This healthy gluten-free chicken and broccoli recipe is perfect high protein dinner for a busy night. It’s quick and easy, made with simple ingredients, and has restaurant-worthy flavor your whole family will love.

Winner, Winner, Easy Chicken Dinner!

I’m in go-go-go mode right now behind the scenes, and easy meals like this healthy chicken and broccoli stir fry recipe are saving me! It’s one of those classic combinations that always hits, and there’s SO much to love about this lighter take on a classic:

It’s EASY. Simple ingredients and simple techniques make this easy recipe a no-brainer for busy weeknights. If you can dice, whisk, and stir, you can make this recipe. Promise!
It’s DELICIOUS. All the flavor you love from restaurant take-out, just made lighter! The tender chicken, perfectly cooked broccoli and savory sauce are full of delicious flavor notes from garlic and ginger, sesame, tamari, and more!
It’s HEALTHY + FAMILY FRIENDLY. High in protein, a great way to fit in some veggies, and a flavorful sauce to tie this quick dinner all together. If your kids don’t like mixed foods, the broccoli can easily be served on the side to keep things simple!

Happy cooking! xo, Emily

Gather Your Ingredients

Healthy takeout “fake-out” recipes like this are always a hit at my house, whether it’s Healthy Orange Chicken, Chicken Lettuce Wraps, or Egg Drop Soup. This healthy chicken & broccoli stir fry is no exception! And it all starts with simple ingredients:

Ingredients for gluten free chicken broccoli stir fry

Chicken. Boneless, skinless chicken breasts or chicken tenders work well for this easy stir fry. This lean protein is a great anchor for this flavorful dish. For best results, dice the chicken into even 1-inch cubes so they cook at the same rate.
Fresh Broccoli. Feel free to use pre-cut florets to save time!
Chicken Bone Broth. Our stir fry sauce starts with simple, savory chicken broth. I like using bone broth with 8-10 grams of protein per cup to add a little extra protein to this recipe.
Low Sodium Gluten-Free Tamari (Or Coconut Aminos). For some umami and saltiness, we’ll use tamari (gluten-free soy sauce). Not gluten-free? Use regular soy sauce instead. I recommend low sodium or reduced sodium options to help moderate the salt content here.
Rice Vinegar & Honey. The vinegar adds brightness, while the honey balances the delicious sauce with a bit of sweetness.
Garlic & Ginger. Some fresh garlic cloves and fresh ginger add vibrant, delicious flavor you just can’t replicate with garlic powder or ginger powder. Keep an eye out for cubes of frozen garlic and ginger in your freezer aisle to save time!
Toasted Sesame Oil & Red Pepper Flakes. The toasted sesame oil adds a deep, rich flavor note that really mimics the classic restaurant flavor. Then some red pepper flakes come in with a touch of warmth without making this dish spicy.
Cornstarch, Salt & Pepper. Lastly, you’ll need some cornstarch for both the sauce and the chicken. It adds a little crispy coating to the chicken without the need for deep frying, and thickens the sauce like a charm.

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How To Make Chicken Broccoli Stir Fry, Step By Step

As always, you can find the full recipe with ingredient amounts, detailed instructions, and tips in the recipe card below.

Making chicken broccoli stir fry step by step

PREP THE BROCCOLI. Add 1-2 inches of water to a large saucepan and insert a steamer basket. Bring the water to a simmer. When the water is simmering, add broccoli florets to the steamer basket and cover with a lid. Steam 4-6 min to soften, then remove the basket from the saucepan.
PREP THE CHICKEN. Add chicken to a bowl and combine with 2 TBSP cornstarch, the salt and black pepper. Stir to coat evenly.
COOK CHICKEN. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until it’s hot enough that a small drop of water added to the pan sizzles. Add half of the chicken and cook 4-5 min per side, until the chicken is golden brown on each side. (It will likely not be fully cooked through at this point.) Place chicken on a clean plate and repeat with the second half of the chicken.
WHILE CHICKEN COOKS, MAKE THE SAUCE. In a small bowl or liquid measuring cup, combine broth, tamari, rice vinegar, honey, garlic, ginger, sesame oil, red pepper flakes, and 1 TBSP cornstarch. Whisk until evenly blended (it should look cloudy).

SIMMER & ASSEMBLE. When the chicken is done browning, add the sauce to the pan and stir to scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Return all the chicken to the skillet and bring up to a simmer. Simmer 4-5 min until the sauce has thickened and the chicken has reached 165 degrees F. Stir the broccoli into the stir fry and garnish with a little more black pepper or a pinch of red pepper flakes, if desired. Serve over white rice, brown rice, or cauliflower rice!
SERVE & STORE. Enjoy over white rice, brown rice, or cauliflower rice to make it a full meal! Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge 2-3 days. Keep in mind the sauce will thicken in the fridge, so you’ll need to reheat well and may want to add a drizzle of water or broth to the leftovers to thin the sauce back out.

