How can you make a chicken-broccoli stir-fry dish as tender and juicy as a Chinese restaurant in less than 20 minutes? I’ll show you how a Chinese restaurant makes chicken juicy and tender. Then you can easily make any healthy and delicious Chinese chicken stir fry dish at home.
Where Does Chicken and Broccoli Stir Fry Come From?
Chinese chicken and broccoli stir fry is a dish inspired by Chinese cuisine. But it is a combination of traditional Chinese cuisine and Western flavors. Western broccoli isn’t native to China. In traditional Chinese cuisine, a vegetable called Chinese broccoli (gai lan) is more commonly used. Chicken broccoli stir fry is a Chinese-American cuisine. Chinese immigrants use locally available ingredients (like western broccoli) and adapt them to American tastes with sweeter or milder sauces.
Tips for Chicken and Broccoli Stir Fry:
- Cut the chicken breast into 2 slices and then diagonally into 1/4-inch thick slices. This way all the chicken pieces are the same thickness, they cook faster and are easier to prepare. It won’t take as long to fry and the chicken will be tender and juicy.
- Always cut the chicken breast against the grain to loosen the tissue. This is how Chinese restaurants get tender and juicy chicken breasts that are not bland.
- Fry the chicken breast in a hot pan. Spread them out in the pan and don’t overlap them so that you can fry them until golden brown. Stir fry when the underside is golden brown.
What you need:
Chicken Marinade:
0.6 lb /300g boneless skinless chicken breasts, (sliced 1/4 inch thick)
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon rice wine, (Shaoxing wine or dry sherry)
Chicken Broccoli Sauce:
1/2 cup water
1 1/4 tablespoon soy sauce
1/2 tablespoon dark soy sauce
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
1 teaspoon cornstarch
Some black pepper
Stir Fry:
10 oz /300g broccoli florets
3 cloves garlic, (minced)
1 tablespoon oil
How to make chicken and broccoli
- Mix the sauce- add all the sauce ingredients to a medium bowl and whisk until completely mixed. Set aside.
- Cut the chicken breast into 2 slices.
- Cut the chicken breast diagonally into 1/4-inch thick slices.
- Marinate the chicken breast with rice wine, soy sauce, and cornstarch. Mix well and set aside.
- Boil a bowl of water, add the broccoli and the oil. Cover the pot for 2 minutes and then remove it to a plate.
- Fry the chicken breast – Heat the oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat. Add chicken in a single layer, garlic and carrots, in batches if necessary, and fry until browned, about 2 minutes per side.
- Add the sauce and broccoli and stir-fry for 1 minute. Season with a little black pepper.
- Ready to serve.
More Chinese Chicken Recipes:
Honey Garlic Soy Chicken
Chicken Stir Fry With Chinese Red Sauce
Black Pepper Chicken
Chicken Shawarma
Mongolian Chicken Recipe
Watch how to make:
Ingredients
Chicken Marinade:
- 0.6 lb /300g boneless skinless chicken breasts, (sliced 1/4 inch thick)
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon rice wine, (Shaoxing wine or dry sherry)
Chicken Broccoli Sauce:
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 1/4 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1/2 tablespoon dark soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- Some black pepper
Stir Fry
- 10 oz /300g broccoli florets
- 3 cloves garlic, (minced)
- 1 tablespoon oil
Instructions
- Mix the sauce- add all the sauce ingredients to a medium bowl and whisk until completely mixed. Set aside.
- Cut the chicken breast into 2 slices. Cut the chicken breast diagonally into 1/4-inch thick slices.
- Marinate the chicken breast with rice wine, soy sauce, and cornstarch. Mix well and set aside.
- Boil a bowl of water, add the broccoli and the oil. Cover the pot for 2 minutes and then remove it to a plate.
- Fry the chicken breast – Heat the oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat. Add chicken in a single layer, garlic and carrots, in batches if necessary, and fry until browned, about 2 minutes per side.
- Add the sauce and broccoli and stir-fry for 1 minute. Season with a little black pepper.
- Serve – immediately with a side dish of rice.
Video
Tips & Notes:
- Cut the chicken breast into 2 slices and then diagonally into 1/4-inch thick slices. This way all the chicken pieces are the same thickness, they cook faster and are easier to prepare. It won’t take as long to fry and the chicken will be tender and juicy.
- Always cut the chicken breast against the grain to loosen the tissue. This is how Chinese restaurants get tender and juicy chicken breasts that are not bland.
- Fry the chicken breast in a hot pan. Spread them out in the pan and don’t overlap them so that you can fry them until golden brown. Stir fry when the underside is golden brown.
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