Simple Wok Style Chicken and Broccoli With Authentic Stir Fry Sauce
Tender slices of chicken and crunchy broccoli, this dish is perfect for a beginner cook learning how to stir fry. This recipe takes 30 minutes or less to put together for a delicious quick meal and tastes just like the Chinese restaurants!
Equipment
- carbon steel wok (or 12 inch cast iron pan or tri-ply sauté pan)
Ingredients
For the Chicken and Marinade
- 12 oz. boneless and skinless chicken breasts (about 2 chicken breasts) (Note 1)
- 3 Tbsp. water (or Shaoxing wine)
- 2 tsp cornstarch
- 2 tsp oil
- 3 tsp light soy sauce
For the Rest of the Dish
- 1 large broccoli crown (cut into 1 inch florets) (Note 2)
- 1 tsp ginger (minced) (Note 3)
- 2 tsp garlic (minced - about 2 cloves) (Note 3)
- 3 scallions (whites cut in 2 inch section and green parts chopped)
- 1 cup unsalted chicken broth
- 2 Tbsp. Shaoxing wine (or dry sherry)
- 2 Tbsp. light soy sauce
- 2 tsp. oyster sauce
- 1 Tbsp. brown sugar
- 2 Tbsp. cornstarch (divided) (mixed with 4 tbsp water to make a slurry)
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- grapeseed oil for stir frying (or other neutral oil) (Note 4)
Instructions
Prepare Your Ingredients (I describe the instructions for prep but this is also specified in the ingredients list above)
- Slice your chicken breasts into ¼" slices and place in a bowl. Add the water, oil, cornstarch and soy sauce. Mix thoroughly and set aside to marinate at least 15 minutes. (Note 5)
- Cut up the broccoli crown into 1 inch florets.
Prepare your aromatics
- Mince your garlic and ginger and cut the white part of scallions into 2 inch sections. Chop up the green parts of the scallions.
- Combine the sauce ingredients, broth, Shaoxing wine, soy sauce, oyster sauce and brown sugar in a bowl. In a separate dish, mix the cornstarch with water to make a slurry.
Heat your wok
- Place your wok on the medium/high heat until it starts to slightly smoke and/or you see the surface shimmering.
- Add enough neutral oil to the wok to coat the bottom.
Velvetize the chicken (Note 6)
- Place chicken as a single layer and sear both sides for 20 seconds. The chicken should change color quickly. Some pink spots are ok.
Cook your aromatics
- Lower heat to medium. Add some more neutral oil and the ginger, garlic and the white part of the scallions. Fry for about 30 seconds making sure they don't burn.
Add your ingredients and toss
- Increase the heat to medium/high again. Add the broccoli florets. Using a spatula, toss the florets around the wok to coat them with the aromatic oil. Lift and flip and cook for about 3 minutes. (Note 7)
Make Your Sauce (Note 8)
- Pour the sauce liquid in with the broccoli and bring to a simmer.
- Lower the heat to medium again. Add half the cornstarch slurry and mix. If the sauce is too watery add more slurry until desired thickness.
Finish and Serve
- Add back the slices of chicken along with any juices. Toss until thoroughly mixed.
- Add sesame oil (optional) and garnish with chopped green onion. Serve with fresh steamed rice.
Notes
Notes:
- Place chicken breast in the freezer for 20 minutes to partially freeze and make slicing it easier.
- Optionally blanch the broccoli if you want it more tender. We will be steaming it briefly in the stir fry sauce which will cook it thoroughly. I find this works just fine!
- Slice your ginger and garlic if you want a milder flavour.
- Use an oil with a high smoke point. Canola, peanut and vegetable oil also work great.
- This will velvetize your chicken and create more a tender and juicy chicken. All Chinese restaurants do this. You can do this step the night before and place in your fridge or skip it altogether. Your chicken will turn out more dry.
- This is a healthy alternative to flash frying (deep frying) which most Chinese restaurants do. You can also poach briefly in water instead of pan searing for an even healthier option.
- Make sure your broccoli florets are no larger then 1 inch since they don't cook for very long.
- I recommend blanching broccoli and other vegetables that take longer to cook (like cauliflower). To save more time, we skip this step by cutting the florets smaller and briefly steaming it in the stir fry sauce.
Alternatives:
Chicken: Use chicken thighs instead of breasts or sliced pork or beef. For a vegetarian option, use firm tofu and skip the velveting step. Shaoxing wine: Use dry sherry instead. If you use mirin, this will change the flavor and make it sweeter so reduce the amount of sugar in the sauce. Use more broth for a non-alcoholic option but these will modify the overall flavor and might not taste like the Chinese restaurants.Serving Tips
Serve chicken and broccoli stir fry on steamed rice - my favorite! Top it over stir fried noodles or cauliflower rice. Add some chili oil and/or siracha for a spicy alternative!Storing Tips
Refrigerate any leftover in an air tight container for up to 2-3 days. I don't recommend freezing any left overs since it will ultimately change the texture of the dish. Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!