Chicken & Broccoli needs no introduction. After all, it’s a classic at every Chinese-American restaurant.
And seeing as I’m a Jewish boy from Long Island, I KNOW my Chinese-American cuisine (if I didn’t, my Bar Mitzvah card would be revoked).So I decided it was time to make the best possible Chicken & Broccoli that puts even most of the take-out places in NYC to shame. It’s the real deal with minimal effort in theInstant Pot! Now crack open that fortune cookie – because Confucius is about to predict some flavor in your life!
Here’s How I Made It!:
Start with a yellow onion…
…and dice it up.
Then take some scallions…
…and slice ’em up.
You’ll want some thin-cut chicken breasts for this dish as they work best (your butcher can do it for you or you can do it yourself if you get thick breasts)…
…because we’re going to cut them into bite-size pieces.
Now go to the Instant Pot, heat it up and add in some vegetable oil…
…some sesame oil…
…and Shaoxing cooking wine (or cooking sherry).
Once it begins to sizzle…
…add in the onions and scallions.
Stir for a moment until they soften.
Then add in some garlic…
..and stir for another moment.
Then add in all that chicken…
…and lightly cook for a minute until it becomes pinkish-white in color but no more.
Add in some hoisin sauce…
…and stir the chicken into it so it becomes nice and coated.
And then add in some beef broth…
…soy sauce…
…oyster sauce…
…and brown sugar.
Stir well until everything’s combined, secure the lid and cook at high pressure.
As the chicken’s cooking in the Instant Pot, take some heads of broccoli…
…reserve only the crowns and place in a microwave safe bowl with some water poured over it…
…and pop it in the microwave covered for a few minutes to steam (see the “Jeffrey Sez” section why we don’t pressure cook the broccoli with the chicken).
When done, we’ll look nice and steamed!
(Oh. Also, create a cornstarch slurry during this time.)
When done pressure cooking and when the lid comes off the Instant Pot, give it more heat and allow it bubble. When it does, immediately add in the slurry…
…and stir it into the sauce. It will thicken up a bit to the perfect consistency.
For the final step, add in the steamed broccoli, making sure it’s nice and combined with the sauce and chicken. Allow it to bubble in the sauce for a couple of minutes to slightly soften up a bit.
When done, transfer the Chicken & Broccoli to a serving dish, spooning over plenty of sauce…
(now doesn’t that look nice?)
Now, go on. Try it out.
See that fortune cookie?
It reads: “To no other mouth will a Chicken & Broccoli be this grand”
Enjoy this classic and wonderful dish with my famous Hibachi Fried Rice (White Rice or Brown Rice) and Egg Drop Soup or Hot & Sour Soup or Soup Dumplings!
Instant Pot Chicken & Broccoli
Chicken & Broccoli is a total staple in any Chinese-American restaurant. And if you make this recipe, this is one time you can turn your kitchen into a Chinese restaurant instead.
Ingredients
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 1 bunch of scallions, chopped
- 1 tbsp of crushed garlic
- 2 tbsp of vegetable oil
- 3 tbsp of sesame oil
- 1 tbsp of Shaoxing rice wine (or cooking sherry if you don’t have this)
- 1.5-2 pounds of chicken breast, sliced thin and cut into bite-size pieces
- 1/4 cup of hoisin sauce
- 1/4 cup of low-sodium soy sauce
- 1 cup of beef broth (I used 1 cup of water + 1 tsp of Beef Better Than Bouillon)
- 2 tbsp of oyster sauce
- 2 tbsp of dark (or light) brown sugar
- 1-2 heads of fresh broccoli, with the florets separate from the stalk (which you’ll discard)
- 2 tbsp cornstarch + 2 tbsp of water to form a slurry
Instructions
- Add the vegetable, sesame oils and Shaoxing wine (which should NOT be cold but at room temperature) to the Instant Pot, hit “Sauté” and adjust so it’s on the “More” or “High” setting. Allow it to heat up for 3 minutes
- Once heated, add in the onions and scallions and cook for 2-3 minutes until lightly softened. Add the garlic and cook for another minute more
- Next, add the chicken and stir for a minute more until the edges become pinkish-white in color (it should not be fully cooked). Add in the hoisin sauce and stir to coat all the chicken with it
- Lastly, add in the beef broth, soy sauce, oyster sauce and brown sugar and stir well
- Secure the lid, hit “Keep Warm/Cancel” and then hit “Pressure Cook” or “Manual” High Pressure for 4 minutes. Quick release when done
- As the chicken is cooking, put the broccoli florets in a microwave-safe bowl with 1/4 cup of water poured over it, cover loosely and microwave for 3-4 mins until it’s slightly tender, but still firm (see the “Jeffrey Sez” section why we don’t pressure cook the broccoli with the chicken). Also, create the cornstarch slurry during this time
- Once the quick release is done and the lid comes off the Instant Pot, hit “Keep Warm/Cancel” and then hit “Sauté” again. When the sauce begin to bubble, add in the cornstarch slurry and stir immediately. Then, add in the steamed broccoli and stir it in so it’s nice and combined with the chicken and the sauce. Allow it to bubble for 1-2 minutes and then turn the Instant Pot off
- Enjoy! Goes GREAT with my famous Hibachi Fried Rice (or White Rice or Brown Rice) and Egg Drop Soup, Hot & Sour Soup and Soup Dumplings!
