Sesame Chicken and Broccoli — EASY sesame chicken made in 15 minutes in one skillet!! You can happily skip takeout with this FAST recipe that’s loaded with Asian-inspired flavors!
Table of Contents
Rather than calling for takeout, make this flavorful sesame chicken at home in 15 minutes. It’s a huge dinnertime win on busy weeknights.
You probably have almost all of the ingredients on hand, too. Double win.
Chicken and broccoli simmer in a sauce bursting with Asian flavors including honey, soy sauce, rice vinegar, garlic, and ginger. The chicken stays tender, juicy, and moist.
Crisp-tender broccoli florets are the perfect little sponges to soak in all that delish sauce.
This dish is great with rice served alongside and any extra sauce is perfect for spooning over rice.
Recipe Ingredients
You’ll need the following easy-to-find ingredients to make this sesame chicken and broccoli stir fry:
- Cornstarch
- Honey
- Soy sauce – I use low sodium
- Ketchup
- Rice vinegar – or apple cider vinegar
- Garlic
- Ground ginger
- Sesame oil
- Olive oil
- Chicken breasts
- Broccoli florets – fresh is preferred, but frozen will work
- Sesame seeds – optional, for garnish
Note: Scroll down to the recipe card section of the post for the ingredients with amounts included and for more complete directions.
How to Make Sesame Chicken and Broccoli
This is a quick and easy sesame chicken and broccoli recipe. Here’s how the recipe is prepared:
- To a medium saucepan, add the honey, soy sauce, ketchup, vinegar, garlic, and ginger. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
- Once boiling, add a cornstarch slurry. Cook for another few minutes to thicken, then remove from heat.
- To a large skillet, add the oils, chicken, season with salt and pepper, and cook for about 5 minutes.
- Push chicken to one side of the skillet and add the broccoli to the other side. Pour in the sauce, cover skillet, turn the down, and allow the broccoli to steam until crisp-tender.
- Uncover skillet, and if desired, simmer uncovered for another 1 to 3 minutes, to reduce some of the sauce volume.
FAQs About This Recipe
Yes, but frozen broccoli releases more moisture than fresh and will turn out much softer. However, if that’s all you have and want to make this recipe, then go ahead and use frozen broccoli.
Of course! The sesame sauce pairs well with edamame, bell peppers, bok choy, baby corn, mushrooms, and more. Just note that different vegetables have different cook times, so you might need to adjust this recipe if you substitute the broccoli with another veggie.
Yes! This recipe calls for rice vinegar, which is the same thing as rice wine vinegar. If you don’t have rice vinegar, replace it with an equal amount of apple cider vinegar.
Yes! This recipe makes great planned leftovers. I made it with that intention on a Monday so that I had school lunches for my daughter for the rest week.
Meal prepping makes my life so much easier since all I have to do is grab a plastic container and toss it in her lunchbox. Or on nights where sports practice is running late, I can zap one of these in the microwave when she gets home.
Storage Instructions
This recipe is best fresh but will keep airtight in the fridge for up to 5 days. I like to reheat leftovers in the microwave for 30-second intervals.
What to serve with Sesame Chicken and Broccoli
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15-Minute Skillet Sesame Chicken and Broccoli
Ingredients
- 1 ½ teaspoons cornstarch
- 1 ½ teaspoons cold water
- ½ cup honey
- ¼ cup low-sodium soy sauce
- ¼ cup ketchup
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar or apple cider vinegar
- 3 to 5 cloves garlic, finely minced or pressed
- 1 to 2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 2 to 3 tablespoons sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1.25 to 1.50 pounds boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces and seasoned with salt and pepper to taste
- about 4 to 5 cups broccoli florets, seasoned with salt and pepper to taste
- sesame seeds, to taste for garnishing
Instructions
- To a small bowl, add the cornstarch, water, and stir to dissolve; set slurry aside.
- To a medium saucepan, add the honey, soy sauce, ketchup, vinegar, garlic, ginger, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
- After the mixture is boiling, add the cornstarch slurry, whisk to combine, and allow the sauce to boil and thicken for 2 to 3 minutes; whisking nearly constantly. After sauce is as thick as desired, remove from the heat and set aside.
- To a large skillet, add the oils, chicken, season with salt and pepper, and cook over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through; stir and flip intermittently so the chicken cooks evenly.
- Push chicken to one side of the skillet and add the broccoli to the other side (it looks like a ton but it shrinks in volume by nearly half), pour the sauce mostly over the chicken and add a few tablespoons over the broccoli, cover skillet, turn the heat to medium-low, and allow the broccoli to steam for 3 to 5 minutes, or until as crisp-tender as desired.
- Uncover skillet, and if desired, simmer uncovered for another 1 to 3 minutes, to reduce some of the sauce volume. Garnish with sesame seeds and serve immediately. Recipe is best fresh but will keep airtight in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Can I use frozen broccoli florets?
Can I use frozen broccoli florets?
You can but they will be mushier the way frozen vegetables are compared to fresh but if that’s all you have and want to make this, then go ahead.
great
Hi Averie, I tried this recipe today. The kids and I loved it!! Hard to find open take-outs, during this Corona Virus. Thank you for posting, defintely tastes so much better than take-out. Absolutely delicious.
Hi Averie, I tried this recipe today. The kids and I loved it!! Hard to find open take-outs, during this Corona Virus. Thank you for posting, defintely tastes so much better than take-out. Absolutely delicious.
Just made this tonight and we devoured it! Instead of regular brown sugar, I used Swerve ( a brown sugar alternative) to save calories and it turned out great! Served over riced cauliflower made it even more filling and healthier. A definite make-again meal…thank you!
Just made this tonight and we devoured it! Instead of regular brown sugar, I used Swerve ( a brown sugar alternative) to save calories and it turned out great! Served over riced cauliflower made it even more filling and healthier. A definite make-again meal…thank you!
hey girl- this looks amazing!
Thank you so much! I hope you enjoy your long weekend!
Hi, Averie! Just made this for dinner tonight (like, I am currently eating it) and it’s SO GREAT! I used tofu instead of chicken because I’m vegetarian, and used maple syrup instead of honey because I was all out of honey. Also, I served mine over brown rice and I’m loving it so much! Can’t wait to make it again!! Thanks!!
I love the idea of tofu! I actually loooovvve tofu (and tempeh). Sounds great and I am glad you are loving it, literally right now!
I love sesame anything… and even more when it takes just 15 minutes! This is the perfect dish for my family!!
It’s a great easy weeknight dinner option!
I love the sound of this, perfect for some speedy weeknight cooking!
Perfect for busy weeknights!
Love your Asian-inspired meals. Yum. I’ll have to come up with something other than broccoli, though–all of us like it except my son.
The sauce kind of reminds me of teriyaki–and it looks delicious!! I always love getting dinner ideas early in the week–I love planning ahead and having great meals to look forward to!
It’s definitely got a teriyaki-ish vibe and I am with you on getting a jump on dinner ideas/meal prep for the week! On Sunday night that’s generally what I try to do, or at least start on :)