This quick and tasty paleo chicken and broccoli stir fry uses clean simple ingredients and is so much healthier than takeout but just as fast! It’s family approved and great for weeknight dinners. I love serving it over fried cauliflower rice to keep it paleo, Whole30 compliant and low carb too.
I’ve been making this Chinese chicken and broccoli recipe for about a year for my family and have just gotten around to sharing it. It’s long overdo!
Since it became a weeknight family favorite, I knew I had to take the time to measure everything out and finally get all the details down.
My kids eat this with white rice but I make a super-quick sautéed cauliflower rice for my husband and I and it’s absolutely perfect.
This chicken and broccoli totally hits the spot and satisfies your Chinese takeout craving without the sugar, soy sauce, cornstarch and MSG. My kids actually like this version better than takeout in fact!
What You Need to Make this Paleo Chicken and Broccoli Stir Fry
I broke up the ingredient list into three categories – the chicken, sauce, and remaining ingredients.
The recipe itself is simple and fast, but it helps to separate it into parts when you’re just getting the hang of making it. Here’s everything you’ll need for the stir fry:
Chicken:
- avocado oil or olive oil
- boneless skinless chicken thighs or breasts, sliced thin into bite size pieces
- arrowroot or tapioca flour
- Sea salt and black pepper
- garlic powder
- onion powder
- coconut aminos
Sauce:
- coconut aminos
- sesame oil
- chicken bone broth or chicken stock (started with 1/4 but seemed a bit thick so added a little more broth)
- arrowroot or tapioca flour
Remaining Ingredients:
- broccoli, cut into florets and blanched (you can do this in the microwave, see the instructions.)
- scallions
- fresh garlic
- fresh ginger
How to Make this Paleo Chicken and Broccoli Stir Fry
To blanch the broccoli florets in the microwave, place them in a large microwavable bowl and microwave on high for 2 minutes, stir and heat again for another minute or until they are slightly tender.
Toss the sliced chicken with the arrowroot or tapioca, a little salt and pepper, the garlic and onion powder and the 1 tbsp coconut aminos. In a separate bowl, whisk together all the sauce ingredients until dissolved.
Heat a large non stick skillet or wok over medium high heat and add the avocado or olive oil. Once hot, add the prepared chicken in a single layer. Sear for about 3 minutes, flip, and cook another 2 minutes or so or until cooked through. Remove to a plate and set aside.
Keep the pan juices and oil in the skillet and lower the heat to medium. Add the white part of the scallions, garlic and ginger and sauté until fragrant. Add the broccoli and chicken to the skillet, then the stir fry sauce and stir to coat well. The sauce should thicken right away so only cook long enough to combine flavors and heat through.
Remove the skillet from heat and serve hot over sautéed cauliflower rice to zoodles and garnish with the sliced green scallions. You can keep leftovers in a tightly lidded container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. To reheat, you can use the microwave or a skillet over medium high heat.
Tips for a Successful Stir Fry
The best tip I have for a successful stir fry is to prep all your ingredients and having them conveniently set in front of you before you begin cooking, so they’re ready to throw in the skillet or wok.
Stir fries cook quickly and I’ve definitely made the mistake of trying to prep as I cook, which always leads to overcooking something!
I’m also one of those people who tends to get confused when I try to prep as I go while cooking, so for me it’s absolutely essential to have my ingredients in front of me before turning on the heat.
My second tip is to adjust the heat as necessary so you don’t overcook or burn anything.
This is especially true when going from cooking the chicken to cooking the garlic, ginger, and scallions. I like to lower the heat more than I need to and give the skillet a chance to cool off a little, or else the garlic does burn.
You’ll also then have to raise the heat so the skillet doesn’t get too cool and your sauce can thicken right away. It might take a little bit of practice, and getting to know your stovetop and skillet, but adjusting the heat as needed is another tip for a perfect stir fry.
I hope you’re ready for a super tasty takeout alternative that’s bound to become a favorite in your house!
Grab your favorite skillet or wok and start prepping your ingredients because it’s time to cook – let’s go!
Paleo Chicken and Broccoli Stir Fry {Whole30, Keto}
Paleo Chicken and Broccoli Stir Fry {Whole30, Keto}
Ingredients
Chicken:
- 2 Tbsp avocado oil or olive oil
- 1 1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs or breasts sliced thin into bite size pieces
- 2 tsp arrowroot or tapioca flour
- Sea salt and black pepper
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1 tbsp coconut aminos
Sauce:
- 6 Tbsp coconut aminos
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 5 Tbsp chicken bone broth or chicken stock
- 2 tsp arrowroot or tapioca flour
Instructions
-
Have your ingredients prepped and ready to go before beginning since the stir fry will cook quickly.
-
To blanch the broccoli florets in the microwave, place them in a large microwavable bowl and microwave on high for 2 minutes, stir and heat again for another minute or until they are slightly tender.
