Broccoli and Chicken Stir-Fry with Noodles

Nothing beats a quick homemade stir-fry. This broccoli chicken stir-fry with noodles is better than takeaway and gets done in as quick as 15 minutes. Made with lean chicken breast, lots of nutritious broccoli, fragrant ginger, garlic, and a few Asian sauces. This is a simple, quick and healthy meal. In addition, use frozen veggies and your prep time is down to almost nothing. Isn’t this better than a takeaway meal? 

A Broccoli and Chicken Stir-fry with noodles, Chicken and Broccoli Stir-Fry with Noodles, 15-Minute Stir-fry Noodles

How often do you get kids that love broccoli?  Well, my kids love broccoli. And no I don’t have to drown it in cheese to get them to eat it. So, of course, I take advantage of it and try to add it as much as I can. I also make broccoli with garlic and soy that the kids enjoy very much. They call them little trees. “Mama see I’m going to eat this giant tree!!!”

There are so many reasons to love stir fry dishes.

• The absolute best thing for working mom like me that have no time to cook. (yes I work from home but still work).
• Also, you can use frozen veggies so your prep time is almost zero.
• And, veggies stay crisp and retain all their nutrition.
• In addition, noodles take only 4 minutes to cook.
• Chicken is a much healthy meat option and cooks faster.
• Stir-fry is high-heat cooking and cooks so fast meaning dinner in less than 15 minutes is a possibility.
• And, Asian cooking is usually dependent on prepared store brought sauces, which have a long (really long) shelf life. Therefore, you can use them for a long time for such easy quick dishes.

What to serve with this stir-fry?

I served mine with noodles today, and yet this goes equally well with steamed rice. Noodles take 3 to 5 minutes to boil and steamed rice again takes 15 minutes. So, if you plan to serve it with rice, just make sure you place rice on the heat first. That way meal time will still be 15 minutes. (I hate having to wait for the rice to get ready).

Alternatively, you can also go for a gluten-free option and serve this with zucchini noodles as I shared with you in my Chicken and Broccoli Zucchini Noodle Stir Fry. That is often my preferred option these days because I’m trying to cut down on flour for myself.  

A Broccoli and Chicken Stir-fry with noodles, Chicken and Broccoli Stir Fry with Noodles, 15 Minute Stir-fry Noodles

A Broccoli and Chicken Stir-fry with noodles, Chicken and Broccoli Stir Fry with Noodles, 15 Minute Stir-fry Noodles

Useful Tips and Tools

• A stir-fry is best made in an Asian cooking pot called a Wok. These are made with a special material that works best for high-heat cooking. 
• Always use a Spatula with a long handle to protect your self from the high heat. Also, make sure you use one that is capable of handling high heat.
• And you will also need a few Bowl to make sure you have everything ready for a quick stir-fry.
• A chopping board and kitchen knife to chop all the veggies and have them ready on hand.

A Broccoli and Chicken Stir-fry with noodles, Chicken and Broccoli Stir Fry with Noodles, 15 Minute Stir-fry Noodles

Recipe –  Broccoli Chicken Stir Fry (Save/Pin)

Ingredients

For the Stir-Fry

• 450 grams chicken breast (about 2 breasts) cut into thin strips
• 2 cups broccoli flowerets – separated, and stems chopped thinly
• 1 med onion sliced and layers separated
• 1/2 inch ginger – thinly sliced
• 1 med garlic – thinly sliced
• 2 green onions/scallions (chopped) 
• 1/4 cup cilantro or Chinese parsley – roughly chopped
• 12 cashew nuts 
• 2 tbsp canola oil
• 1/4 tsp salt (or less if using regular soy sauce)
• 1/2 tsp pepper

For the Marinade

• 1 tbsp dark soy sauce ( I use low sodium)
• 1/2 tsp sesame oil 
• 1 tsp pepper 
• 2 tbsp cornflour
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper (or less) 

For the Sauce

• 2 tbsp light soy sauce
• 1 tbsp Hoisin sauce or Oyster sauce
• 2 tbsp Chinese rice wine or sherry
• 1 tbsp each – cornflour/cornstarch
• 1/4 tsp Tabasco sauce
• 1 tbsp brown sugar
• 1/3 cup water

To serve

• 6 cups – boiled noodles 
• 6 cups – cooked white rice 

Method

Marinate Chicken

• Combine all marinade ingredients in a bowl.
• Use a paper towel to remove any excess moisture from the chicken breasts.
• Cut chicken in thin slices.
• Add the sliced chicken pieces and give it a good mix so each piece is well coated in the marinade.
• Leave this for at least 10 minutes while you prepare everything else. You can also marinate for an hour or more in the fridge.

