Chinese Chicken and Broccoli Recipe

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We’ve all been there: it’s the middle of the week, and the craving for a Chinese takeaway strikes. But then you think about the expense, the delivery time, and what might be in the food. What if we could show you how to recreate that beloved chicken and broccoli dish at home, making it faster, healthier, and even more delicious than your go-to takeaway? It’s entirely possible. Allow us to walk you through our definitive Chinese Chicken and Broccoli Recipe, a meal so delightful and straightforward it’s sure to earn a regular spot on your dinner rota.

This is more than just a standard stir-fry guide. We’re letting you in on a restaurant-quality secret: the simple art of “velveting” chicken to achieve that incredibly tender, juicy texture. Imagine that succulent chicken combined with perfectly crisp broccoli, all coated in a rich, savoury sauce that clings to every single piece. This is the ultimate quick weeknight dinner you’ve been hoping to find. So, let’s fire up the wok!

Why You’ll Love This Homemade Chicken and Broccoli Stir-Fry

Before we get to the how-to, let’s explore what makes this recipe so exceptional in our eyes. It’s not just about putting food on the table; it’s about providing a brilliant solution for hectic evenings and empowering you to cook incredible dishes at home.

Faster Than Delivery: This entire dish can be ready from start to finish in around 30 minutes. That’s quicker than deciding what to order, making the call, and waiting for it to arrive at your door!
Healthier and Fresher: By using fresh produce, we have complete control over what goes into our meal. That means less salt, less oil, and no unwelcome additives—just pure, unadulterated flavour.
Completely Customisable: This recipe is wonderfully flexible. No broccoli in the fridge? Try using bell peppers or mange tout. Fancy a bit more heat? A splash of chilli oil will do the trick. We offer plenty of suggestions to help you tailor it perfectly.
Budget-Friendly: Cooking your takeaway favourites at home is a fantastic way to look after your wallet. Our recipe relies on simple, cost-effective ingredients to create a meal that tastes truly luxurious.

The Secret to Tender Chicken: The Magic of Velveting

Do you ever marvel at how chicken from a Chinese restaurant is always so meltingly soft and tender? The secret lies in a method known as velveting. This is a straightforward process where the meat is marinated in a mixture, typically containing cornflour, which forms a protective coating. This layer seals in the natural juices during cooking, guaranteeing succulent chicken even when flash-fried at high temperatures. While it may sound like a professional chef’s trick, it’s remarkably simple and elevates the dish to another level. We have, of course, built this essential step into our recipe to help you achieve that authentic taste and texture.

Essential Ingredients for Our Chinese Chicken and Broccoli Recipe

Any fantastic stir-fry begins with quality components. Below is the full list of what we’ll need to bring this dish to life. We strongly advise preparing and measuring all your ingredients before you even think about turning on the heat, as the actual cooking happens in a flash!

For the Chicken Marinade (Velveting)

Chicken Breasts: We opt for boneless, skinless chicken breasts, which we slice thinly against the natural grain. Chicken thighs also work beautifully if you prefer a richer flavour.
Cornflour: This is the star ingredient for achieving that velvety, protective layer on the chicken.
Light Soy Sauce: This provides the initial layer of savoury seasoning for the marinade.
Shaoxing Wine: A cornerstone of Chinese cuisine, this adds a unique, fragrant complexity.
White Pepper: Provides a gentle, earthy warmth that’s quite different from its black counterpart.

For the Irresistible Stir-Fry Sauce

Oyster Sauce: This delivers a rich, savoury, and slightly sweet umami taste that forms the foundation of our homemade chicken and broccoli sauce.
Light Soy Sauce: Used here for its salty kick and light colour.
Dark Soy Sauce: This imparts a deep, appetising colour and a subtle, molasses-style sweetness. Be careful, as a small amount is all you need!
Chicken Broth: This creates the liquid base for our sauce. We suggest a low-sodium variety to manage the saltiness.
Toasted Sesame Oil: Stirred in right at the end, this oil lends a wonderfully nutty aroma and flavour that we want to preserve.
Sugar: Just a touch is needed to create a perfect balance between the salty and savoury elements.
Cornflour: This is our thickening agent, ensuring the sauce has the right consistency to coat every ingredient.