-
Toss the sliced chicken with the arrowroot or tapioca, a little salt and pepper, the garlic and onion powder and the 1 tbsp coconut aminos. In a separate bowl, whisk together all the sauce ingredients until dissolved.
-
Heat a large non stick skillet or wok over medium high heat and add the avocado or olive oil. Once hot, add the prepared chicken in a single layer. Sear for about 3 minutes, flip, and cook another 2 minutes or so or until cooked through. Remove to a plate and set aside.
-
Keep the pan juices and oil in the skillet and lower the heat to medium. Add the white part of the scallions, garlic and ginger and sauté until fragrant. Add the broccoli and chicken to the skillet, then the stir fry sauce and stir to coat well. The sauce should thicken right away so only cook long enough to combine flavors and heat through.
-
Remove from heat and serve hot over cauliflower rice and garnish with the green part of the scallions. Enjoy!
Nutrition
Want More Quick Paleo and Whole30 Dinner Recipes? Try One of These!
Egg Roll in a Bowl with Chicken
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Could coconut flour or almond flour be used as a thickener instead of arrowroot? We are in SCD.
Curious too!
unfortunately those don’t make great thickeners. I would leave out the thickener in that case.
I’ve been wanting to try this recipe for awhile and finally did tonight! I wasn’t disappointed at all. VERY flavorful and such a delicious and healthy dinner. Michele’s recipes are ALWAYS well thought out and never disappoint!
Excellent! Tasted better than takeout and much better ingredients.
So good! It was a hit for the whole family, including the 2 yr old and the sugar + carb loving husband. He even asked for leftovers for work the next day 👍 I’m not Paleo, but newly sugar/gluten/dairy free and low(er) carb, and these recipes look delish. Can’t wait to try others. Thanks!
This was delicious. My family loved it and asked for it to be part of our rotation. It was easy to make – and I am not the best cook! I had to cook the chicken in two batches, but it still was pretty quick.
Turned out great! Thank you!!!
This was excellent. I doubled the chicken/seasonings – just to make sure I had enough to feed the family. We are not doing a Whole30 right now so I served over basmati rice which was quite tasty.
I made this for dinner last night, oh my goodness, it was just delicious! No leftovers for lunches this week is the only downside. I thought my husband was going to lick the pan. LOL Just delicious, fast and easy! Thanks, again!
This was probably the best stir fry I’ve made! I followed the directions exactly and it was perfect.
Fantastic!
I made this tonight and it was delicious! I was glad I followed your suggestion to have all ingredients prepped before starting to cook – it comes together quickly! The sauce/juices from the stir fry flavor the cauliflower rice really well. Thanks for a great addition to our Whole30 rotation!
So, so good and beautiful to serve. My family, including three teens and a picky hubby, loved it. No one added any seasoning because it was so flavorful. Thank you!
This was absolutely delicious! My kids, husband and I all loved it! Which is very hard to accomplish! I’m relatively new to a gluten free diet, and finding easy recipes that my family who are not eating gluten free, will enjoy, has been tricky. This will be in rotation often! Thank you!
I always love your recipes and this was no different. Super easy to make. My hubby loved it. Thanks!
Amazing!! Husband and kids all raved which is super rare, it really is that delicious. And loved tip about blanching in the microwave, so easy and not soggy!! Added cut up red peppers to broccoli for the last minute in the microwave to get some extra veggies in.
Thanks for a great weeknight recipie!
This was delicious and easy to make. Take the advice of having everything prepped. It does cook quickly.
This was awesome! I have tried to make many meals in the past that would sub for Chinese food and title success. This recipe nailed it!!
This was delicious! the family had no clue that it was AIP compliant and loved it!
So much flavor in this recipe just like takeout but so much healthier.
Thanks for sharing this. I really enjoyed reading it. It is very good. This is interesting as well as very engaging. I couldn’t stop until I finished it.
So good that I’ve made this twice already this month. Lots of flavour, and easy to make.
Delicious!! So full of flavor, my whole family loved it!
Very nice. We have never heard of Coconut aminos, and we have nether tapioca nor arrowroot flour. i used soy sauce and ordinary maize flour and a bit of gram flour on the chicken. A good wok is recommended, but overall a very simple and easily adaptable recipe. Thank you.
This was very delicious!! It is easy to make and will definitely be on our dinner rotation. Thank you!!
I wish the measurements for the ingredients were listed at the top, because I didn’t see them buried at the bottom of the webpage. So I tried making this by guessing the amounts. Unfortunately, the sauce turned everything into a mucous mess and my family wouldn’t eat it. I think the flavours were ok, but texture was way off.
Guessing the amounts and then leaving a 2 star rating? I’m not sure I understand the logic. The recipe in detail is in the recipe box like it is always on my site and every other recipe site I’ve been to recently.
