo the cornstarch. Just 1 teaspoon is enough to slightly thicken the sauce. Any more and it starts feeling pasty instead of smooth. Always stir the slurry again right before pouring it in.
Use high heat, but stay alert.
Stir-frying works best over strong heat. But stay ready to pull back the pan or lower the flame if needed. It’s all about cooking fast without losing control.