Chicken
$1.19per plate
Prep
15 min
Chicken · Chicken and Broccoli
Chicken and Broccoli
Chicken and broccoli is the takeout order you can make at home for about $1.49 a plate, and it comes together faster than delivery shows up. Diced chicken and frozen broccoli get tossed in a glossy garlic-ginger-soy sauce that thickens in the pan, then spooned over a pot of rice. Frozen broccoli keeps it cheap and means there is no chopping, and a spoon of cornstarch is all it takes to turn a splash of soy sauce into the shiny sauce that makes it taste like the real thing.
$1.49per plate
Estimated recipe total
$5.97 · serves 4
Cook
15 min
Total
30 min
Serves
4
1 How to make it
1
Start the rice and mix the sauce
Get the rice cooking first so it is ready when the stir-fry is. In a small bowl, whisk the soy sauce, cornstarch, brown sugar, and 1/4 cup water until the cornstarch dissolves. This is the sauce that turns glossy and coats everything at the end.
2
Sear the chicken
Heat the oil and sesame oil in a large skillet or wok over medium-high. Add the diced chicken in a single layer and cook 4 to 5 minutes, stirring now and then, until golden and cooked through. Push it to one side of the pan.
3
Add broccoli, garlic, and ginger
Add the frozen broccoli straight from the freezer along with the garlic and ginger. Stir-fry 3 to 4 minutes, until the broccoli is bright green and crisp-tender and the garlic is fragrant. No need to thaw the broccoli first.
4
Sauce it and serve
Give the sauce a quick whisk and pour it into the pan. Toss everything for about a minute, until the sauce bubbles, thickens, and turns glossy and coats the chicken and broccoli. Spoon it over the rice and serve right away.
2 Cheaper ingredient swaps
- Chicken thighs for breast. Boneless thighs stay a little juicier and are often cheaper. Dice and cook them the same way, a minute or two longer.
- Fresh broccoli for frozen. A fresh head works if you have one; cut it into florets and add a splash of water so it steams as it stir-fries. Frozen is cheaper and needs no prep, which is why it is the default here.
- Serve over noodles instead of rice. Toss the sauced chicken and broccoli with cooked lo mein or spaghetti instead of spooning it over rice for a chow-mein-style plate.
- Add a pinch of red pepper flakes. A little heat in the sauce plays well against the sweet soy glaze. Sriracha or chili crisp stirred in at the end does the same job.
3 Budget tips
- Frozen broccoli is the whole trick to keeping this cheap. It costs less than fresh, keeps for months, and goes straight from the bag into the pan with zero chopping or waste.
- One pound of chicken stretches to four plates once it is stir-fried with broccoli and served over rice, which is what turns a couple dollars of meat into dinner for the family.
- The sauce is just soy sauce, cornstarch, and a spoon of sugar. Skip the bottled stir-fry sauce and you save money and cut the salt at the same time.
4 Storage, freezing & reheating
Fridge
Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 4 days. Keep the rice and stir-fry together; the sauce keeps the chicken moist as it reheats, which makes this a solid meal-prep lunch.
Freezer
Freeze the cooked chicken and broccoli (without the rice) for up to 2 months. The broccoli softens a little on thawing but holds up fine in the sauce. Reheat from frozen in a covered skillet.
Reheating
Reheat in a skillet over medium with a splash of water to loosen the sauce, or microwave in short bursts. Add the rice alongside so both warm through together.
5 Nutrition (per serving)
Calories
380
Protein
30g
Fat
7g
Carbs
48g
Estimates per serving with rice, calculated from standard ingredient data. Not a substitute for medical advice.
6 Frequently asked questions
Do I need to thaw the frozen broccoli first?
No. Add it straight from the freezer to the hot pan. It thaws and cooks in the same 3 to 4 minutes it takes to turn bright green and crisp-tender, and skipping the thaw keeps it from going mushy.
How do I get the glossy takeout-style sauce?
The cornstarch is what does it. Whisk it into the cold soy sauce and water before it hits the pan so it dissolves smoothly, then let the sauce come to a bubble; it thickens and turns glossy in about a minute as it coats the chicken and broccoli.
Can I make chicken and broccoli without a wok?
Yes. Any large skillet works. The key is high heat and not crowding the pan, so the chicken sears instead of steams. Cook in two batches if your skillet is on the smaller side.
How is the price per plate figured?
About $5.97 for the chicken, frozen broccoli, rice, and the pantry sauce, split across four servings, which comes to roughly $1.49 each. Frozen broccoli and buying chicken on sale are what keep the number this low.
Helpful Tools for This Recipe
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- 12-inch nonstick skillet. A wide nonstick skillet browns ground meat, fries rice, and builds a one-pan sauce with less oil and easier cleanup. Best for everyday stovetop dinners like skillet meals, fried rice, pasta sauces, and patties.
- Cast iron skillet. Cast iron holds heat for a deep sear and moves from stovetop to oven, and it lasts for decades with basic care. Best for searing chops and chicken, and recipes that start on the stove and finish in the oven.
- Chef's knife. One sharp chef's knife handles almost all the chopping, from onions to chicken, and replaces a drawer of gadgets. Best for all-purpose prep in essentially every recipe on the site.
- Cutting board. A large, stable cutting board makes prep faster and safer, which matters when you cook most nights. Best for everyday chopping of onion, garlic, and vegetables across nearly every recipe.
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