Chicken and Broccoli is the Spaghetti and Meatballs of the Chinese takeout world—basic, familiar, and ubiquitous.
This is a healthy, tasty, and super easy dish to make at home. While we have Chicken and Broccoli with Brown Sauce, which is more of a gravy (and SUPER delicious too, by the way), this version of the dish has a really light white sauce.
Rather than searing the chicken (i.e. oil velveting), the chicken is water velveted, or blanched, making for a lighter flavored dish.
Why go to a takeout place and order from the “healthy” menu when you can whip this up at home?
It’s just a great, simple dish, and it deserves a simple post. So with that, on to the recipe!
Note: This recipe was first published in November 2013. We have since re-tested and re-photographed it, and added metric measurements and clearer instructions. Enjoy!
Takeout Chicken Broccoli with White Sauce: Recipe Instructions
In a medium bowl, combine the sliced chicken, water, oyster sauce, cornstarch, and vegetable oil. Massage the marinade ingredients until absorbed by the chicken, and set aside for 30 minutes to marinate.
Meanwhile, make the sauce mixture. Combine the sugar, salt, sesame oil, white pepper, and chicken stock, and set aside.
Bring 6 cups of water to a boil. Blanch the broccoli for 1-2 minutes, drain, and set aside.
How long you cook your broccoli is a personal preference. If you like your broccoli crunchy, 1 minute is plenty of time. If you like your broccoli soft, for 2 minutes (or even a little longer), or until it is to your liking.
Let the water come back up to a boil. Add the chicken, and stir to separate the pieces. Cook just until the chicken turns opaque, and remove using a strainer. Set aside. Discard the water in the wok, and wash it clean.
Heat your wok over medium high heat until it’s completely dry. Add the vegetable oil, ginger, and garlic.
Cook for 20 seconds, and add the rice wine around the perimeter of the wok.
Next, stir up the warmed chicken stock and seasonings, and add it into the wok. Keep stirring for another minute to combine, and let everything come up to a simmer.
Mix the cornstarch and water together into a slurry. Pour the cornstarch slurry into the liquid slowly, stirring constantly, until thickened.
Use only ¾ of the slurry, and check the thickness of the sauce. Add the rest if necessary. Or if the sauce is too thick, add more chicken stock or water.
Add the chicken and broccoli back to the wok…
Stir it in for 30 seconds. Taste for seasoning, and adjust if needed. Serve immediately!
Chinese Takeout Chicken & Broccoli with White Sauce
Ingredients
For the chicken:
- 12 ounces boneless skinless chicken breast (thinly sliced)
- 3 tablespoons water
- 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
For the rest of the dish:
- 1/4 teaspoon sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
- 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1/8 teaspoon ground white pepper
- ¾ cup low sodium chicken stock (warmed)
- 4 cups broccoli florets
- 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
- 1/4 teaspoon fresh ginger (minced)
- 2 teaspoons garlic (minced)
- 1 tablespoon clear rice wine (or Shaoxing wine)
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch (mixed with 2 tablespoons/30 ml water)
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, combine the sliced chicken, water, oyster sauce, cornstarch, and vegetable oil. Massage the marinade ingredients until absorbed by the chicken, and set aside for 30 minutes to marinate.
- Meanwhile, make the sauce mixture. Combine the sugar, salt, sesame oil, white pepper, and chicken stock, and set aside.
- Bring 6 cups of water to a boil. Blanch the broccoli for 1-2 minutes, drain, and set aside. How long you cook your broccoli is a personal preference. If you like your broccoli crunchy, 1 minute is plenty of time. If you like your broccoli soft, for 2 minutes (or even a little longer), or until it is to your liking.
- Let the water come back up to a boil. Add the chicken, and stir to separate the pieces. Cook just until the chicken turns opaque, and remove using a strainer. Set aside. Discard the water in the wok, and wash the wok clean.
- Heat your wok over medium high heat until it's completely dry. Add the vegetable oil, ginger, and garlic. Cook for 20 seconds, and add the rice wine around the perimeter of the wok.
- Next, stir up the warmed chicken stock and seasonings, and add it into the wok. Keep stirring for another minute to combine, and let everything come up to a simmer.
- Mix the cornstarch and water together into a slurry. Pour the cornstarch slurry into the liquid slowly, stirring constantly, until thickened. Use only ¾ of the slurry, and check the thickness of the sauce. Add the rest if necessary. Or if the sauce is too thick, add more chicken stock or water.
- Add the chicken and broccoli back to the wok, and stir it in for 30 seconds. Taste for seasoning, and adjust if needed. Serve immediately!
I love this recipe! I have made this recipe before as written and last night took a chance with replacing the broccoli with bok choy and added in some fresh (but sad looking) shiitake mushrooms that I rescued from the fridge. Served it over jasmine rice and it was a hit! Thank you TWOL family for all the hard work that goes into perfecting these recipes. We’re big fans!!
Thank you so much, Anita, so glad your family is enjoying our recipes.
I made this tonight. We loved it! I am a complete novice with the use of white pepper and find it could be quite dominant. Perhaps you can recommend a particular brand.
Hi Lisa, you can use less white pepper if it’s too strong and you are new to it :-)
Made this last night using shrimp with the white sauce. It was so good. I love your recipes.
Note: Incorporate Instruction #2 for Instruction #6 (for those that need more direction). Thank you.
How great is that! So happy that you enjoyed the recipe :-)
Made this tonight, it is soooo good. WOW. I love yore recipes.
*you’re recipes…lol fixing my typo.
You are so welcome, Alisa :-)
I just want to say a big thank you for all the wonderful recipes you put on here, I look forward to trying them out and my family are happy having these meals they say our Chinese meals are better than our local Chinese restaurant
Hi Linda, you’re welcome and happy to hear you and your family are enjoying our recipes :)
If I substitute shrimp for the chicken, do you recommend using the same marinade as chicken, and do you recommend blanching shrimp as well? Tnanks
Hi ren, you can use the same marinade and blanching method for shrimp. Adding the shrimp in the final steps prevents them from being overcooked.
I will be trying this recipe using shrimp. Shrimp and Broccoli with white sauce is one of my favorite. Thank you.
Good job, Nandy, you did good :-)