Peanut sauce might as well be magic when it comes to dinner time. It dresses up whatever basic ingredients you are using and makes them taste amazing. Yes, I said amazing. And I stand by my overused word choice, which in its informal use means, “startlingly impressive.”
Indeed.
What is startlingly impressive is that you can take the humble vegetable broccoli and a plain jane chicken breast and add a simple sauce to create a healthy, 30 minute meal. Amazing, friends. Amazing.
Notice I call this Broccoli & Chicken and not Chicken & Broccoli. Yes, the ratio is a little more broccoli than chicken. That’s how I roll and how I think our dinner plates should be. More plants than meat. Chicken (preferably organic) isn’t nutritionally void, but broccoli has the super-health-promoting phytonutrients that you only find in plants. So don’t be afraid to have Broccoli & Chicken instead of Chicken & Broccoli. 
Something I’ve been wanting to do, probably for years now, is add “prep time” and “cook time” to my recipes. I almost always forget to time myself and then am afraid I am going to guess wrong at how long it took me. For this recipe, I timed myself. Before I started, I debated what “prep time” included. Does that mean all ingredients are out and ready? Or does that include getting out all of the ingredients? In the end, I started the clock before I had anything out as I figured that would give you the most accurate picture of how long this recipe will really take.
This is a 30 minute recipe, and that even included me frantically searching for a few minutes for my kitchen shears that I needed to cube the chicken. Of course they were right in front of my eyes. If you are super speedy and organized in the kitchen, I’ll bet you can clock this in less than 30.
We usually have this with brown rice, but have also served it with quinoa and rice noodles. It’s also great all by itself, so if you don’t want to add a grain, that’s okay, too! I hope you enjoy this quick and easy dinner recipe!
Note: The peanut sauce is adapted from here.
PrintEasy Broccoli and Chicken with Peanut Sauce
This Broccoli and Chicken with Peanut Sauce tastes incredible served over quinoa or brown rice.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
- Category: main meal
- Cuisine: Asian
Ingredients
1/2 cup natural peanut butter
1/4 cup coconut aminos, low-sodium tamari, or reduced-sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon toasted sesame seed oil
1 tablespoon honey
1/2 inch fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
1 clove of garlic, peeled
2 tablespoons coconut oil (or fat of choice), divided
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed
3 bunches of broccoli, cut into small florets (about 6 cups florets)
salt and pepper
Instructions
To make your peanut sauce, blend the first 8 ingredients until smooth. (If you don’t have a blender, mince the ginger and garlic and then whisk all of the ingredients together very well.) Set aside.
Melt the coconut oil over medium heat in a large skillet. Add the chicken cubes and sprinkle with a small amount of salt and pepper. Cook until browned on the outside and no longer pink in the center, about 5-10 minutes. (Time depends on how small you cubed your chicken. If you need them to cook faster, make them smaller. Mine were ready in 8 minutes.)
Removed the cooked chicken from the pan and cover it to keep it warm. Turn the heat up just a bit and add the remaining 1 tablespoon of coconut oil to the pan.
When it melts, add the broccoli and sprinkle it with a little bit of salt and pepper. Toss the broccoli to coat it in the coconut oil and then add a few tablespoons of water.
Cook until the broccoli is bright green and crisp tender, about 4-5 minutes.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1
- Calories: 405
- Sugar: 12.3g
- Sodium: 201mg
- Fat: 20g
- Carbohydrates: 19g
- Protein: 21.3g
Keywords: Peanut sauce
Julia says
July 13, 2015 at 10:51 amAhhhhh the peanut sauce! I couldn’t agree with you more – it really does take a meal to the next level. I love the chicken and broccoli combo and now I’m craving this for dinner tonight!
Maryea says
July 13, 2015 at 1:19 pmI love that you can put it on just about anything and it tastes good!
Amy says
July 15, 2015 at 9:47 amYum, that sauce sounds great. I don’t eat meat but I could dress up plain seared tofu really easily with this sauce, no marinating required!
Maryea says
July 16, 2015 at 7:44 amTofu or even chickpeas thrown in the mix would be great!
Rachel Morgan says
July 20, 2015 at 6:47 pmThis was so good! New family fav. I added a bit of siracha sauce for some kick!
Maryea says
July 21, 2015 at 9:39 pmGood idea! My kids think black pepper is spicy, so we have to add ours separately if we want that kick. I’m with you though!
Regina says
August 3, 2015 at 11:15 pmMade this tonight and it was great! New favorite and will be making over and over again. Thank you for a great recipe!
Maryea says
August 4, 2015 at 8:25 amWonderful! Thanks for letting me know. 🙂
Courtney says
October 25, 2015 at 9:12 pmAbsolutely loved this for dinner tonight! I took a chance and used almond butter because that’s what we prefer in our house, and it turned out great. Big hit with my husband and 2 1/2 year old as well. Thank you!
Maryea says
October 26, 2015 at 6:21 amSo glad to hear that, Courtney!
Katy says
October 28, 2015 at 11:34 pmMade tonight and both kids and husband enjoyed. Might increase broccoli cooking time as we like it a little less crispy around here.
Kellie Conner says
May 23, 2016 at 7:53 pmI made this for dinner tonight. So, so good and the recipe was easy to follow. Thank you for the recipe!
Maryea says
May 24, 2016 at 4:09 pmYou’re welcome! Thanks for letting me know, Kellie!
Brady Mistler says
November 22, 2016 at 1:25 pmGay
Katie May says
March 1, 2018 at 12:34 pmHave you ever made this with PB2?
Maryea says
March 1, 2018 at 1:20 pmNo, I haven’t. Sorry!
Laura says
November 10, 2018 at 7:05 pmI’ve made a lot of peanut sauces and none come close to this. While it makes me crazy to see people review recipes with major alterations, I have to admit I made this vegetarian friendly by adding shredded carrots and roasted peanuts, and serving it over quinoa. Triple yum!
Dee says
February 6, 2019 at 2:22 pmHelp, you didn’t finish the recipe left off with cooking the broccoli then what?
Maryea says
February 6, 2019 at 2:26 pmThat is so strange! It seems it disappeared somehow. After you cook the broccoli, you simply need to add the chicken back to the pan, add the peanut sauce, and stir until everything is hot. Serve! 🙂