Chicken and Broccoli Stir Fry (Chinese Takeout Style)
This chicken and broccoli stir-fry recipe strikes the perfect balance of savory flavors. The tender dark meat chicken pairs beautifully with the slightly crunchy broccoli, and is tossed in a Chinese stir fry sauce, making it a must-try for stir-fry lovers.
Servings: 3
Calories: 273kcal
Ingredients
- 1 lb boneless chicken (dark meat, approx. 3-4 thighs)
- 3 cups broccoli florets
- 1 small onion (sliced)
- 4-5 slices ginger
- 2 cloves garlic (thinly sliced)
- ¼ cup water (to steam the broccoli in the pan)
- 2 stalks green onions
Chicken Marinade
- 1½ tablespoons soy sauce (low sodium)
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- ½ tablespoon Shaoxing cooking wine (or dry sherry)
- 1 tablespoon water
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon oil
Chicken and Broccoli Sauce
- 2½ tablespoons soy sauce (low sodium)
- 1 teaspoon dark soy sauce (optional, for color)
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons oyster sauce
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon Shaoxing cooking wine (or dry sherry)
- ½ teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 cup water
Instructions
Preparation
- Cut 4-5 slices ginger and thinly slice 2 cloves garlic and set it aside. Then peel and slice 1 small onion and set it aside.
- Finely chop 2 stalks green onions and separate the whites for stir-frying with the chicken and the greens as a garnish at the end.
- Cut 3 cups broccoli florets into 1-inch pieces. To prevent the broccoli from losing too many florets, I cut the broccoli stem side up, up to the florets, and then hand-rip the rest of the way. This keeps the broccoli intact, and we lose less of it.
Prepare the Stir Fry Sauce
- In a small bowl, add 2½ tablespoons soy sauce, 1 teaspoon dark soy sauce (optional) with 2 tablespoons cornstarch and mix well.
- Add 1 tablespoon Shaoxing cooking wine, 2 tablespoons oyster sauce, 1 teaspoon sugar, and ½ teaspoon sesame oil and mix well until smooth.
- Then add 1 cup water. Set this aside for later.
Marinate the Chicken
- Slice 1 lb boneless chicken (3-4 chicken thighs) into ½ inch pieces and place it in a bowl.
- Add 1½ tablespoons soy sauce, 1 teaspoon sesame oil, ½ tablespoon Shaoxing cooking wine, 1 tablespoon water, and 1 teaspoon cornstarch to the chicken and mix well. Set it aside to marinate for 15 minutes. The longer you marinate it, the more flavorful it will be.
Steam the Broccoli
- Set the stove to medium-high heat and place a large skillet or wok on it. Wait for it to get hot.
- Add a bit of oil into the pan once it is hot, then add 3 cups broccoli florets and stir fry it for about 1 minute.
- Add ¼ cup of water to the pan, and put a lid on it. Let the broccoli steam for 2 minutes
- Remove the lid. If there is still water in the pan, let it keep cooking until the water evaporates away. Do a taste test, if you want your broccoli softer, keep cooking it for another 1 to 2 minutes. Remove the broccoli from the pan and set it aside for later.
Stir Fry the Aromatics and Chicken
- Add a bit more oil back into the pan, then add in the ginger and sliced onions and stir fry it for about 2-3 minutes.
- Next add the garlic slices in, and stir fry it for 20 seconds.
- Add 1-2 tablespoons of oil to the marinated chicken and mix well.
- Next, push the aromatics aside in the pan, and add 1 tablespoon of oil in a skillet. Adjust the stove to high heat.
- Add the sliced chicken in a single layer and sauté for about 2 minutes per side, or just until it's cooked through. You can always pull out a piece to test for doneness.
Thicken the Sauce
- Give the sauce a quick stir in the bowl (the cornstarch settles on the bottom).
- Push everything aside in the frying pan and add in the sauce. Immediately stir the sauce, and keep stirring until the sauce starts to simmer and thickens.
Add Everything Back and Stir Fry
- Once the sauce is thick, add back in the broccoli and mix everything together until it is all coated well and stir fry for 1 minute
- Finally, garnish with green onions and serve your chicken and broccoli stir-fry over white rice. Enjoy your meal!
Notes
- Mix the Cornstarch with Soy Sauce First: Cornstarch doesn't dissolve properly when it's mixed directly with thick sauces like oyster sauce. Mixing the cornstarch with the soy sauce first, before you add in the rest of the sauce ingredients and water, will ensure that you won't get lumps in your sauce.
- Velvet the Chicken: For extra tender chicken, try velveting your chicken before stir-frying. This involves marinating the chicken in a mixture of cornstarch, water, soy sauce, and then mixing the oil in, after the chicken has marinated for a smoother, more tender texture. Don't be shy about the oil; it is essential for the velveting process. Chinese restaurants will quickly flash fry the cornstarch marinated chicken in a large vat of hot oil or water to velvet the chicken. This instantly cooks the cornstarch in the marinade, forms a gel barrier around the chicken, and keeps it moist for stir-frying. Since we are doing it at home, we kept it simple by just adding oil to the chicken (and to the pan) right before we stir-fried it.
- Use a Large Skillet (or a Wok): Using a large skillet will ensure that the heat will won't drastically drop when you put a lot of ingredients in. If the pan temperature drops too much, you will end up steaming the chicken, and you won't get the nice browning that you want from stir fries.
Nutrition
Calories: 273kcal | Carbohydrates: 19g | Protein: 37g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.02g | Cholesterol: 97mg | Sodium: 1081mg | Potassium: 983mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 693IU | Vitamin C: 87mg | Calcium: 77mg | Iron: 2mg