Flavor-packed healthy chicken and broccoli stir fry made with chicken, broccoli, and a thick and sticky sauce to bring it all together. Easy to make, ready in 30 minutes, and only calls for 10 ingredients! You’ll never order it at a restaurant again after making it at home. Paleo, Whole30, and gluten-free.
Hello to the easiest healthy chicken and broccoli stir fry! We love a good stir fry for dinner – protein, veggies, carbs, and a delicious sauce. What else can you ask for?! Our go-to has been this paleo beef & broccoli, but I decided to change things up a bit!
And who doesn’t love classic Chinese food?! We grew up eating it in the colder months (my mom LOVES Chinese food) and it still brings back fond family memories. I love going back east and going to Chinatown in Philadelphia with my family.
Some of the Chinese best food I’ve ever eaten!
While I love going out for good Chinese food, it sometimes doesn’t make me feel my best. Loaded with MSG, stranger thickeners, and hidden flours. And that is where this healthy chicken and broccoli comes in!
It has all some same great flavors, but without any thickeners for flours, making it gluten-free, paleo, and Whole30 approved. And it’s super easy to make and a great alternative to takeout!
Chicken and Broccoli Stir Fry
This Chinese chicken & broccoli stir fry calls 10 ingredients total. Chicken and broccoli are obviously the main ingredients and then you need 7 other ingredients to make the savory sauce.
Here is what you need:
- chicken breast – I love ButcherBox
- broccoli
- chicken broth
- coconut aminos
- lime juice
- sesame oil
- garlic
- ginger
- red pepper flakes
- salt and pepper
First mix together your sauce ingredients in a small saucepan. This will cook while you make the chicken and broccoli.
Bring to a simmer over medium-low heat and let simmer for 20 minutes. Make sure to stir often and watch so it doesn’t boil. After about 20 minutes, the sauce should be reduced by 2/3 and thickened and achieved a nappe consistency. Remove from heat and let cool for a minute.
While the sauce is cooking, make the chicken and broccoli. First slice the chicken into thin strips. I suggest popping it in the freezer for 10 minutes so it is easier to slice. Salt and pepper each side and cook until sightly browned. Since it is so thin, you only need about 1-2 minutes, flipping hallways through.
Make sure not to overcrowd it – I did mine in a few batches. It will come back in the pan at the end so keep that in mind as well. No one likes overcooked and dry chicken.
After you cook the chicken and remove it from the pan, cook the broccoli in the leftover juices. Saute for 5 or so minutes until softened and cooked to your liking. If needed, add a little broth to the pan to help steam.
Around this time the sauce should be done as well. Add the chicken back into the pan. Make sure you don’t add the juices as this will thin out the sauce. Add in the sauce and mix well until combined and everything is nicely coated.
Finally, top with sesame seeds and green onion and serve with sides of choice!
Substitutions for Healthy Chicken and Broccoli Stir Fry
This recipe is pretty straightforward, but there are a few things you can change up to make it work for you. Here are some good substitutions or add-ins you can add to this chicken and broccoli recipe:
- chicken – feel free to use chicken thighs instead of breast
- broth – any kind of broth will work (beef or veggie)
- soy sauce – if you can’t find coconut aminos and can have soy, soy sauce would work in this recipe. Tamari would also work if you are gluten-free. I haven’t tried either of them, but both are similar to coconut aminos. Do not use liquid aminos as they are too salty.
- veggies – feel free to add some more veggies to the mix! It won’t be authentic Chinese chicken and broccoli, but I will never tell someone not to add more veggies to a dish!
- red pepper flakes – feel free to omit them if you don’t like spicy food
What to Serve with Chicken and Broccoli Stir Fry
Here are a few options to serve with chicken stir fry:
- white rice – put it on before you start to make the sauce and it will be done at the same time
- cauliflower rice – a low carb alternative to white rice and great if you are following the Whole30
- zucchini noodles – another great low carb alternative
- rice noodles
More Healthy Chicken Dinner Recipes
30+ Best Whole30 Chicken Recipes
Chicken and Broccoli Stir Fry
ingredients
- 1 1/2 tablespoons avocado oil
- 1 pound chicken breast (thinly sliced)*
- 2 heads broccoli, florets removed (7 cups/465 grams)
- 1/2 cup chicken broth
- 1/2 cup coconut aminos
- 3 tablespoons lime juice
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 inch fresh ginger, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- salt and pepper, to taste
- optional toppings: sesame seeds, green onions...
- for serving: white rice, cauliflower rice...
instructions
- In a small saucepan, make the sauce by combining the broth, coconut aminos, lime juice, sesame oil, garlic, ginger, red pepper flakes, and pepper. Bring to a simmer over medium-low heat and let simmer for 20 minutes. Make sure to stir often and watch so it doesn’t boil. After about 20 minutes, sauce should be thickened and reduced by 2/3 and coat the back of a spoon (nappe consistency). Remove from heat and let cool for a minute.
