Name: Healthy Chicken and Broccoli Stir Fry (Whole30, Gluten-Free, Low Carb)
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 25 min
Cuisine: Asian
Ingredients: 1 pound chicken thighs, cut into small pieces; 4 cloves garlic, minced; 1 tsp ginger, minced; 1 tsp salt; ¼ tsp black pepper; 1 tsp red pepper flakes; 1 tbsp avocado oil; 4 cups broccoli florets; ⅓ cup water; ¼ cup coconut aminos; 1 tsp fish sauce; 1 ½ tsp sesame oil; ½ tbsp arrowroot starch; Green onion, for garnish; Sesame seeds, for garnish

This healthy and easy Asian-inspired chicken and broccoli stir fry is a quick weeknight dinner that will not disappoint. This stir fry has it all – tender chicken, crisp broccoli, and flavorful sauce that comes together in under 15 minutes. Serve the stir fry on it’s own or with cauliflower rice or white rice for dinner that everyone will love!

Quick, Simple, and Delicious: Sweet and Spicy Stir Fry with Chicken and Broccoli

This quick and easy Chicken and Broccoli Stir Fry has everything you are craving in a good stir fry:

Tender flavorful chicken
Crisp veggies
An extra yummy, slightly sweet and sticky stir fry sauce that you just can’t seem to get enough of (the most important part!)

This recipe has it all and, in addition to being ridiculously tasty, the best part of this recipe is that it truly is QUICK. I’m talking fifteen minutes, or less, and you have a healthy filling dinner on your table. While it’s not the exactly the same as your favorite takeout restaurant, it’s a simple healthy meal that everyone will love.

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Why I Prefer to Use Chicken Thighs in This Recipe

While a lot of chicken stir fry recipe calls for chicken breast, I prefer to use boneless skinless chicken thighs in this recipe. Chicken thighs are more tender, more flavorful, and also a lot easier to cook in my opinion.

Chicken thighs typically stay tender and juicy even if you cook them a little longer than what is really necessary. Essentially, they are hard to “mess up”.

While I love using chicken thighs in this recipe, feel free to use chicken breast instead if you prefer. Just make sure to watch them carefully so they don’t overcook and become tough.

The Simple Stir Fry Sauce Ingredients

While most stir fry sauces are filled with sugar, this easy sauce is completely sugar free and using just a few simple ingredients to achieve maximum flavor.

Coconut Aminos: The base of the sauce in this stir fry is a substitute for soy sauce called coconut aminos. Coconut aminos are made from the sap of the coconut palm tree and are commonly used as an alternative to soy sauce in Paleo and Whole30 compliant dishes. Unlike traditional soy sauce, they also have a slightly sweet flavor which works to give the sauce a slightly sweet flavor without any added sugar.

Sesame Oil: Sesame oil is another key ingredient in this sauce and gives it that traditional stir fry flavor. A little sesame oil goes a long way.

Fish Sauce: Fish sauce is made from fermented anchovies and sea salt and gives the sauce a savory depth of flavor. If you don’t have a bottle of fish sauce, I highly recommend grabbing some to have on hand for curries or stir fry recipes like this one.

Arrowroot Starch: Arrowroot starch is a grain free alternative to cornstarch. It can replace cornstarch 1 to 1 in most recipes and slightly thickens this sauce to help it stick to the chicken.

How to Make Chicken and Broccoli Stir Fry

Step 1: Prep Your Chicken

To prep the chicken, cut the boneless skinless chicken thighs into small pieces and add them to a mixing bowl. Next, add the ginger, garlic, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Stir until everything is well combined and then set aside. If you have the time, you can prep the chicken the night before and allow it to marinate overnight.

Step 2: Stir Fry the Chicken and Veggies

Next, cook the chicken over medium-high heat in a large skillet. I love using avocado oil for cooking, but you could also use coconut oil if you prefer. You’ll cook the chicken for around six minutes until it is browned and completely cooked through, and then remove it from the pan.

Once the chicken is finished cooking, add the broccoli florets and one-third a cup of water. The water helps to steam the broccoli a bit while it cooks. The broccoli should only take around four to six minutes to cook. You still want it to be crisp and a bright green color when you add the chicken back to the pan.

Step 3: Add the Sauce and Serve

Once the broccoli is cooked, and you’ve added the chicken back to the pan, it’s time to add in the stir fry sauce. Pour the sauce over the chicken and broccoli, give it a stir and allow it to cook for around one minute, and then remove the skillet from the heat. The arrowroot starch will cause the sauce to thicken just a bit once it comes in contact with the heat so that it coats the chicken and veggies.

Finish off the stir fry with plenty of fresh green onion, sesame seeds, and red pepper flakes if you like more heat.

How to Serve Your Stir Fry

This hearty stir fry is really great all on it’s own but it also pairs nicely with cauliflower rice for a great Whole30 compliant or low carb meal. You can also serve it with a side of white rice to soak up all of that delicious sauce!

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