Cut Veggies 

• Wash and chop Broccoli. Drain any excess water. Keep any extra stems separate so you can use them.
• Cut the onion into thick slices and then separate the layers. 
• Chop the ginger and garlic into thin slices. 
• Dice the scallions/green onions – add the white and light green parts to the onions and put the green leaves to the cilantro and parsley. 
• Roughly chop the cilantro or parsley.

Prepare the Sauce

• Combine all sauce ingredients in a bowl – and set aside.
• The cornflour will sink to the bottom so it needs to be mixed up just before using.

Saute 

• This is to give the cashews a toasted look and to give the chicken a crisp coating and color. 
• Add 1/2 tbsp oil in a wok – stir fry the cashew nuts until lightly toasted. Remove from the pan on a paper towel.
• To the same pan add another tbsp oil and stir-fry the chicken on high. The cornflour in the marinade will give it a crispy coating.
• Cook for about three minutes. Remove chicken and keep warm while you cook the rest.

Stir-Fry 

• Stir fry is a quick process so have all your ingredients ready to go. 
• Add the remaining 1/2 tbsp oil to the wok. 
• Add the ginger and garlic, followed by the onion and broccoli stems.
• Saute for about two minutes on med-high.
• Add the broccoli and 2 tbsp water (water creates steam and help cook the broccoli).
• Cook on medium-high until broccoli is tender.
• Add chicken and cashew nuts back to the pan.
• Season with salt and pepper.
• Stir in the prepared sauce –  and coat everything in the sauce.
• Lastly, add in the cilantro or parsley.
• Check and adjust seasoning. (if needed – add salt – depending on the brand of soya sauce used, you may or may not need any additional salt.)

A Broccoli and Chicken Stir-fry with noodles, Chicken and Broccoli Stir Fry with Noodles, 15 Minute Stir-fry Noodles

6 Tips for Perfect Stir-fry 

• Stir-fry is quick cooking so always have all your ingredients ready before you start.
• High heat is always recommended for stir-fry. And yet, some veggies like broccoli, carrots, and beans benefit better from medium-high with a slash of water. While mushrooms and leaves benefit from high heat to quickly evaporate the released moisture. 
• Also, when adding any liquid turn the heat up and stir at the same time so everything is coated in the starch before the water evaporates. 
• Take the pan off the heat when done to prevent overcooking. 
• Sometimes it’s best to transfer the stir-fry to a serving platter to prevent veggies going mushy. 
• Lastly, use salt sparingly because – sauces used in stir-frys have salt added to them as a preservative.

A Broccoli and Chicken Stir-fry with noodles, Chicken and Broccoli Stir-Fry with Noodles, 15-Minute Stir-fry Noodles

Chicken and Broccoli Stir Fry with Noodles

Author: Veena Azmanov

Nothing beats a quick homemade stir-fry. This chicken and broccoli stir-fry with noodles is seriously better than take away and gets done in as quick as 15 minutes. Made with lean chicken breast, lots of nutritious broccoli, fragrant ginger, garlic, and a few Asian ready sauces. This is a simple, quick and healthy meal. Use frozen veggies and your prep time is down to almost nothing. Isn't this better than take away? 

5 from 19 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Dinner, Entree, Lunch

Cuisine: Asian

Keyword: Asian, broccoli, chicken, Stir-fry

Adjust Servings Here: 4 Servings

Calories: 428kcal

Prep Time: 5 mins

Cook Time: 10 mins

Total Time: 15 mins

Ingredients

For the Stir-Fry

• 450 grams Chicken breast (about 2 breasts)
• 2 cups Broccoli flowerets - separated stems chopped thinly
• 1 med Onion sliced and layers separated
• 1/2 inch Ginger - thinly sliced
• 1 med Garlic - thinly sliced
• 2 Green onions/scallions chopped
• 1/4 cup Cilantro or Parsley
• 12 Cashew nuts
• 2 tbsp Canola oil
• 1/4 ts Salt or less if using regular soy sauce
• 1/4 tsp Pepper

