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Thumbnail of shrimp and broccoli in a wooden bowl.
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5 from 10 votes

Shrimp and Broccoli Stir Fry

This shrimp and broccoli stir fry recipe is a quick, healthy, and delicious alternative to your usual Chinese takeout. With its perfect blend of tender shrimp, crisp broccoli, and a savory sauce, it's a meal that's guaranteed to impress in under 30 minutes!
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time10 minutes
Total Time25 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Chinese
Servings: 3
Calories: 67kcal
Author: Joyce Lee

Ingredients

  • 10 shrimp (size 21/25. Thaw if frozen)
  • 2-3 cups broccoli
  • 2 cloves garlic (finely minced or grated)
  • 2 stalk green onion (finely chopped, whites and greens separated)
  • 1 inch carrot (optional)

Chinese Stir Fry White Sauce

  • 2½ teaspoon chicken powder
  • ½ tablespoon Shaoxing cooking wine (or dry sherry, mijiu rice cooking wine)
  • ¼ teaspoon sugar
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ¾ cups water
  • ½-1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil (added at the very end)

Cornstarch Slurry (Thickener)

  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch
  • 1 tablespoon cold water

Instructions

Preparation

  • Peel and finely mince or grate 2 cloves garlic and set it aside.
  • Cut off the green onion root and discard it. Finely chop the green onion, separate the whites for stir-frying with the shrimp, and the greens for garnish. Set them aside for later
    Finely mince green onions and separate the whites and green. Mince the garlic as well.
  • (Optional) Slice Carrots: If you're using carrots to give this dish a pop of color, you can cut a few slices of flower-shaped carrot slices and set it aside for later. Alternatively, you can also just slice it into thin slices without the fancy flower shapes.
    Thinly slice carrots.
  • Wash the broccoli and cut them into 1 inch pieces and set aside.
    I like to cut them from the stem direction. Cut it up to the florets and then rip it by hand.
    This keeps the florets intact, and you lose less broccoli this way.
    steps on how I cut broccoli.
  • Peel and devein (optional) 10 shrimp and set it aside for later. (Make sure the shrimp has been fully thawed if you're using from frozen.)
    Peel the shrimp.

Prepare the Chinese White Sauce

  • In a small bowl, mix together 2½ teaspoon chicken powder, ½ tablespoon Shaoxing cooking wine, ¼ teaspoon sugar, ¼ teaspoon salt, and ¾ cups water.
    Mix white sauce ingredients into white bowl.
  • In another small bowl, mix together 1 tablespoon cornstarch with 1 tablespoon cold water.
  • Pour the cornstarch slurry into the bowl of sauce, and mix everything together. Set it aside for later.
    Add corn starch slurry directly into the white sauce.

Stir Fry and Steam the Broccoli

  • Heat oil in a large skillet or wok over medium heat. Add the broccoli florets and cook until they are lightly charred for 1 minute.
    Steam broccoli in a pan.
  • Then add in ¼ cup of water and cover the pan with a lid and steam it for 2 minutes. Do a taste test after 2 minutes, if you like your broccoli softer, steam it for an extra minute with a few teaspoons of water.
  • Remove the broccoli from the pan and plate it once it has finished steaming. Set it aside for later.
    Remove steamed broccoli out of the pan.

Stir Fry the Shrimp

  • Lower the heat to medium-low, and wipe any residual water off the pan.
  • Add a little more oil to the pan and the shrimp. Stir fry it for 1 minute, until the shrimp are pink
    Stir fry shrimp for 1 minute in frying pan.
  • Add in the minced garlic and the whites of the green onion and stir fry it for another 2-4 minutes or until the shrimp is cooked. Make sure not to overcook the shrimp as they can become tough and rubbery.
    Add garlic and the whites of green onion into the pan with shrimp.
  • (Optional) If you are using carrot slices, add it in now as well.
    Add carrots to the pan.
  • Once the shrimp is cooked, remove it from the pan and set it aside for later.
    Remove shrimp from pan.

Cook and Thicken the White Sauce

  • Set the heat back up to medium.
  • Stir the sauce in the bowl again (the cornstarch settles to the bottom), then add it to the pan. Keep stirring until the sauce starts to bubble and thicken.
    Cook sauce until it bubbles and thickens.
  • Add in ½-1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil and mix it into the sauce after the sauce is thick.

Add Everything Together

  • Once the sauce is thick, add the shrimp and broccoli back into the frying pan and stir-fry everything for a few minutes.
    Mix broccoli and shrimp together with white sauce in pan.
  • Enjoy! Serve this delicious shrimp and broccoli stir fry immediately over rice or noodles.
    Shrimp and broccoli in a brown plate with a side of green onions and chopsticks.

Notes

  • Steam the Broccoli First: For this recipe, we steam the broccoli directly in the pan but you can also do this in microwave ahead of time as well. To microwave it, after you have chopped the broccoli, add it to a bowl with 2-3 tablespoons of water, and cover it with a lid and microwave it for about 1 minute. If you like your broccoli softer, you can add more time to it.
  • Thaw the Shrimp: Before you start the recipe, make sure your shrimp is fully thawed if you are using frozen shrimp. This will help the shrimp cook more evenly, and prevent it from being overcooked. I also like to remove the shells so it is easier to eat. Plus, it will allow the shrimp to fully absorb the flavors of the garlic and Chinese white sauce.
  • Cut the Broccoli Stem Side: To prevent the broccoli florets from breaking apart, I like to cut them from the stem direction. Cut up to the florets, and then from there, you can just rip it in half. This helps keep all the florets intact, and you lose less broccoli as well.
steps on how I cut broccoli.
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