- When the sauce has about 7-8 minutes left, make the chicken and broccoli. Season the sliced chicken with salt and pepper. Heat a large sauté pan over medium heat, add oil, and let it get hot. Add slices of chicken, without overcrowding, and cook 30-60 seconds per side (depending on how thick you sliced it). Remove from pan and repeat with remaining chicken (I had to do this in 3 batches).
- Leave the chicken juices in the pan and add broccoli. Cook for 3-5 minutes until tender. If needed, add a splash of broth to help stem it some. Add back in the chicken to the pan and mix to combine. Be careful not to add the chicken juices as this will thin out the sauce.
- Add in the sauce and mix well until combined and everything is nicely coated. Top with sesame seeds and green onion and serve with your sides of choice!
notes
nutrition
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Merrill Robinson says
Loved this so so so much! My boyfriend and I are on a sodium restriction so I used 3/4 cups of chicken broth and 1/4 cup of coconut aminos but the lime really shines in the sauce! It was so good and I shared with some friends 🙂 Looking forward to trying some of your other recipes, too!
Kelly says
So glad you enjoyed it Merrill and I’m glad those swaps worked well. Thank you for trying them!
Lori Casagrande says
Hi Kelly! I just finished making this and it is phenomenal! Delish! The only problem I had was my sauce didn’t thicken. 😢 I tried adding a little cornstarch, to no avail. That won’t stop me from making it again!
Thank you very much,
Lori
Kelly says
So glad you liked it Lori! A few others have been saying that so I am going to try the recipe again and see what I can do to update it. Appreciate the feedback!
Brittany says
We LOVE this recipe, but we have the same issue with the sauce never thickening. We still make it even with the thinner soup/sauce consistency, but I do wish we could get it thicker somehow.
Kelly says
Hey Brittany! Thanks for letting me know. I haven’t made this in quite some time, but I will give it a go and see what is going on and update the post where needed! Glad you still enjoy it though!
Alana says
My family is obsessed with this recipe! It’s a great way to get my kids eating healthy. I was wondering if it would stay good frozen and reheated? Thanks!
Kelly says
Hey Alana! So happy to hear that! Yes, I think it would work just fine to freeze and then defrost. I haven’t tried it, but I don’t see why it wouldn’t. Let me know if you try!
Mary Zapchenk says
So yummy! This is such a good meal! It was super easy to make, tasted really fresh, and I felt healthy eating it!! I literally could eat all the broccoli!
Kelly says
So glad you enjoyed Mary! We love it in our house too!!
Ann says
This recipe is not good. The sauce never thickened even though I had it on for 40 minutes. My mouth burns from how salty it is. I threw it away and wasted perfectly good chicken and broccoli.
Kelly says
Hi Ann, I am sorry to hear the recipe didn’t turn out for you. I will say the brand of coconut aminos could affect the recipe. Also, I know people have tried to use liquid aminos and those are not the same thing and will be way too salty. I’m not sure exactly what you used but I am thinking that might be the issue.
Lindsey says
I love this recipe flavor wise but I had the same issue with the sauce not thickening. I used the exact same coconut aminos you linked…I can’t figure it out! I even added tapioca flour one time and even that didn’t work.
Kelly says
Shoot, I don’t know what would have happened as I haven’t had issues with it. It does take some time to thicken and you need to be patient, but after 20 minutes it should be reduced down. I will try it again and see if I can troubleshoot. Sorry for the inconvenience Lindsey.
Sara says
This recipe rocks! The sauce was perfect. I had extra veggies from my Misfits Market produce box so I added snow peas and carrots. My whole family loved it and everyone went back for seconds. This recipe is now on our list of dinners that we love!
Kelly says
Yay, love the addition of more veggies!! And everyone liked it! Glad you enjoyed and thanks for trying it!
Stephanie Katz says
This recipe is legit – LOVED it! I made it for the third time this weekend and this time I added some string beans. It’s easy to make, tastes delicious and is great for meal prep Sunday. It stays great and holds up well in the refrigerator.. Two thumbs up!!
Kelly says
YES! I love hearing this, so glad you like it Stephanie! And love the addition of some more veggies. Thank you for trying it!
Arielle says
Excellent recipe! Used about 1.5 lb boneless-skinless chicken thighs and added about half a red bell pepper for a pop of color. Made 1.5 the amount of sauce, which was amazing by the way! Served over brown rice. Definitely brought back childhood memories of going out Sunday night Chinese food.
Kelly says
Love that you added in some more veggies Arielle! So glad you liked it and thank you for trying it!
Shelby says
I added sliced white onions but this recipe is so perfect! It’s going into weekly rotation even when I’m not on Whole30!
Kelly says
Oh I love that idea!! So glad you liked it and thanks for trying Shelby!