Drizzling sauce over a bowl of chicken & broccoli stir fry

FAQ + Tips And Tricks For The Best Chicken & Broccoli

COOK THE BROCCOLI SEPARATELY. One of the tricks for this healthy chicken and broccoli stir-fry recipe is cooking the broccoli separately from the chicken. While you can cook it in the same pan, it can be tricky to get that ideal crisp-tender broccoli texture just right. Cooking it separately uses an extra dish, but it’ll give you consistent, beautiful results you can count on. (No one wants rock hard, soggy, or mushy broccoli!)

START THE RICE FIRST. If you’re cooking rice to go with this (highly recommend!), start that first, and it’ll be done by the time the stir fry is done! We LOVE this rice cooker for perfectly cooked rice every time. It’s easy to clean, beautiful, and I love how hands-off it makes this part of cooking dinner.

MAKE AHEAD TIPS. If you want to get ahead on prep for this easy dinner, you can dice and coat the chicken in the morning (keep in the fridge), and whisk up the sauce in advance. Make sure to give the sauce one more stir before adding it to the stir fry, since the cornstarch will settle at the bottom with time!

CAN I ADD MORE VEGGIES? Sure! Feel free to make a veggie stir fry on the side instead of steaming broccoli. Extras like green beans, mushrooms, bell peppers, snow peas, or carrots can all be delicious.

A bowl of chicken and broccoli stir fry over rice

More Healthy Take-Out Style Recipes To Try

Sticky honey garlic chicken over rice with broccoli

Gluten-Free Honey Garlic Chicken

Gluten-Free Mongolian Ground Beef

Whole30, Paleo Chicken Lettuce Wraps from One Lovely Life

Healthy Chicken Lettuce Wraps

Gluten-Free Egg Drop Soup

Did You Make This Recipe?

Tell me all about it! Leave a star rating below when you try our healthy Gluten-Free Chicken and Broccoli recipe. I can’t wait to hear how it goes!

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High Protein Chicken & Broccoli Stir-Fry

Emily Dixon, One Lovely Life

This healthy gluten-free chicken and broccoli recipe is a lifesaver on busy weeknights! It's high in protein, easy to make & DELICIOUS! It's got all the restaurant flavor you love, just made lighter!

Prep Time: 15

Cook Time: 25

Total Time: 40

Print Pin Rate

Servings: Servings

Calories: 290kcal

Ingredients

For The Chicken & Broccoli

1 pound Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast or Chicken Tenders, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 1/2 TBSP Cornstarch
½ tsp. Kosher Salt
½ tsp. Black Pepper
2 TBSP Oil for cooking
8-12 oz. Broccoli Florets

FOR THE SAUCE:

½ cup Low Sodium or No Salt Added Chicken Bone Broth
¼ cup Low Sodium Gluten-Free Tamari or Coconut Aminos
2 TBSP Rice Vinegar
2 TBSP Honey
2 cloves Garlic minced
1 tsp. Minced Fresh Ginger
½ tsp. Toasted Sesame Oil
¼ tsp. Red Pepper Flakes
1 TBSP Cornstarch

Instructions

PREP THE BROCCOLI. Add 1-2 inches of water to a large saucepan and insert a steamer basket. Bring the water to a simmer. When the water is simmering, add broccoli florets to the steamer basket and cover with a lid. Steam 4-6 min to soften, then remove the basket from the saucepan.
PREP THE CHICKEN. Add chicken to a bowl and combine with 2 TBSP cornstarch, the salt and black pepper. Stir to coat evenly.
COOK CHICKEN. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until it’s hot enough that a small drop of water added to the pan sizzles. Add half of the chicken and cook 4-5 min per side, until the chicken is golden brown on each side. (It will likely not be fully cooked through at this point.) Place chicken on a clean plate and repeat with the second half of the chicken.
WHILE CHICKEN COOKS, MAKE THE SAUCE. In a small bowl or liquid measuring cup, combine broth, tamari, rice vinegar, honey, garlic, ginger, sesame oil, red pepper flakes, and 1 TBSP cornstarch. Whisk until evenly blended (it should look cloudy).
SIMMER & ASSEMBLE. When the chicken is done browning, add the sauce to the pan and stir to scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Return all the chicken to the skillet and bring up to a simmer. Simmer 4-5 min until the sauce has thickened and the chicken has reached 165 degrees F. Stir the broccoli into the stir fry and garnish with a little more black pepper or a pinch of red pepper flakes, if desired. Serve over white rice, brown rice, or cauliflower rice!
SERVE & STORE. Enjoy over white rice, brown rice, or cauliflower rice! Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge 2-3 days. Keep in mind the sauce will thicken in the fridge, so you'll need to reheat well and may want to add a drizzle of water or broth to the leftovers to thin the sauce back out.

Notes

START THE RICE FIRST. If you’re cooking rice to go with this (highly recommend!), start that first, and it’ll be done by the time the stir fry is done! We LOVE this rice cooker for perfectly cooked rice every time. It’s easy to clean, beautiful, and I love how hands-off it makes this part of cooking dinner.
MAKE AHEAD TIPS. If you want to get ahead on prep, you can dice and coat the chicken in the morning (keep in the fridge), and whisk up the sauce in advance. Make sure to give the sauce one more stir before adding it to the stir fry, since the cornstarch will settle at the bottom with time!