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30-Minute Chicken and Broccoli

30 minute chicken and broccoli is a fast quick chicken stir fry with glossy chicken breast strips and bright green broccoli florets coated in a garlic soy sauce. It thickens with a cornstarch slurry so the sauce clings to every bite, ready in about 30 minutes over fluffy white rice.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: Asian-American
Calories: 520
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Chicken and broccoli
  • 1.5 lb chicken breast Sliced thin for quick cooking.
  • 4 cup broccoli florets Keep florets bite-sized so they turn bright green and tender-crisp.
  • 3 tbsp vegetable oil Divided for cooking chicken and broccoli.
  • 5 clove garlic Minced.
  • 1 tbsp fresh ginger Grated.
Garlic soy sauce
  • 0.25 cup soy sauce
  • 2 tbsp oyster sauce
  • 1 tbsp brown sugar
  • 1 tsp sesame oil
  • 1 tbsp cornstarch Mixed with water to make slurry.
  • 3 tbsp water For cornstarch slurry.
To serve
  • 0.5 sesame seeds Sprinkle over the finished stir fry.
  • 1 cup cooked rice Cooked white rice for serving.

Equipment

  • 1 cast iron skillet
  • 1 Dutch oven

Method
 

Make the sauce
  1. Whisk soy sauce, oyster sauce, brown sugar, and sesame oil together for the sauce until smooth.
Cook chicken
  1. Heat 2 tablespoons vegetable oil in a wok or large skillet over high heat, then add chicken in a single layer and cook for 3–4 minutes until golden; remove and set aside.
Stir-fry broccoli
  1. Add remaining vegetable oil to the skillet and cook broccoli for 3–4 minutes until bright green and tender-crisp, then push the broccoli to the sides.
Finish and thicken
  1. Add garlic and ginger to the center and cook for 30 seconds, then add chicken back in.
Sauce everything
  1. Pour the sauce over everything and stir, then add the cornstarch slurry and toss for about 1 minute until the sauce thickens and coats the chicken and broccoli.
Serve
  1. Serve immediately over cooked rice with sesame seeds on top while the sauce is glossy and clingy.

Notes

For best texture, slice the chicken thin and keep broccoli pieces similar in size so everything finishes at the same time. Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days; reheat in a skillet over medium heat with a splash of water to loosen the sauce. Freezing is not recommended because broccoli can turn soft after thawing. For a lighter option, replace oyster sauce with low-sodium soy sauce plus an extra teaspoon of brown sugar to keep the sauce balanced.