For the Stir-Fry

Broccoli Florets: We use fresh florets, which we’ll blanch briefly to get that perfect tender-crisp texture and vibrant green colour.
Garlic & Ginger: This classic aromatic duo forms the flavour foundation for almost any great stir-fry.
Vegetable Oil: A neutral oil with a high smoke point, such as rapeseed or sunflower oil, is ideal.

Step-by-Step Instructions: Let’s Get Cooking!

Are you ready to make some culinary magic? Just follow our straightforward steps, and you’ll be on your way to a perfect chicken and broccoli stir-fry, every single time.

Prepare the Broccoli: Begin by cutting the broccoli head into even, bite-sized florets. To get them perfectly tender-crisp and lock in their brilliant green colour, we’ll quickly blanch them. Plunge them into a saucepan of boiling water for no more than 60 to 90 seconds. Promptly drain and rinse under cold running water to halt the cooking process. Put them to one side.
Velvet the Chicken: Take your chicken breasts and slice them into thin, uniform pieces. In a bowl, toss the chicken with all the marinade ingredients: cornflour, light soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, and white pepper. Stir until each piece is thoroughly coated. Allow it to marinate for at least 15 minutes while you organise the other components.
Mix the Sauce: In a separate small bowl or jug, whisk together every ingredient for the stir-fry sauce. That’s the oyster sauce, light and dark soy sauces, chicken broth, sugar, and cornflour. Ensure the cornflour is completely dissolved to avoid lumps. Set this aside for later.
Sear the Chicken: Place a wok or a large frying pan over a high heat. Add a tablespoon of vegetable oil and wait for it to shimmer. Gently lay the marinated chicken pieces in the pan in a single layer—it’s important not to overcrowd it, so cook in two batches if necessary. Sear for 2-3 minutes on each side until cooked through and beautifully golden. Transfer the cooked chicken to a plate and set aside.
Sauté the Aromatics: Using the same pan, add a little more oil if needed. Tip in the minced garlic and grated ginger and stir-fry briskly for around 30 seconds until their wonderful aroma is released. Take care that they don’t catch and burn!
Combine and Sauce: Now, return the seared chicken to the pan, along with the blanched broccoli florets. Give your prepared sauce mixture a final quick stir, as the cornflour will have settled at the bottom, and pour it evenly over the chicken and broccoli.
Thicken and Serve: Keep everything moving, stirring constantly. You’ll notice the sauce start to bubble and thicken within a minute or two. As soon as it becomes glossy and coats all the ingredients, remove the pan from the heat. Stir through the toasted sesame oil, and serve straight away with freshly steamed rice.

Pro Tips for the Perfect Easy Chicken and Broccoli Stir-Fry

If you’re looking to elevate your stir-fry skills from good to great, these professional pointers are well worth remembering.

Mise en Place is Key: The French culinary term “mise en place” simply means getting all your ingredients prepped and ready before you begin. With stir-frying, the action is so rapid that you won’t have a moment to spare for chopping once the heat is on.
High Heat is Your Friend: A very hot wok or pan is non-negotiable. This intense heat is what creates the signature “wok hei”—or “breath of the wok”—and ensures your ingredients fry perfectly rather than stewing in their own juices.
Don’t Overcrowd the Pan: Adding too much food to the pan at once dramatically reduces its temperature. This leads to the ingredients steaming instead of searing, which can result in a soggy texture. If you’re doubling up the recipe, always cook in batches.
Slice Meat Against the Grain: To guarantee the most tender mouthfuls of chicken, pay attention to the direction of the muscle fibres in the meat and slice directly across them.

