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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Sonya says
I made this for my family last night and everyone loved it! I was anticipating a large amount of leftovers, as there are only 3 people in my family, but we ate all of it. We’ve been trying the keto diet for awhile and this is the best recipe I’ve tried. I can’t wait to make this again. It is definitely a new family favorite. Thank you!
Kelly says
So happy to hear that, Sonya! Thanks for trying it!
Gina says
Hey Kelly! I’m noticing your nutrition facts list the carbs for this meal as being 30g per serving. Is that including rice or anything or is that carb calculation just based on the sauce and broccoli? Thanks!
Kelly says
Hey Gina! Great question – that accounts for the coconut aminos in the recipe. The ones I use have 2 grams of carbs per teaspoon, and with using 1/2 cup, they add up to a decent amount. Then of course the broccoli adds a tad. You could cut it down some by using fewer coconut aminos, the flavor just won’t be as strong and I’m not sure if the sauce with thicken up the same. You could check out my beef and broccoli stir fry as it has fewer coconut aminos and uses arrowroot flour to help thicken it up. Hope that helps some!
Sonya says
I made this for my family last night and everyone loved it! I was anticipating a large amount of leftovers, as there are only 3 people in my family, but we ate all of it. I loved the hint of ginger! I can’t wait to make this again. It is definitely a new family favorite. Thank you!
Kelly says
So happy to hear it was a hit with everyone! We barely have leftovers between the 2 of us haha! Thanks for trying it Sonya and glad you enjoyed it!
Sonya says
I made this last night and I loved it! My husband and I have been recently obsessed with stir fry of all kinds and I think this one is our favorite. Any recommendations on how to best reheat leftovers? I was debating between air fryer, oven, and microwave… Thanks so much!
Kelly says
So glad you both enjoyed it, Sonya! I would go with the microwave or just heat it up in a pan again. Just be careful not to overcook the chicken too much. Thanks for trying it!
Heather says
Our family has had this meal a couple times and really enjoyed it. I add 2 TBS cold water & 2 TBS cornstarch together and then add it to the sauce when it’s done if it doesn’t seem thick enough. Thanks for sharing this quick & healthy recipe!
Kelly says
Thanks for the tip Heather and glad your family enjoys it! I appreciate the feedback.
Catherine says
This was AWFUL. I followed the recipe exactly and i had to throw out the entire meal. The sauce never thickened like a few people stated above. I honestly dk what the people didn’t differently that actually had success with this meal. It was so bad. Sorry…had to be honest with this. Hated to waste all that food.
Kelly says
Hey Catherine, I’m sorry to hear that and appreciate you being honest. I have tried this recipe many times with no issue so I’m not really sure what is happening, but I can try to troubleshoot again. Not sure if the coconut aminos changed or what. Sorry, you had to waste the meal.
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!