Jeffrey's Tips
The reason I cook the broccoli separately from the chicken during the pressure cooking phase is because broccoli cooks insanely fast when pressure cooked. Like, it will become mush. If you’d rather have a mushy broccoli that falls apart, by all means, cook it with the chicken – BUT – if you want it crunchy and substantial, simply steam it in the microwave as suggested in the recipe 😉
Some people enjoy these with some cashews and/or sesame seeds added at the end. Feel free to top it off when serving in a bowl!
Want some spice? Add in some Sriracha or garlic chili sauce to taste!
Enjoy this classic and wonderful dish with my famous Hibachi Fried Rice (White Rice or Brown Rice) and Egg Drop Soup or Hot & Sour Soup or Soup Dumplings!
Paula DiSabella
Hi All!
Love, love, LOVE the Chicken and Broccoli recipe, and have made it many times. For me, there was only one thing missing: Ginger. I add 1 Tbsp of minced ginger along with the minced garlic to the pot. The Chinese restaurants in town don’t hear from us nearly so much anymore!
Mary
I made this tonight. It was delicious BUT let me say I did not have fresh onions (I used dried) did not have Hoisin Sauce and did not have rice wine. Made it anyway!! We loved it! Can’t wait to make it with ALL the ingredients!!
Lisa Reed
I was craving chicken and broccoli so I found your recipe and it was delish. I made the recipe as is except I added matchstick carrots and frozen fajitas chicken strips and doubled the ingredients. Even my son loved it. Will make again.
Michele white
Step 1. The word “oil” is missing after the word vegetable I believe. Love you and your recipes to pieces. Thought you might want to know. I have 2 of your books already and eagerly awaiting the 3rd.
Liz
I made this for dinner tonight, but the instant pot wasn’t available so I used a big skillet. I made two changes: I peeled the broccoli stems and sliced them. We like the crunch they add, kind of like water chestnuts. I also added about 3 tablespoons of fresh grated ginger. Do I need to say we love it? I served it with long grain brown rice I cooked earlier today in the rice cooker. My picky husband even likes it!
Rose
So insanely delicious!
Pam
We absolutely love this recipe. I’ve made it at least 5 times and it never disappoints. Chicken and Broccoli is one of our favorites. We also love your Asian Garlic Noodles and the Best Mississippi Pot Roast ever! Thank you for sharing your recipes!
Morgan
Made this tonight with chicken thighs (around 3 lbs worth) and doubled all the other ingredients so it was super saucy. Served it over white rice and it. was. so. good. I’ve made your teriyaki chicken many times but somehow this was even better! Will make again and again and again. Thanks again, Jeffrey!
Jeffrey
Yay!
Marlene
I love your recipes and make many of them on a regular basis. This is the only recipe I have a problem with. The results are suburb, but after I have added the vegetable sesame oils and rice wine and heat it up for 3 minutes, my pot starts spitting the oil ingredients. It makes for a mess. I turn my pot off and let it cool down before proceeding with the recipe. Do I need to shorten the 3 minute time or am I doing something else wrong?
Suzanne Smith
How many cups of broccoli?
Jocelyne
I tried this it was delicious. And I’m doing it again tonight – its better than take out.
Thank you Jeffrey
Jeffrey
I agree! Enjoy!
Eric U
My wife is extremely picky when it comes to food but she craves this multiple times a month. Such a great recipe Jeffery!
Jeffrey
Makes me so happy!
Leigh
Very easy and good. I didn’t have any sherry, but didn’t really miss it. It was just a bit too sweet for my taste, so I might omit the sugar next time, and maybe a bit less broth to make the sauce thicker. I added a teaspoon of chili garlic sauce to give it some kick. Will make again!
Challis
This was my first attempt at Asian cooking with my new instant pot. My husband devoured it. He just loves it. I too could not find any Chinese wine. But this is a real winner. Thanks so much I just love the illustration along the way. I will try more of your recipes.
Jeffrey
This makes me so happy!