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. This version of the dish is a really light, pure-flavored one in a white sauce rather than brown sauce, and it’s also a bonus for all of you gluten free folks since this recipe does not use any soy sauce.
For those of you who like the brown sauce you can add a teaspoon of light soy and a teaspoon of dark soy and use less salt. If you want to kick it up, them add a teaspoon of oyster sauce too!
And, for those of you who are not fond of the cornstarch based gravy or just trying to avoid the carbs, just leave out the corn starch slurry and eat you chicken and broccoli without any gravy. I mean why would you even consider going to the takeout place and ordering from the “healthy” menu when you can whip this up at home?
I like my chicken with broccoli with some hot white rice but you can have it any way you like!
What can I say, this chicken and broccoli is just a great, simple dish and with that, it deserves a simple post so on with the recipe!
- 4 cups broccoli florets
- 1 chicken breast, sliced
- oil
- 3 cloves garlic
- ¾ cup chicken stock
- pinch of sugar
- salt, to taste
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon shaoxing wine
- white pepper to taste
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch, mixed with 1 tablespoon water
Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Blanch the broccoli, drain, and set aside. Some like it crunchy and some like it soft so you just cook it the way you like it!
Then blanch the chicken until it turns opaque. This makes for really clean flavors in the final dish. My dad tells me this is how a lot of the restaurants do it.
Heat your wok over medium high heat and add the oil and garlic. Throw in the broccoli and the chicken and stir-fry for a minute. Then pour in the chicken stock, sugar, salt, sesame oil, wine, and white pepper.The chicken stock is key so best to make Judy’s homemade chicken stock recipe or use a good organic chicken stock or chicken boullion. Keep stirring for another minute to combine.
Just remember to put enough salt into this dish and balance it accordingly with sugar (1 part sugar to 2 parts salt) or your dish will just taste bland and you may not make this again at home!
Mix the cornstarch and water into a slurry. Move the chicken and broccoli to the sides of the wok. There should be a little well of chicken stock/liquid at the center of the pan. Pour the cornstarch slurry into the liquid and stir until it thickens until the sauce clings to the chicken and the broccoli – just like you get at a good Chinese takeout restaurant.
Give everything a final stir. Taste for seasoning and adjust if needed and plate!
Serve your homemade chicken and broccoli over white rice!
Chinese Takeout Chicken and Broccoli
Ingredients
- 4 cups broccoli florets
- 1 chicken breast (sliced)
- oil
- 3 cloves garlic
- ¾ cup chicken stock (180 ml)
- 1/8 teaspoon sugar
- salt (to taste)
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon shaoxing wine
- white pepper (to taste)
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch (mixed with 1 tablespoon water)
Instructions
- Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Blanch the broccoli, drain, and set aside. Then blanch the chicken until it turns opaque.
- Heat your wok over medium high heat and add the oil and garlic. Throw in the broccoli and the chicken and stir-fry for a minute. Then pour in the chicken stock, sugar, salt, sesame oil, wine, and white pepper. Keep stirring for another minute to combine.
- Mix the cornstarch and water into a slurry. Move the chicken and broccoli to the sides of the wok. There should be a little well of chicken stock/liquid at the center of the pan. Pour the cornstarch slurry into the liquid and stir until it thickens.
- Give everything a final stir. Taste for seasoning and adjust if needed. Plate and serve!
Nutrition
Emily says
My kids loved this and pronounced it just as good as the chicken and broccoli from our favorite restaurant, which we sadly moved an hour away from. Thank you!!!!
Bill says
Hi Emily, you’re welcome and when the kids approve, you know you have done it right :).
Monica says
Well then “bows down” to you and your father! My mother is a cancer patient- did radiation and now is doing chemo- for my sake( In June they gave her 6 months- with the radiation and chemo- she doesn’t want to leave my son and me- at Christmas :-( ) she don’t like anything- but she loves- loves this dish!- She requests it every second day!- Do you have any other similar recipes- make no mistake even I love the taste of it 100% but do you have any other similar/ but different recipes?
Sarah says
Hey Monica, we do! We have a chicken with snow peas stir-fry, also in a white sauce. There’s also our shrimp with lobster sauce and chicken with bean sprouts! Our best wishes to your mom and your family––it sounds like your mom is being very well taken care of with good eats! :)
Monica Sauve says
Wow Thank you so much for the recommendations- I just saw your response and checked the recipes and it just happens that I went into my garden and picked snow peas yesterday- for today’s dinner. Not one of the recipes I have tried on this site has ever let me down. My family think I am a kitchen wizard now! Any good recipes for beef short ribs ( flanken style? I bought a few pounds and stowed them in the freezer for this winter
Monica Sauve says
I made this dish this week and gotta say WOW, it was So good, delicate but full of flavor. Maybe I shouldn’t rate it cause I did change up the veggies- instead of 4 cups broccoli I did 3 and added cup mixed mushrooms, onion and celery. I kept everything else the same as the recipe.My son, my Mom and I loved it.. Nice change from the dark stir fry sauce. Thank you big time Sarah
Sarah says
You’re welcome, Monica!! Though I wrote this post, the credit for the recipe goes to my dad, master of all things Chinese Takeout!
London says
Hi! Is there an alternative for the shaoxing wine?
Bill says
Hi London, you can use a dry sherry wine or worse case, omit the wine. Happy cooking!
Nancy D says
how do you slice the chicken?
Bill says
Hi Nancy, you can use a chef’s knife to slice the chicken into 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick slices but please be careful!
Felicia says
My kids love it and I keep it in rotation. Please it”s so quick and easy to make.
Thank you!!!
Bill says
You’re welcome Felicia, sometimes simple is best!
Anurag Kamat says
I didn’t think this would come out as well because of the simplicity of the dish, but it’s the simplicity that’s the best part of this dish. It really hit the spot! Really clean flavors and an overall homey dish.
Bill says
Hi Anurag, I agree. Sometimes simple is best!
Cindy says
AMAZING. Thank you!!
Bill says
You’re welcome Cindy and glad you enjoyed it!
Cathy says
So Simple to make, but so delicious & you definitely don’t feel heavy or too full after this meal. I felt it to be a very quick easy & nutritious meal!
My only gripe would be that I felt the dish could have done with more sauce.. but that can be easily fixed by just doubling or tripling the sauce ingredients.
Thankyou for a lovely recipe
Cathy
Judy says
You are right, Cathy. Adjust the sauce to your own liking. :-)