Stir fry makes a perfect quick dinner, and today’s 30 Minute Chicken Broccoli Mushroom Stir Fry is a great example! Enjoy savory mushrooms, crisp-tender broccoli, and velvety chicken, all in one pan.
A couple of weeks ago my fiancé and I were making stir fry for dinner, and he coated the chicken in cornstarch before cooking rather than stirring it into a sauce near the end as I generally do. So, I thought I’d give that a try in today’s 30 Minute Chicken Broccoli Mushroom Stir Fry.
Verdict? Well, see for yourself: The meat in this chicken stir fry browned up nice and pretty, and the sauce also thickened just as well as it usually does. Either way is tasty, but you get a little more browning and color on the chicken by coating it first. (And, apparently, the cornstarch also helps boneless chicken breast stay a little moister inside when stir frying at a higher heat.)
The thing about being a later-in-life self-taught home cook is that I’m always learning and trying out new things. That’s really part of the fun of cooking, right?!
So, who needs takeout? This restaurant-quality stir fry over rice was a hit with the kids last night, plus fresher & cheaper than carryout (in about the same amount of time). For a heartier meal, it would also pair nicely with everything from an easy homemade soup to frozen mini egg rolls.
I also like to start that pot of rice going right before beginning to cook up any stir fry, so that it’s hot and ready to go, all at the same time.
30 Minute Chicken Broccoli Mushroom Stir Fry
Ingredients
– for the chicken
1.25-1.5 lbs boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 Tbsp cornstarch
1 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
Sea salt, to taste
– for the veggies
1 Tbsp canola oil
2 tsp sesame oil
12 oz broccoli crowns, cut into florets
8 oz mushrooms, sliced
1 Tbsp minced garlic (around 6 cloves)
– for the sauce
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup soy sauce (plus additional to taste, if desired)
2 tsp brown sugar, packed
Directions
Trim and cut up the chicken.
Add the cornstarch, ginger, crushed red pepper, & sea salt to a gallon zip-top bag, then shake to combine. Add the cut up chicken to the bag, seal, and shake & squish it around to coat.
Heat the canola and sesame oils in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the seasoned chicken and cook for about 6 minutes until nicely browned, stirring occasionally.
Meanwhile, wash and cut up the broccoli and mushrooms.
Once the chicken is browned, add the broccoli and mushrooms to the pan. Cook for 2 minutes over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, then stir in the garlic.
Continue to cook and stir over medium-high heat for another 3 minutes, or until broccoli is bright green and mushrooms are softening.
Meanwhile, mix together soy sauce, water, and brown sugar to make the sauce.
Stir the sauce into the pan, reduce heat, and simmer for 3 minutes or until sauce is thickened, stirring occasionally. Add additional soy sauce to taste, if desired, then serve & enjoy!
Optional: Serve your chicken broccoli stir fry over cooked rice or noodles, garnished with sesame seeds if desired.
Note: Kick up individual plates with a little Sriracha or gochujang, if you want extra spice — or mix some into the sauce, if you don’t have picky kids!
Chicken + veggies + stir frying = one easy weeknight dinner
I used broccoli and mushrooms in my chicken stir fry today, because that’s what I had on hand. Throw in some mini sweet peppers, green beans, asparagus, or other veggies of choice if you’d like to mix things up a little — just be sure to use a generous amount of garlic, and to make up more sauce if you have a larger volume of veggies.
It’s just that easy to create a delicious homemade stir fry dinner with chicken & veggies, so: Enjoy!
More easy stir fry ideas? I got you…
Stir fry is one of my favorite quick meals, so here are another few family favorites. Don’t miss:
- 20 minute ground beef & broccoli stir fry
- Easy garlic green beans with soy sauce
- Chicken thigh stir fry with asparagus
- Sweet & tangy chicken vegetable stir fry
- Ramen noodle stir fry with ground beef, edamame, & carrots
- Ground turkey stir fry with cauliflower rice
Or go crazy one night and cook up an entire medley of stir fries, for a real family feast!
30 Minute Chicken Broccoli Mushroom Stir Fry, printable recipe
30 Minute Chicken Broccoli Mushroom Stir Fry
Equipment
Ingredients
for the chicken
- 1.25-1.5 lbs boneless skinless chicken breast cut into bite-sized pieces
- 1 Tbsp cornstarch
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
- Sea salt to taste
for the veggies
- 1 Tbsp canola oil
- 2 tsp sesame oil
- 12 oz broccoli crowns cut into florets
- 8 oz mushrooms sliced
- 1 Tbsp minced garlic around 6 cloves
for the sauce
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/4 cup soy sauce plus additional to taste, if desired
- 2 tsp brown sugar packed
Instructions
- Trim and cut up the chicken.
- Add the cornstarch, ginger, crushed red pepper, & sea salt to a gallon zip-top bag, then shake to combine. Add the cut up chicken to the bag, seal, and shake & squish it around to coat.
- Heat the canola and sesame oils in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the seasoned chicken and cook for about 6 minutes until nicely browned, stirring occasionally.
- Meanwhile, wash and cut up the broccoli and mushrooms.
- Once the chicken is browned, add the broccoli and mushrooms to the pan. Cook for 2 minutes over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, then stir in the garlic.
- Continue to cook and stir over medium-high heat for another 3 minutes, or until broccoli is bright green and mushrooms are softening.
- Meanwhile, mix together soy sauce, water, and brown sugar to make the sauce.
- Stir the sauce into the pan, reduce heat, and simmer for 3 minutes or until sauce is thickened, stirring occasionally. Add additional soy sauce to taste, if desired, then serve & enjoy!
- Optional: Serve your chicken broccoli stir fry over cooked rice or noodles, garnished with sesame seeds if desired.
Notes
Recipes in the real world
Be sure not to miss the free weekly ALDI meal plans, which show you how to use these easy family recipes to meal plan affordably and realistically for your family. Or, find more recipe ideas with the Recipe Search!