This Chinese Chicken and Broccoli is delicious and easy to make – Marinated cubed chicken stir fry with crunchy broccoli along with the sauce!

About the chicken

Here are some things to note about the chicken.

Dark Meat vs. White Meat

For this recipe you can use chick thighs instead of chicken breast depending on your preference. Usually, you can use them interchangeably ad then for some recipes, depending on the thickness of the chicken you may need to adjust the timing.

Since in this recipe you are cutting it in to small pieces, the timing will pretty much be the same. Basically – just make sure that the chicken is thoroughly cooked before serving!

If you’re curious about the differences between the two, here’s an article all about it.

Marinating the chicken

We will be marinating the chicken before we cook it. Even marinating for 15 minutes will help make the chicken more tender and more flavorful!

I like to use the following ingredients:

Honey – technically honey or sugar will work, the sweetness will balance out the saltiness of the soy sauce

Soy Sauce – this is what will add a tasty flavorful to our chicken.

Sesame oil – the oil will help it cook and plus sesame oil is delicious

Cornstarch – cornstarch is the best in marinating meat in Chinese food. This is because it coats it so it stays more tender during stir frying.

About Broccoli

Just a quick note on the broccoli, so you pick some fresh tasty ones:

Tips for selecting and storing broccoli

When shopping for broccoli, look for broccoli with firm stems, crisp leaves and tightly closed dark green or purplish-green buds. Bunches with yellow or open buds and woody stems are usually an indicator that it is no longer fresh.

I often do a short cut where I go to the salad section of the grocery store and buy those that are already trimmed and pre-washed to make my dinner prep easier.

When you take it home, refrigerate it as soon as possible. Yes broccoli can stay out the fridge for 1-2 days but it won’t stay fresh long.

How to cook Chinese Chicken and Broccoli Stir Fry

First gather your ingredients:

• Marinade:
  • 1 lb boneless skinless chicken thigh, cut in to 1/2 inch pieces
  • 2 tsp honey
  • 2 tsp sesame oil
  • 2 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1 tsp cornstarch
• 4 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped
• 1/4 cup of chicken broth (or water if you don’t have any)
• 2 tbsp cooking oil, separated
• 1 crown of broccoli, cut in to florets
• 1 tbsp oyster sauce
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• Salt, to taste

In a small bowl, combine chicken with honey, sesame oil, soy sauce, and cornstarch and allow it to marinade for half hour (up to overnight – the longer the better).

Heat 1 tbsp of cooking oil in a large skillet or wok over medium high heat. Add chicken and garlic and stir fry for about 5 minutes until it’s mostly browned and then remove from heat and set aside.

In the same skillet, add another tbsp of oil, chicken broth, and broccoli. Cook on medium heat, covered for 1 minute. Uncover and stir fry for about 2 more minutes or until broccoli is as tender as you prefer. For me, it should turn to a vibrant green.

Add chicken back in to the cooking pan / wok, along with oyster sauce and sesame oil, and stir fry everything together to mix well.

Remove from heat and serve! I recommend with white rice.

By the way, if you’re interested in other dishes I like to order for Chinese takeout that I also make at home, here they are!

Chinese Dumplings

Mongolian Beef

Moo Goo Gai Pan

Broccoli Beef

Chicken Fried Rice

Shrimp Fried Rice

Twice Cooked Pork

Snow Peas Beef Stir Fry

Chinese Wontons

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If you enjoyed this recipe, check out these Five Delicious Chinese Recipes to make at home!

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