Chicken and broccoli is a classic Chinese takeout dish! This recipe is straight out of my parents' restaurant with a secret on how to make the chicken ultra tender. Perfect for a quick and easy dinner.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Quick and easy dinner! It takes 25 minutes to make with only 10 minutes of cooking time.
- Flavorful sauce! The sauce is made with a soy sauce base with sesame oil, shaoxing wine, ginger, garlic, and scallions.
- The chicken is tender! We're using a technique called velveting to make the chicken tender and juicy just like your favorite take out restaurant.
Ingredients
Instructions
- Mix the chicken with oil, baking soda, corn starch, and salt. Set aside for 15 minutes to tenderize the meat.
- Bring a pot of water to a boil and blanch the broccoli for 3-5 minutes or until tender crisp. Drain and set aside.
- Mix the brown sauce and set aside.
- In a wok or large skillet on high heat, add oil and sear the chicken for 1 minute on each side. Work in batches as needed.
- Add broccoli and brown sauce and bring to a boil.
- Mix corn starch with water and drizzle over the chicken and broccoli. Stir immediately and cook until the sauce is thickened.
Alternative Method with Less Oil
If you're conscious about calories and oil, you can boil the chicken with the broccoli.
Then, bring the brown sauce to a boil in a skillet and thicken with the corn starch slurry.
Toss in the drained chicken and broccoli.
Tasty Tips
- To easily slice the chicken into thin pieces, place the chicken breast in the freezer for 1 hour or until partially frozen.
- Make a batch of brown sauce to keep in the fridge to whip up a quick stir fry dinner anytime!
- Serve with fried rice, white rice, or brown rice to soak up the delicious sauce!
FAQs
What is velveting?
Velveting is a technique in Chinese cooking to make lean cuts of meat tender by coating the protein in oil and corn starch. This creates a protective coating to seal in the moisture and protect it from the hot wok.
Some recipes include egg whites but I don't feel that it's necessary.
I also like to include baking soda to ensure tender chicken. Since we're only using a little bit of baking soda, there is no need to rinse it off. If you're using high quality chicken, feel free to omit the baking soda.
How do I store leftovers?
Store leftover chicken and broccoli in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
How do I reheat leftovers?
Reheat on the stove on medium heat or microwave until heated through.
More Quick & Easy Asian Recipes You'll Love
Chicken and Broccoli Stir Fry
Ingredients
- 1 pound broccoli florets
- 2 tablespoons canola oil
For the Chicken
- 1 pound chicken breast thinly sliced
- 1 teaspoon canola oil
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons corn starch
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Brown Sauce
- 2 ½ tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 ½ tablespoons dark soy sauce
- 2 ½ tablespoons sugar
- ½ teaspoon msg optional
- 1 teaspoon hoisin sauce
- 1 teaspoon oyster sauce
- 1 teaspoon shaoxing wine
- ¼ cup water or chicken broth
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon ginger minced
- 1 teaspoon garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon scallions, white parts only thinly sliced
Corn Starch Slurry
- 2 tablespoons corn starch
- 2 tablespoons water
Instructions
- In a bowl, mix chicken, oil, baking soda, corn starch, and salt to tenderize the chicken. Set aside for 15 minutes.
- Bring a pot of water to a boil then add the broccoli. Cook for 3-5 minutes or until tender crisp. Drain and set aside.
- Mix the sauce ingredients and set aside.
- In a large skillet or wok on high heat, add 2 tbsp. oil and sear the chicken for 1 minute on each side in a single layer. Cook in batches if needed.
- Toss in the broccoli and brown sauce and cook for 1 minute. Mix the corn starch slurry and add to the chicken and broccoli. Stir immediately and cook for 1 minute or until the sauce is thickened.
Notes
- To easily slice the chicken into thin pieces, place the chicken breast in the freezer for 1 hour or until partially frozen.
- Adjust the thickness of the sauce to your liking, add a splash of water if it's too thick or more cornstarch slurry to thicken.
Jess says
Hi. What if I don’t have the wine or oyster sauce? Any subs?