For the Marinade

• 1 tbsp Dark soy sauce I use low sodium
• 1/2 tsp Sesame oil
• 1 tsp Pepper
• 2 tbsp Cornflour
• 1/4 tsp Salt
• 1/2 tsp Pepper or less

For the Sauce

• 2 tbsp Light Soy Sauce
• 1 tbsp Hoisin Sauce or Oyster Sauce
• 2 tbsp Chinese rice wine or sherry
• 1 tbsp Cornflour/cornstarch
• 1/4 tsp Tabasco sauce
• 1 tbsp Brown sugar
• 1/3 cup Water

To serve

• 6 cups Boiled Noodles OR
• 6 cups Cooked white rice

Metric - US customary

Instructions

Marinate Chicken

• Combine all marinade ingredients in a bowl.
• Use a paper towel to remove any excess moisture from the chicken breasts.
• Cut chicken in thin slices
• Add the sliced chicken pieces and give it a good mix so each piece is well coated in the marinade.
• Leave this for at least 10 minutes while you prepare everything else. You can marinate for an hour or more in the fridge too.

Cut Veggies

• Wash and chop Broccoli. Drain any excess water. Keep any extra stems separate you can use them
• Cut the onion into thick slices then separate the layers.
• Chop the ginger and garlic into thin slices.
• Dice the scallions/green onions - add the white and light green parts to the onions and put the green leaves to the cilantro and parsley.
• Roughly chop the cilantro or parsley

Prepare the Sauce

• Combine all sauce ingredients in a bowl - set aside
• The cornflour will sink to the bottom so it needs to be mixed up just before using

Saute

• This is to give the cashews a toasted look and to give the chicken a crisp coating and color.
• Add 1/2 tbsp oil in a wok - stir fry the cashew nuts until lightly toasted. Remove from the pan on a paper towel.
• To the same pan add another tbsp oil - stir-fry the chicken on high. The corn flour in the marinade will give it a crispy coating.
• Cook for about three minutes. Remove chicken and keep warm while you cook the rest.

Stir-Fry

• Stir fry is a quick process so have all your ingredients ready to go.
• Add the remaining 1/2 tbsp oil to the wok.
• Add the ginger and garlic, followed by the onion and broccoli stems.
• Saute for about two minutes on med-high
• Add the broccoli and 2 tbsp water  (water creates steam and help cook the broccoli)
• Cook on medium-high until broccoli is tender
• Add chicken and cashew nuts back to the pan.
• Season with salt and pepper
• Stir in the prepared sauce -  coat everything in the sauce.
• Lastly, add in the cilantro or parsley.
• Check and adjust seasoning. (if needed - add salt - depending on the brand of soya sauce used; you may or may not; need any additional salt.

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Nutrition Information

Serving: 208g | Calories: 428kcal | Carbohydrates: 11.5g | Protein: 43.7g | Fat: 22.7g | Saturated Fat: 3.4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 19.3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0g | Trans Fat: 0g | Cholesterol: 122mg | Sodium: 1024mg | Potassium: 0mg | Fiber: 1.7g | Sugar: 2.2g | Vitamin A: 0% | Vitamin C: 0% | Calcium: 0% | Iron: 0%

The nutrition information and metric conversion are calculated automatically. I cannot guarantee its accuracy. If this data is important to you please verify with your trusted nutrition calculator. Thank you

Tried this recipe?Mention @veenaazmanov or tag #veenaazmanov!

Looking for more stir-fry recipes? 

You can find a few of my simple and easy stir-fry recipes here.

And, if you looking to simply and make changes to your diet you may like to read my post 15 tips to healthy eating habits for the family.  Also, take a look at some of my soups made with milk, not cream. Make simple changes that will sustain your family longer. For example, try some new and different salads like my carrot or celery salad. Also, try whole wheat bread instead of white bread. Bake your veggies instead of deep-frying them.

In addition, look for more skinny dessert options like my skinny tiramisu instead of the classic. And you can substitute the classic vanilla pastry cream in your favorite dessert for the eggless pastry cream, which reduces fat and calories drastically.