This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
Lemon Soy Chicken and Broccoli has tender bites of chicken and broccoli tossed in a flavorful lemon soy sauce. Serve it over cooked rice with more lemon zest on top.
A Delicious Stir-Fry Meal for Busy Families
Stir-Fry meals are a great choice for family dinners – especially when they are as delicious as our Lemon Soy Chicken and Broccoli.
Tender chunks of lightly breaded and fried chicken are combined with bite-sized broccoli florets, sauteed onions and garlic, plus fresh ginger. Then, the poultry and vegetables are tossed in a super flavorful lemon and soy sauce that has both a touch of sweetness and a touch of heat.
We serve this easy chicken stir-fry over cooked white rice, and a little bit of lemon zest over the top as garnish adds more citrusy flavor.
Why you’ll love Lemon Soy Chicken and Broccoli
- The Asian-inspired flavors are perfectly balanced and very delicious. This is truly a meal the entire family will love.
- As is the case with any stir-fry dish, most of the time is in chopping and measuring before you even start to cook. You can do much of the preparations ahead of time.
- This recipe can be easily adapted to other ingredients – add other vegetables or swap in a different meat (such as pork) if you’d like.
Key Ingredients & Substitutions
- Chicken – We used a combination of both boneless, skinless thigh and breast meat, but you could use all of one or the other if you prefer.
- Lemon – We used both the juice and zest of fresh lemons.
- Corn Starch – Used as a coating on the chicken, as well as to thicken the sauce.
- Eggs – Used to coat the chicken.
- Vegetables – Our recipe includes broccoli, sweet onion, fresh garlic, and fresh ginger. (See the substitutions section below for other options.)
- Sauce – In addition to the lemon juice and corn starch mentioned above, you’ll also need some chicken stock, soy sauce, red pepper flakes, and a little sugar.
- Peanut Oil
Substitutions
-
- You can definitely include other vegetables in this dish such as sliced carrots, peppers, or mushrooms, to name a few.
-
- Just keep in mind that some vegetables take longer to cook than the broccoli in this recipe, or they may release a lot of liquid as they cook which can impact the sauce. In this case, we suggest that you considering cooking each vegetable separately (follow this stir-fry recipe as a guide for timing) and add the extra vegetables in at the end.
-
- You might also want to make some extra sauce if you add many more vegetables to this stir-fry.
Special Tools Needed
- Cutting Board and Sharp Knife
- Lemon Juicer/Squeezer
- Microplane – To zest the lemon
- Large Wok
- Various Measuring Cups and Spoons – A spouted measuring cup like this is handy for measuring, mixing and pouring the sauce into the wok.
- Pot – To blanch the broccoli.
- Colander – To strain the broccoli.
- Spider or Stir-Fry Spatula – To prepare the stir-fry (this is a good set to buy)
- Medium and Long-Handled tongs
- Several Bowls
- Small Whisk
How do I make Lemon Soy Chicken and Broccoli?
- Trim and cut chicken into two-inch pieces and place in a bowl.
- Beat eggs, then add to the bowl to coat the chicken. Add half cup of corn starch and toss to coat. Set aside.
- Blanch the broccoli florets for just 30 seconds in boiling water, then plunge into ice water to stop the cooking process. Strain and set aside.
- Prepare sauce ingredients in a two-cup glass measuring cup and set aside.
- Heat wok to highest heat with most of the peanut oil. Cook chicken in several small batches, turning each piece over with the long tongs then remove to a clean bowl.
- Add remaining oil and cook onions for about three minutes until tender. Add garlic, ginger, and red pepper flakes and toss with spider for one minute.
- Add sauce, chicken, and broccoli and toss again with spider to combine and heat to serving temperature.
- Serve over cooked rice and top with additional lemon zest.
Tips & Tricks
This dish comes together very quickly once you start to cook, so have everything prepared before beginning. Read Cook Like a Pro with Mise en Place.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Can I make Lemon Soy Chicken and Broccoli ahead of time? You can chop and measure out all of the ingredients, blanch the broccoli, cook the chicken, and mix the sauce ingredients. When ready, heat the oil back up, cook the onions, garlic, and ginger, add the sauce then add the blanched broccoli and cooked chicken and reheat to serve. (Just be sure not to overcook the chicken as it will start to get rubbery the more you reheat it.)
- How do I store leftovers? Store covered in the refrigerator for up to three days.
- How do I reheat leftovers? Reheat back in the wok or in the microwave.
You might like these other Chicken Recipes:
Click here for more delicious Asian-Inspired Recipes!
See the RecipesWe love seeing what you made! Tag us on Instagram at @afamilyfeast or hashtag #afamilyfeast so we can see your creations!
Lemon Soy Chicken and Broccoli
Lemon Soy Chicken and Broccoli has tender bites of chicken and broccoli tossed in a flavorful lemon soy sauce. Serve it over cooked rice with more lemon zest on top.
Ingredients
Cooked white rice, for serving
1 pound boneless skinless chicken thighs
1/2 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts or tenders
2 whole eggs, beaten
1/2 cup, plus 2 tablespoons corn starch, divided
1 pound broccoli, trimmed down to about 12-ounces florets
1/2 cup chicken stock or broth
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tablespoon fresh lemon zest, plus more for serving
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/4 cup soy sauce
5 tablespoons peanut oil, divided
1/2 pound sweet onion cut into large strips (1 1/2 – 2 cups)
2 teaspoons fresh garlic, minced
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated fine
1 pinch red pepper flakes
Instructions
- If serving this dish with white rice, start that now per package directions.
- Cut chicken into 2-inch pieces and place into a medium bowl.
- Add beaten egg and toss to coat, then add ½ cup of the corn starch and again, toss to coat. Set this aside for now.
- Heat a medium pot or large saucepan half filled with water.
- Fill a bowl with ice water.
- Once water is boiling, plunge broccoli florets in, cover and time 30 seconds. Remove to a colander to drain then plunge into the ice water to stop the cooking process. Drain and set aside.
- In a two-cup glass measuring cup, measure out chicken stock. Then add lemon juice, lemon zest, sugar, soy sauce and the two tablespoons of corn starch and whisk to combine. Set it aside.
- Heat a wok over high with four tablespoons of peanut oil. Let it get hot enough to start to smoke.
- Using medium tongs, start adding pieces of chicken to just cover wok bottom and using long tongs, flip and cook on both sides (about 2-3 minutes per batch depending on how hot your wok is). Use spider or long tongs to remove to a bowl. Continue with this process cooking in batches and adding to the bowl until all the chicken has been cooked.
- Keep the burner on high and add the last tablespoon of oil and once hot, add the onions and toss and cook for about three minutes or until the onions start to soften.
- Add the garlic, ginger and pepper flakes and cook for one minute.
- Whisk the sauce to redistribute the ingredients, then add to the wok. The sauce will thicken as it heats, about one minute.
- Add the cooked chicken and blanched broccoli and heat just to serving temperature.
- Serve over the cooked rice and grate some additional lemon zest over each portion.
Last Step! Please leave a review and rating letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business thrive & continue providing free recipes.
Very good! I thought 3 Tbs. lemon juice was a bit much. Next time I’m going to use 2 Tbs. I used all boneless breasts. Easy to follow recipe. I had peanut oil splatter all over, took awhile to clean up. I’m a messy cook! Thank you for the tasty recipe!
Thanks for your feedback Cindy.