For those who appreciate quick yet flavour-packed chicken dishes such as this, we believe you’ll also be delighted with these Tasty Bang Bang Chicken Skewers Delicious Easy as another fantastic option for a weeknight dinner.

Variations and Substitutions

One of the greatest attributes of this recipe is just how adaptable it is. Here are some of our favourite ways to modify it based on your preferences or whatever you happen to have on hand.

Protein Swaps

This method works just as well with thinly sliced beef sirloin or flank steak, succulent prawns, or even firm tofu if you’d like a vegetarian meal. Simply be sure to adjust your cooking times to suit the protein.

Vegetable Add-ins

Don’t hesitate to throw in other vegetables! Sliced carrots, colourful bell peppers, mushrooms, baby corn, or water chestnuts all make wonderful additions. Add harder vegetables like carrots at the same time as the broccoli, and faster-cooking ones like peppers near the end.

Making It Gluten-Free

For a gluten-free version of this dish, you’ll need to swap the soy sauces for tamari or a specific gluten-free soy sauce alternative. It’s also wise to double-check that your chosen brands of oyster sauce and chicken broth are certified gluten-free.

Serving Suggestions

Naturally, the traditional accompaniment for chicken and broccoli is a bowl of fluffy, steamed jasmine rice, which is ideal for soaking up all of that wonderful sauce. For a healthier choice, brown rice or quinoa also work beautifully. If noodles are more your thing, this dish is excellent served over a bed of boiled egg noodles. To complete the meal, we find that a crisp side such as this Asian Salad Recipe provides a perfectly refreshing contrast.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Can I use frozen broccoli?
Yes, absolutely. There is no need to defrost it beforehand. You can omit the blanching step and simply add the frozen florets to the hot pan after the aromatics have been sautéed. It’s a good idea to stir-fry them for a couple of minutes, perhaps with a splash of water to create some steam, before you add the chicken and sauce back in.
What is Shaoxing wine and is there a substitute?
Shaoxing wine is a traditional Chinese rice wine that’s fundamental to many recipes, lending an incredible depth of flavour and aroma. If you cannot find it, dry sherry makes a very good substitute. For an alcohol-free alternative, you can replace it with chicken or vegetable broth mixed with a tiny dash of rice vinegar.
How do I store and reheat leftovers?
Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days. We recommend reheating gently in a saucepan over a medium heat, or you can use a microwave. The broccoli may soften slightly upon reheating, but the dish will remain just as tasty.
Why is my sauce too thin?
The cornflour in the sauce is what provides the thickening power. If your sauce seems watery, it might not have simmered for long enough to fully activate the cornflour. To fix this, you can create a “slurry” by mixing one teaspoon of cornflour with two teaspoons of cold water. Stir this mixture into the simmering sauce and continue to cook until it reaches the consistency you desire.
Is this a healthy Chinese chicken recipe?
Without a doubt! When compared to a typical takeaway version, our homemade recipe contains far less oil and sodium. It’s brimming with lean protein from the chicken and packed with the vitamins and fibre found in broccoli. As health bodies like the NHS advise, incorporating a variety of vegetables like broccoli is a key part of a balanced diet.

Conclusion: Your New Go-To Weeknight Winner

We hope we’ve demonstrated just how simple it can be to prepare a wonderfully delicious and wholesome Chinese Chicken and Broccoli Recipe from the comfort of your own home. Once you master simple techniques like velveting the chicken and creating a well-balanced sauce, you’ll be able to wave goodbye to disappointing takeaways for good. Our recipe is speedy, versatile, and delivers incredible flavour every time, making it the ideal response to that daily question: “What’s for dinner?”.

We would absolutely love to hear about your own creations using our recipe! Did you experiment with different vegetables or add a little extra spice? Please do let us know. We invite you to leave a comment and a rating below to tell us all about it. Happy cooking!