Teriyaki Chicken and Broccoli

This Teriyaki Chicken and Broccoli will become a new family favorite. This easy weeknight dinner combines bite-sized chicken and broccoli florets with the best homemade teriyaki sauce you’ve ever had. Ready in 20 minutes and better than takeout!

This easy 20-minute teriyaki chicken recipe will be one that you keep on your dinner menu rotation WEEKLY. Because let’s face it… When it comes to choosing easy weeknight dinners, we need quick, but we want delicious. When you can marry the two together, you get a dish that’s easy to be OBSESSED about!

This chicken teriyaki dish has become one of our family’s favorites. The recipe is so easy to throw together after work (yes, it only takes 20 minutes!), and it’s easy to customize based on what you have in the fridge. Have some snow peas that need to be used up? Throw them in! Shrimp? A great addition!

No matter how you make it, this dish is a keeper and one I’m excited for you to make. If you’re a visual person, check out the video of me making it below! Once you see just how easy it is to make Terriyaki Chicken and Broccoli, you’ll want to make it too!

Why Is This Teriyaki Chicken and Broccoli Oh-So Good?

What’s not to love? First of all, the homemade teriyaki sauce is drool-inducing. It’s got the perfect amount of sweetness, and I love how thick it is. It coats the chicken and broccoli so well that you’ll want to pour it all over your rice too.

Additionally, you can use this sauce for virtually anything. Feel free to swap out the broccoli for your favorite veggie and swap out the chicken for your favorite protein. You can use brown rice, quinoa, or noodles for your base — whatever floats your boat!

Ready in only 20 minutes, this Teriyaki Chicken and Broccoli dish is WAY better than takeout! And it’s faster than any restaurant can get to you. Can we call that a win?!

What You’ll Need

A great weeknight recipe should use a short list of ingredients to create amazing flavor. This Chicken Teriyaki recipe doesn’t disappoint! In fact, you likely have each of these ingredients already on-hand in your pantry. Scroll down to the recipe card for the amounts of each.

• Chicken – Use a large boneless skinless chicken breast and then dice it into 1-inch cubes.
• Broccoli – You’ll want to grab about 4 cups of fresh broccoli (see the recipe note if you’re using frozen broccoli)
• Vegetable Oil
• Soy Sauce – I like using a low-sodium soy sauce or tamari to be able to control the saltiness of the homemade teriyaki sauce.
• Brown Sugar – I use dark brown sugar to add richness of flavor to the sauce.
• Garlic
• Rice Vinegar
• Cornstarch – This will help thicken up the sauce.

How to Make This Easy Teriyaki Chicken and Broccoli

This easy 20-minute teriyaki chicken recipe is a perfect choice for easy weeknight dinners. And the homemade teriyaki sauce is simple but extremely flavorful. You’ll never want to buy pre-made sauce again! Here’s how to make it.

• Make the Sauce. In a small bowl, combine the garlic, soy sauce, rice vinegar, brown sugar, cornstarch, and water. Whisk together until it comes together into a cohesive sauce. Set aside.
• Blanch the Broccoli. Bring a medium pot of water to a boil and add the broccoli florets. Blanch the broccoli for 5 minutes and then immediately transfer it to an ice bath (a large bowl of water filled with ice). This process immediately stops the cooking process of the broccoli to prevent the florets from getting mushy. Set this bowl aside until the broccoli is completely cool.
• Brown the Chicken. Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Once the skillet is hot, add the vegetable oil. Once the oil is hot but not yet smoking, add the chicken pieces and brown them on both sides. 
• Add the Broccoli and Homemade Teriyaki Sauce. Once the chicken is cooked, add the broccoli, followed by the sauce. Stir gently for about 5 minutes until the sauce has thickened.
• Serve. Serve teriyaki chicken and broccoli over rice while still hot.

Common Questions

Is Chicken Teriyaki Healthy?

Yes! It’s an excellent form of protein and a great way to use up a bunch of veggies sitting in your fridge. With that said, it can be high in sodium, which is why we use a low-sodium soy sauce. It’s an easy substitution and doesn’t affect the taste at all.

Can You Serve Teriyaki Chicken and Broccoli with Noodles?

Why not? I think it would be SO good with lo-mein-style noodles. The thick sauce would coat all the noodles, and you can twirl them together with the chicken and broccoli!

Can You Use Chicken Thighs?

Yes! In fact, I tend to use chicken thighs more than chicken breasts. I suggest boneless skinless chicken thighs and cubing them into about 1-inch pieces.

Can I Use Frozen Broccoli?

Yes, you can. Just make sure to thaw it out and drain off excess liquid before you add it to the pan.

My Sauce Isn’t Thickening. What am I Doing Wrong?

Make sure you have our heat on at least medium-high. Cornstarch – the thickening agent in our homemade teriyaki sauce – uses heat to activate.

Try These Other Easy Chinese-Inspired Recipes:

• 25-Minute Beef and Snow Pea Stir Fry
• Mongolian Beef
• Pineapple Fried Rice
• Chicken Fried Rice
• Sweet and Sour Chicken

Easy 20-Minute Teriyaki Chicken and Broccoli

This Teriyaki Chicken and Broccoli will become a new family favorite. This easy weeknight dinner combines bite-sized chicken and broccoli florets with the best homemade teriyaki sauce you've ever had. Ready in 20 minutes and better than takeout!

4.80 from 25 votes

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes

Servings: 2

Author: Julie Chiou

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Ingredients 

½1x2x3x

US CustomaryMetric

• ▢ 4 cups fresh broccoli, (see notes below if you’re using frozen broccoli)
• ▢ 1 large boneless skinless chicken breast, diced into 1-inch cubes
• ▢ 1 tablespoon vegetable oil

For the sauce

• ▢ 2 cloves garlic, minced
• ▢ ½ cup low-sodium soy sauce
• ▢ ¼ cup water
• ▢ ½ tablespoon rice vinegar
• ▢ ¼ cup dark brown sugar
• ▢ 2 tablespoon cornstarch

The default measuring system for this website is US Customary. Unit conversions are provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. While we strive to provide accurate unit conversions, please be aware that there may be some discrepancies.

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Instructions

• In a small bowl, whisk together all the ingredients for the sauce and set aside.
• Bring a medium pot of water to a boil and add the broccoli. Blanch the broccoli for 5 minutes then immediately transfer the broccoli to an ice bath (a large bowl of water with ice in it) to stop the cooking process. Set aside.
• In a skillet, brown chicken on both sides with vegetable oil over medium high heat. Add the broccoli (excess water drained well) then turn the heat down to medium. Gently pour in the sauce and let thicken, about 5 minutes. Gently toss the ingredients in the sauce until everything is coated well.
• Serve over rice.

Video

Recipe Notes

If you’re using frozen broccoli, you will not need to do step 2. Make sure you thaw the broccoli out well and drain it of excess water. Add to the skillet the same time the fresh broccoli is added in step 3.

NUTRITION FACTS

Serving: 1 serving | Calories: 356 kcal | Carbohydrates: 47 g | Protein: 22 g | Fat: 10 g | Fiber: 5 g | Sugar: 27 g

This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition information can vary for a variety of reasons. For the most precise nutritional data use your preferred nutrition calculator based on the actual ingredients you used in the recipe.

Course: Dinner, Main Course, Main Entree

Cuisine: Asian

Keyword: chicken teriyaki, easy weeknight dinners, homemade teriyaki sauce, teriyaki chicken and broccoli, teriyaki chicken recipe