This quick and easy Chinese chicken and broccoli recipe comes together in 30-minutes or less, and the flavor is out of this world delicious!

Here’s to super fast dinner recipes that will save stress and help you maintain your sanity on weeknights…but still manage to taste restaurant-level good.

This quick and easy Chinese chicken and broccoli has become one of my kids’ favorite meals of all time!

Is it the most authentic Chinese-style meal ever? No. But it’s crazy delicious, and that’s good enough for us!

Naan bread in white bowl with rice, chicken, broccoli and brown sauce.

A Quick and Simple Brown Sauce

This easy recipe starts with a quick Asian-inspired brown sauce. These ingredients simmer together for just a few minutes until slightly thickened:

  • broth
  • brown sugar
  • soy sauce
  • ginger + garlic
  • oyster sauce

If oyster sauce has you worried, don’t be! It’s easily found in the Asian-foods aisle of most grocery stores, and it adds really great concentrated flavor that surprisingly doesn’t taste a whole lot like fish. It’s dark, syrupy, salty and mildly sweet.

AND. I have several other delicious recipes that use it so you don’t have to fear a bottle languishing in your fridge forever.

To be honest, this recipe alone is worth buying oyster sauce! (UPDATE: for those still wanting a substitute – try hoisin sauce; the flavor of the overall dish will change a bit.)

Making quick and easy chinese chicken and broccoli by simmering sauce, adding chicken and broccoli.

Chicken + Broccoli

Once the sauce is glossy and thickened slightly, toss in the cooked chicken and steamed broccoli.

For the chicken, I almost always use the meat from a rotisserie chicken, but you could cook and shred or chop your own chicken OR read the recipe notes for a variation that starts with uncooked chicken.

I tested this recipe a variety of ways with the broccoli, and I found that it never cooked well enough when I added it raw to the pan with the chicken. I prefer lightly steaming it in the microwave before adding it in.

This recipe really is as easy as:

  1. steaming the broccoli (I use the microwave!)
  2. simmering the sauce
  3. stirring in the chicken and broccoli
  4. digging in with abandon
White bowl with rice, broccoli, chicken, sesame seeds and fork.

Saucy, Saucy, Saucy

We are a sauce-loving family, so this recipe is deliberately saucy. Perfect for serving over rice and/or with flatbread or naan bread.

YUM!

If you want it a bit less saucy, cut the broth down to 2 cups or so.

I hope you love this one! It has become a weeknight dinner staple around here (and the reason I grab a rotisserie chicken at Costco almost every time I go…and I go a lot!). Happy new year!

What to Serve With This

  • Hot, cooked brown or white rice (or quinoa)
  • Flatbread or naan
  • Fresh fruit

One Year Ago: Amazing Instant Pot Lemon Curd
Two Years Ago: Loaded Cheesy Cauliflower Soup
Three Years Ago: Healthy Egg and Veggie Muffins
Four Years Ago: This is How I Diet
Five Years Ago: Chicken Tortilla Soup
Six Years Ago: Cashew Chicken Lettuce Wraps
Seven Years Ago: Korean Beef and Rice (or Quinoa)
Eight Years Ago: Tuscan Sausage and White Bean Soup
Nine Years Ago: Asian Chicken Lettuce Wraps
Ten Years Ago: Coconut Shrimp Curry

naan bread in white bowl with rice, chicken, broccoli and brown sauce

Quick and Easy Chinese Chicken and Broccoli

Yield: 6 servings
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
4.88 stars (32 ratings)
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Ingredients

  • 2 ½ cups chicken broth or stock (I use low-sodium)
  • ⅓ cup light or dark brown sugar
  • ½ cup soy sauce (I use low sodium – see note)
  • ¼ cup oyster sauce (see note)
  • 3 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger or refrigerated ginger paste (see note)
  • 1 tablespoon finely minced garlic (or 1 teaspoon garlic powder)
  • 1 teaspoon sesame oil
  • 3-4 cups cooked, shredded or cubed chicken (about 20 ounces)
  • 6-8 cups broccoli florets, chopped into bite-size pieces (about 16 ounces)
  • Hot, cooked rice, for serving
  • Toasted sesame seeds and chopped green onions, for garnish

Instructions 

  • Place the broccoli in a microwave-safe bowl with 1 cup water, cover, and steam in the microwave for 3-4 minutes until the broccoli is crisp-tender (or steam on the stovetop). Drain the water and set aside.
  • In a deep 12-inch skillet (you can also use a saucepan or pot), whisk together the broth, sugar, soy sauce, oyster sauce, cornstarch, ginger, garlic and sesame oil.
  • Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium heat, whisking constantly, and cook until the sauce has thickened, 3-4 minutes.
  • Add the chicken and broccoli and stir to cover with sauce. Heat through.
  • Serve over hot, cooked rice and garnish with toasted sesame seeds and chopped green onions, if desired.

Notes

Oyster Sauce: I highly recommend using oyster sauce in this recipe. If you haven’t used it before and you are skeptical, it adds amazing flavor (that surprisingly, isn’t overly fishy-tasting). It’s a salty, mildly sweet, dark, syrupy sauce easily found in the Asian foods aisle. You can try subbing hoisin sauce, although the flavor of the dish will change a bit.
Salt: if the broth and soy sauce you use are both full-sodium (instead of low-sodium) this dish *might* be a bit salty. Or…it might not. I haven’t tested it that way, because I always keep both low-sodium broth and soy sauce on hand. 
Ginger: I haven’t tried subbing in dried ginger. If you aren’t comfortable or familiar with using fresh ginger, look for ginger paste, which is usually available in the refrigerated produce section. For fresh ginger, I find it’s easiest to buy a piece of fresh ginger, cut or break it into 1- or 2-inch pieces and store in the freezer. When I’m ready to use it, I grate it from frozen (no need to peel) on the small holes of a box grater or a small rasp grater.
Chicken: if you don’t have cooked chicken, you can use uncooked chicken. Cut the chicken into bite-size pieces, season with salt and pepper, and cook in a bit of olive oil in the pan first (before making the sauce). Once cooked through, remove to a plate and proceed with the recipe.
Sauce: we are a sauce-loving family, so this recipe is deliberately saucy. If you want it a bit less saucy, cut the broth down to 2 cups or so.
Author: Mel
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Chinese
Method: Stovetop
Serving: 1 serving, Calories: 365kcal, Carbohydrates: 19g, Protein: 54g, Fat: 7g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Cholesterol: 158mg, Sodium: 1776mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 12g