Why you’ll love this chicken and broccoli recipe
Ever since I was little, my favorite thing to get when we ordered Chinese or went to a Chinese restaurant was chicken and broccoli. I love love love it. I love the sauce and the freshness of the broccoli. I even love the way the sticky white rice tastes all by itself. It’s something I really miss now that we live in France, and I must say – French Chinese food is just not the same as American Chinese food.
Over the past year or so, I’ve been testing out all sorts of Chinese recipes from Pinterest and other places on the internet, but I never found one that I thought stood its ground against the real deal. Finally, I think I’ve found the ONE. The sauce has the perfect texture and creaminess, and the broccoli – which needs to be cooked just right – is the perfect amount of crispness.
More takeout-inspired recipes: Chinese cashew chicken / quick peanut noodles / glazed snow peas / Thai chicken meatballs / slow cooker pepper steak
Ingredients:
Making changes to a recipe can result in recipe failure. Any substitutions listed below are simple changes that I believe will work in this recipe, but results are not guaranteed.
- Chicken – I use boneless, skinless chicken breast for this, but you could use boneless chicken thighs, or a combination of the two instead.
- Baking soda – This gives the sauce it’s classic takeout texture. I don’t recommend skipping it unless you’re in a pinch.
- Soy sauce – I normally use reduced-sodium soy sauce, but you can use regular – just adjust your salt accordingly.
- Brown sugar – Don’t leave this out. It makes a major difference in the flavor. If you don’t have brown sugar, the best swap is going to be honey.
- Rice vinegar – The closest swap for this will be white wine vinegar, but you can use almost any kind of vinegar (with the exception of balsamic) if needed.
Tips for making Chinese chicken and broccoli at home:
- Slice the chicken against the grain. This gives chicken the perfect texture and makes it more like restaurant style chicken and broccoli.
- Steam the broccoli. It needs to be cooked just right. I used a vegetable steamer, but you can steam it in the microwave, too. Just make sure you don’t steam it too long because it’s going to be cooked a little more when it’s added to the sauce.
- Add water chestnuts. You don’t need to add them, but they’re almost always included in takeout. So if you have them, add them.
Frequently asked questions
More chicken recipes worth trying: coconut chicken tenders / sweet chili chicken skewers / hot honey chicken sandwiches / panko crusted chicken
Chinese Chicken and Broccoli
Ingredients
- 2 boneless, skinless chicken breast, (about 1 1/2 pounds)
- 4 cups broccoli florets
- 1 8-ounce can sliced water chestnuts, optional
Marinade:
- 2 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce, or tamari for gluten free
- 1 tablespoon water
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
Sauce:
- 1/4 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce, or tamari for gluten free
- 2 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon brown sugar
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons flour, or 1 tablespoon cornstarch for gluten free
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 tablespoons water
Instructions
- Marinate your chicken. Whisk the marinade ingredients together in a small bowl. Pour over sliced chicken and let marinate while you prep the rest of the recipe.
- Steam the broccoli. Cut the broccoli into bite sized florets and place in a large, microwave safe bowl. Cook, uncovered, for 3 minutes in the microwave. Remove from the microwave and set aside.
- Make the sauce. Whisk the sauce ingredients together in a second medium bowl. Set aside.
- Cook the chicken. Heat a large, non-stick skillet to medium-high (add 1 tablespoon of oil if not using a nonstick pan). Add chicken with its marinade. Sauté until chicken is golden brown, stirring frequently, about 5 minutes.
- Add the rest. Add the sauce, steamed broccoli and water chestnuts to pan. Stir to evenly coat the ingredients with sauce and cook until sauce has thickened – about 2 minutes.For a thinner sauce, add about 1 tablespoon of water at a time until desired thickness has been reached.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like this? Leave a comment below!
I have been searching for a recipe this amazing for … ages! I’ve tried out quite a few, but this one is not only fantastic but also simple as well. In fact, I made it twice in one week. Normally I would feel a little silly admitting that, but who cares? It’s that good 🙂 Thank you so much for sharing!
That’s not silly at all! I do it all the time 🙂
I just made this dish and it was wonderful! My brother, who loves chicken and broccoli, said it was better than take out! Will make again, thanks!!! 🙂
i don’t see the steps for the directions?
HI, I dont see the directions to make this. Please let me know. Thanks
I’ve updated the recipe. It looks like something went a little wonky when I switched over to the new recipe format. So sorry if that was an inconvenience for you. I hope it didn’t ruin your dinner plans!
I’ve made this three times already and I love it. My daughter and husband also love it (my son’s not a fan…yet). To me, it hits the spot when I want the taste of Chinese takeout. 🙂 I’ve reduced the soy sauce just a little to ease off the saltiness, and I use chicken thighs for super tenderness. THANKS for this recipe!!
Just made it! My husband thinks it’s better than take out!!
I cooked the broccoli differently: put a but of sesame oil in the wok, heated it, put the broccoli in and mixed it all well. Added a bit of water, covered it for 3 minutes. It was all Delish!!
I just made this and am eating as I type. I LOVE me some chicken and broccoli take out. Unfortunately, Chinese food in south west Kansas isn’t quite like back home in New York.
This recipe is delicious!! The sauce is the perfect texture. I added a little extra water, as suggested, to thin the sauce a little. Next time (probably sometime this week) I’d like to add some ginger.
Ginger would be a wonderful addition! I’m glad you liked the recipe 🙂
I am excited to make this recipe tonight. Just a couple questions, I already have a bag of broccoli that is bite size/crowns already. how many cups do you think a head is?
Also any suggestions with doubling the recipe? I know sometimes it messes up a recipe.
So sorry I didn’t get back to you sooner. I think one bag of pre-chopped broccoli should be just fine. A small head of broccoli should be around 3-4 cups when roughly chopped.