Sweet Chili Ground Chicken and Broccoli Stir Fry - EASY, ready in 30 minutes, made in ONE skillet, and layered with Asian-inspired flavors! Juicy chicken, crisp-tender broccoli, red bell peppers, and more are coated with sweet chili sauce, soy sauce, sesame oil, and finished with fresh cilantro for a pop of freshness!As you can see in the recipe, many ingredients are added to taste. Use my measurements as a guideline, but add items as desired, taking into account your own palette and preferences and not being shy to add a little more or a little less than what I use.
Prep Time10 minutesmins
Cook Time20 minutesmins
Total Time30 minutesmins
Course: 30-Minute Meals
Cuisine: Asian
Servings: 6
Calories: 340kcal
Author: Averie Sunshine
Ingredients
2 to 2tablespoonsolive oil
1medium to large sweet Vidalia onionor yellow onion, finely diced
1medium to large red bell pepperor the color of your choice, seeded and diced small
2 to 4clovesgarlicfinely minced
1poundground chickenground turkey, pork, sausage, etc. may be substituted; read blog post for more info
⅔cupsweet chili sauceor to taste
2tablespoonslite soy sauceor to taste
1 to 2tablespoonstoasted sesame oilor to taste
12ouncesfresh broccoli florets
1teaspoonkosher saltor to taste
½teaspoonfreshly ground black pepperor to taste
1 to 2tablespoonsrice vinegarsometimes labeled rice wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar, or to taste
⅓cupfinely minced fresh cilantroor to taste; optional for garnishing
Red chili flakesoptional but highly recommended for garnishing
Instructions
To a large high-sided skillet, add the olive oil, onions, and heat over medium-high heat to saute and soften the onions for about 4 minutes; stir very frequently.
Add the red peppers, stir to combine, and saute them with the onions for another 3 minutes, or until the vegetables have begun to soften a bit; stir very frequently.
Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute; stir nearly constantly.
Add the ground chicken and cook to brown, making sure to crumble and stir it as it cooks, about 5 minutes.
After the chicken has browned and is done, evenly drizzle the sweet chili sauce* (tip - I use a 10 ounce bottle from Trader Joe's. I start with not quite half the bottle and later, end up adding more, but it's up to you how saucy and flavorful you like things), the soy sauce, toasted sesame oil, (tip - it has a strong-ish flavor profile and will give a definite great 'Asian vibe" to this dish, but if you're not used to or sensitive to the flavor, start with 1 tbsp and then go from there; I usually add 2-3 tbsp total), and stir to combine.
Add the broccoli, stir to combine, turn the heat to low, cover the skillet with a lid, and allow the broccoli to steam for about 4 to 5 minutes. Broccoli Tips - I use bagged florets to save time, but you can cut up and dice a head of broccoli if you wish because it is more cost effective. If using bagged florets, make sure that there are no overly large pieces; most bags have a few big ones. All broccoli should be bite-sized and uniformly sized for best results. Steam the broccoli until it's as done as you like, that may be longer than 5 minutes if you like it softer but we prefer it to be pretty crisp on the crisp-tender scale.
Remove the lid, and add the salt, pepper, rice vinegar, stir to combine, and taste. Salt Tips - You need to add enough salt to bring out the flavor of a pound of protein and nearly 2 pounds of vegetables. For me, this means I added 2 heaping teaspoons of salt, which I realize sounds like a lot, but given the quantity of food you need to flavor, it's really not. There's not enough saltiness in the small amount of soy sauce used to really do so, and the sweet chili sauce although it contains sodium, it doesn't read salty so actual salt is key here. If the food tastes at all bland, it likely needs more salt. Don't be afraid to add it.
Optionally, garnish with fresh cilantro, to taste (tip - use less than I did if you're not a fan, omit it entirely, or another herb like fresh basil or parsley is also fine) and optionally sprinkle with red chili flakes, to taste (tip - if you want it spicier, add very generously like I did; and for more intense heat add a serrano chile, habanero, or a tiny pinch of cayenne and read the blog post for more info on this).
Serve immediately as is, or with rice, tortillas, naan, or your favorite side. Leftovers will keep airtight in the fridge for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 4 months, noting that the texture of the broccoli will become much softer and not retain the crisp-tenderness after freezing/thawing/reheating, although the taste will be fine.
Notes
*Sweet Chili Sauce - It's a really integral part of this recipe. I buy mine at Trader Joe's because I love the flavor and it's inexpensive. However, there are other brands available in most grocery stores if you want to check out the following:Trader Joe's Sweet Chili SauceThai Kitchen Sweet Chili SauceLa Choy Sweet Chili SauceWhole Foods Organic 365 Sweet Chili SauceThere are also recipes online that you can follow to make your own. I've never tried but it's entirely possible.If you absolutely cannot find it, the closest substitute is Chinese style sweet-and-sour sauce.