An absolute favorite in my family! We did use regular soy sauce since we didn’t have coconut aminos but other than that we stuck to the recipe and it was great!
Second time I’m making this this week. Sometimes I sub green beans. I also triple the sauce!
This is the real deal! I have a ton of food allergies and this happens to meet all of mine. And it’s delicious. I personally like spicy foods so I added a bit of crushed red pepper to give a little kick. Bookmarked!!!!
So simple, so few ingredients. So good.
It came out great! I could see this becoming a regular staple.
Can this be made in the instapot as well? If so for how long?
Thank you! Love your recipes!
Just made this, delicious!
My family loves this dish! I made it for the first time last week and have already made it again. It is great over cauliflower rice.
Absolutely delicious! Made it for the first time this week and my teens just asked me to make it for dinner again tonight. Thank you for sharing your delicious creations with us! This one was a definite hit as always!
This was absolutely fantastic, and so easy to throw together! Excited to have enough for leftovers for lunch
This was so easy to make and delicious. It’s definitely a new dish to add to our regular rotation.
Don’t usually leave reviews – but oh my goodness this is so good. Restaurant quality and I can see using the sauce (the best!!!) in other stir fry recipes.
Very delicious! Easy to cook & we loved it. Will be having this more often.
Hey Michele! Thank you for posting this recipe, I will try to cook it today and will write my feedback here!
Delicious! Made this for my family tonight and everyone loved it! We are not doing whole30 so I served it over basmati rice and added sesame seeds at the end! Sooo good!!!
Best chicken and broccoli recipe I’ve ever used! Served it over jasmine rice. We like a little spice so I used 1/2 t of hot sesame oil to cook the rice and in the sauce I used half hot sesame oil and half regular sesame oil. Also, I 1.5x the sauce ingredients as I always like it a little saucier. Absolutely amazing!
I made this recipe and decided to use chicken thighs instead of breast. I normally make my chicken thighs in the slowcooker to really lock in the flavor and cook the fat down a little bit more but instead I didn’t have my slow cooker on hand and decided to pan fry it ~ big mistake for me. Next time I will use my slow cooker to cook away more of the fat down or use chicken breast
I made chicken and broccoli stir fry and absolutely loved it!! Thank you for the recipe!
I also felt like I was eating something good for me—- wonderful bonus!
Super delicious, loved it until … I think 🤔 the broccoli bloated me.
Will definitely make it again with a different green.
Thank you
Super delicious, until what I think was the broccoli causing bloating.
I will make again with a different green.
Thank you
Delicious!! I think I was a bit heavy handed with the coconut aminos.
I also didn’t have broccoli but we had asparagus that I didn’t want to go bad so I used that.
And I had just run out of chicken broth so I used white wine—not paleo friendly!
Still, I would make this again!!
Forgot to select the stars in my rating—sorry! Again, delicious!
Really fantastic recipe! I added cashews and a little extra ginger- better (and healthier) than takeout for sure!! Thanks!
Fabulous recipe! The chicken was so, so tender! The sauce was delicious! This recipe will be my go-to chicken – broccoli stirfry from now on!
This was so delicious!! Will make again and again and again
This was absolutely delicious. The only change I made was to steam the broccoli after the chicken was cooked and then added the chicken back in and then the sauce. Im glad I doubled the recipe so there was leftovers for lunch the next day
We made this tonight and it was a big hit with the whole family! It is so delicious and easy!
This was DELISH! This was so quick to put together; I followed the recipe and served over cauliflower rice and at first I thought it was very good but needed a little more flavor BUT…. as we kept eating I loved the subtle flavor and had it the next day reheated for lunch and it was still delish. Thank You! I’m adding this to my regular rotation.
I just made this and it was delicious! I may have been a bit heavy handed with the amino’s because it was a bit salty (I’ll get the lower sodium option next time). I love so many of your recipes and thanks for sharing them with us.
Fantastic, my family loved it. Thank you!
This is a super easy meal. And super delicious too! I felt like it was missing just a little something, so I sprinkled just a little lemon juice on it and that was just the ticket.
Wow! Easy and so yum! I used coconut flour as I didn’t have the others on hand. Simple but complex flavor. Thanks.
So good.
It was absolutely delicious! Easy to make and so flavorful! A great Whole30 dish.
Very delicious!
The only thing I would do differently is not add the sea salt. It was a bit salty. But it’s a personal preference because I am watching my sodium intake
Love this! So easy and very tasty. Will be serving this again.
First time making a stir fry. It was easy and extremely tasty!
Loved this recipe! But, was wondering, how many cups of broccoli are used, and at end of the recipe it says to serve over riced cauliflower, is the cauliflower included in the macros? Thanks! 😀
I made this for two picky eaters. They both loved it and it was delicious. Best stir fry I’ve ever had!