Lemon Chicken Stir Fry

A bowl of stir-fried chicken, broccoli, and green onion segments with a pair of chopsticks.

This lemon chicken stir fry combines juicy chicken thighs, broccoli, green onion, and garlic in a simple skillet meal. Sesame oil and a three-ingredient lemon sauce bring everything together in under 20 minutes.

Course Main Course, Main Dishes

Cuisine American, International

Keyword add chicken, bell pepper, bowl, chicken, chicken breasts, chicken stir fry, cook, flavor, garlic, heat, lemon, lemon chicken, lemon chicken stir fry, lemon chicken stir fry recipe, lemon juice, lemon pepper chicken, oil, onion, pan, pepper, recipe, rice, salt, sauce, soy sauce, stir-fry, stirring, thicken, vegetable

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 8

Servings Servings

Calories 126kcal

Author Zuzana Paar

Equipment

1 Pan
1 Bowl

Ingredients

2 Pieces Chicken Thighs skinless boneless, approximately 300g, sliced into chunks
½ Head Broccoli around 150g, separated into compact florets
1 Large Stalk Green Onion sliced into short 4cm pieces
2 Cloves Garlic peeled and crushed, fresh
1 Tablespoon Sesame Oil 15ml pure
¼ teaspoon Salt
¼ teaspoon Black Pepper

For the Lemon Stir Fry Sauce:

1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice 15ml freshly squeezed
¼ cup Chicken Broth 60ml good quality
¼ teaspoon Salt

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Cut and season the chicken, prepare the broccoli, green onion, garlic, and lemon sauce.
Sear the chicken in sesame oil for 2 minutes per side until golden.
Add the garlic, green onion, and broccoli, then stir-fry briefly.
Pour in the sauce, cover, steam for 2 minutes, then stir and serve.

Notes

Chicken thighs rather than chicken breasts stay juicier at this quick cooking time. If using chicken breasts, reduce the sear time to 90 seconds per side as they are leaner and cook through faster.
Mix the lemon sauce in a small bowl before the sesame oil hits the pan. Having the sauce ready means you can add it the moment step four calls for it, without scrambling while things cook.
Add the garlic after the chicken has been flipped, not at the start. Garlic added to cold or warming sesame oil burns by the time the chicken finishes its sear, and bitter garlic ruins the whole dish.
Serve the moment the lid comes off. The broccoli continues cooking from residual heat if it sits in the covered pan and will be soft rather than crisp-tender by the time a plate reaches the table.

Nutrition