Chicken and Broccoli Stir-Fry over Rice
Tender chicken breast and crisp broccoli tossed in a glossy soy sauce, served over steamed rice. A fast, high-protein one-pan dinner.
- Total
- 35 min
- Prep 10 · Cook 20 · Rest 5
- Serves
- 1
- Difficulty
- Easy
You'll practice: Searing · Stir-frying
- Savory
- Stovetop
- Oven
Instructions
-
Rinse the rice under cold water until the water runs clear, then drain. Add the rice and 150 ml water to a small pot and bring to a boil over high heat.
~3 min
Rinsing removes surface starch so the grains cook up separate and fluffy instead of gluey.
-
Reduce the heat to low, cover the pot, and simmer until the water is absorbed and the rice is tender, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let it stand, covered, for 5 minutes.
~20 min
Covering traps steam and low heat lets the rice absorb water evenly without scorching.
-
While step 2 cooks
While the rice cooks, cut the chicken breast into 2 cm pieces and the broccoli into small 2 cm florets.
~5 min
-
Heat a non-stick skillet over high heat. Add the chicken in a single layer and cook without moving until browned on the bottom, about 3 minutes. Stir and cook until the chicken is nearly cooked through, about 2 minutes more.
~5 min
A single layer and no moving lets the chicken sear and brown through the Maillard reaction.
Pat the chicken dry before it hits the pan so it browns instead of steaming.
Searing Pat the chicken dry and leave it undisturbed in a hot pan until it releases easily; moving it too soon steams the meat and prevents browning.
-
Add the broccoli to the skillet and stir-fry until bright green and crisp-tender, about 3 minutes.
~3 min
High heat and constant tossing keeps broccoli bright green and crisp-tender rather than mushy.
Keep the skillet very hot and stir only occasionally so the broccoli chars slightly rather than going soft.
Stir-frying Keep the pan very hot and toss the broccoli only occasionally so it chars slightly and stays crisp instead of turning soft.
-
Pour in the soy sauce and toss everything together until the chicken is cooked through and reaches 74°C/165°F and the sauce coats the ingredients, about 2 minutes. Serve over the rice.
~2 min
Tossing lets the soy sauce reduce slightly and glaze the chicken and broccoli evenly.