There are a few dishes in the world that I would happily eat at any given day, and any given moment even if I was not hungry. Easy Spicy Broccoli Beef is most definitely one of those dishes.
Bursting with two of my favourite things -beef and broccoli- coated with a mahogany, perfectly spicy, garlic and ginger sauce, Easy Spicy Broccoli Beef is not fancy, but it is easy on the eyes, simple to throw together, and oh-so-satisfying.
If you’ve eaten Chinese take-out, it’s likely you’ve had some iteration of this classic American Chinese dish. And if you’ve eaten it from more than one restaurant, you’re probably aware that there are wildly differing levels of quality of this dish from one eatery to another.
For some reason, the Chinese restaurants in my neck of the woods seem to take a perverse pride in serving sad beef with overcooked broccoli swimming in a non-descript brown sauce that really doesn’t taste of one thing or another.
When Easy Spicy Broccoli Beef is done right, it sings with garlic, ginger, and just the right level of spice. And when it’s done REALLY right, the sauce is just thick enough to cling to and coat the broccoli and beef without being gloppy or soupy.
The broccoli should be tender enough to bite easily, but still give a little snap, and the beef needs to be tender but not falling apart.
This method takes some of the middle-man steps out of most Spicy Beef with Broccoli recipes and keeps it streamlined and simple without sacrificing any of the taste. I hope you love it as much as my family does!
Cook’s Notes
- There are a couple of cuts of beef that are usable in this recipe. The very best beef for the job is skirt steak, but depending on where you are in the country, that can get a little pricey. Flat iron steak makes a reasonable and a slightly less expensive substitute. For the budget minded, a top round steak will substitute admirably and be far gentler on your bank account. Whichever cut you go for, though, please remember to cut with the grain into pieces about 3 inches wide. After cooking as directed in the first step, rest the meat and then flip the pieces perpendicular and slice diagonally across the grain into 1/8-inch to 1/4-inch thick strips before tossing back into the sauce.
- Please use fresh broccoli florets in this recipe for optimal results. As odd as it may sound, taking the time to turn the pieces of broccoli stem side down will help insure the texture you’d like in the finished broccoli. The stems should be easily pierced with a sharp knife when they are finished roasting.
- Because the broccoli is cooked in an extremely high heat, the tops may get a light char in places. That is actually desirable and adds a lovely flavor dimension to the finished dish.
- Looking for something awesome to serve with your broccoli beef? Serve it on this bacon garlic rice!
Easy Spicy Broccoli Beef
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Rebecca Lindamood
Prep Time 10 minutes mins
Cook Time 20 minutes mins
Total Time 30 minutes mins
Easy Spicy Broccoli Beef is the simplest garlicky, gingery fabulous weeknight dinner!
Ingredients
For the Beef:
- 1 1/2 pounds skirt steak can substitute flank steak or top round
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- salt and pepper
- 2 tablespoons sunflower or vegetable oil
For the Broccoli:
- 2 pounds broccoli florets
- 1 tablespoon sunflower or vegetable oil
- 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
For the Sauce:
- 1 cup low sodium chicken broth
- 1/2 cup oyster sauce
- 5 tablespoons dry sherry or rice wine
- 2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons chili garlic sauce
- 1 teaspoon grated ginger
To finish the dish and serve:
- 2 teaspoons sunflower or vegetable oil
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon grated ginger
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
To serve:
- Hot rice
- Sesame seeds
- Minced green onions
Instructions
To Sear the Beef:
Lay the beef out on a cutting board. Break it down a bit by slicing into 3-inch thick strips along with the grain. Sprinkle both sides of the steaks with salt, pepper, and cornstarch and rub to coat.
Heat a heavy bottomed skillet over high heat. Drizzle in 2 tablespoons and heat until shimmery. Carefully lower the beef into the oil and sear for 3-4 minutes on each side. Transfer the beef to a rimmed plate and lightly tent with foil. Set the pan aside.
Preheat the oven to 500F. Line a sheet pan with foil. Drizzle any accumulated pan juices from the beef over the broccoli florets in a large mixing bowl. Add the sunflower oil and kosher salt and toss to coat. Arrange the broccoli stem sides down on the foil lined pan. Roast 10-12 minutes or until lightly charred on top and the stems are easily pierced with a sharp knife.
Slice the beef against the grain into 1/8-inch to 1/4-inch thick slices.
Whisk together the chicken stock, oyster sauce, sherry, soy sauce, chili garlic sauce, grated ginger, and cornstarch.
See AlsoSheet Pan Spicy Ginger Sesame Beef and Broccoli.Beef and Broccoli: Authentic Restaurant Recipe - The Woks of LifeSpicy Takeout Beef and Broccoli RecipeSpicy Beef and Broccoli Stir Fry - Season & ThymeReturn the pan you used to sear the beef to high heat. Drizzle in the 2 teaspoons of oil. Add the minced garlic and ginger and stir fry until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Pour in the sauce ingredients and bring to a boil, scraping the crispy bits off of the bottom of the pan. Simmer until it begins to thicken. Toss in the sliced beef and any accumulated pan juices. When the beef is done to your liking, toss in the cooked broccoli and heat through. Serve immediately on fresh rice. If desired, garnish with sesame seeds and sliced scallions.
Nutrition
Calories: 352kcalCarbohydrates: 19gProtein: 30gFat: 17gSaturated Fat: 10gCholesterol: 71mgSodium: 1455mgPotassium: 871mgFiber: 4gSugar: 4gVitamin A: 950IUVitamin C: 135.1mgCalcium: 84mgIron: 3.4mg
Nutritional information is an estimate and provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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Reader Interactions
Pamela says
Fabulous! I followed the recipe exactly with the exception of the dry sherry, I didn’t have that so I used cooking sherry instead. I would love to know if using the stronger sherry would make a difference. It worth be work trying since everything about this recipe was fantastic. It was the best beef and Broccoli ever, even better than most restaurants.
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Rebecca says
Thanks so much, Pamela, for taking the time to rate the recipe and let me know you love it. As for cooking sherry vs. dry sherry, I have a personal rule not to use “cooking” wines of any sort since they usually are a sub-par wine that’s fortified and rendered undrinkable with salt and such. That’s not to say it won’t make food taste good, but I prefer the actual ingredient and to control the salt content myself. 🙂 #TotalControlFreak I’d definitely advise you try it with dry sherry and see if you like it any better with it, though I’m super glad you love it already!!
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Ezachos says
Pre-saucing, the beef was delicious. After, so salty no one could finish their supper. I wonder if I made a mistake somewhere, because it was just way way too salty.
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Rebecca says
Hmmm… Let’s go through this together and see if we can figure out where it went wrong for you. I have a suspicion of what may have gone south, but let’s work through this together. My instinct is that the beef was over salted at the beginning of the process, because you said the beef was good pre-sauce. That indicates that it was a perfect salt level before sauce went in. The salting at the beginning should always be very light so that you can adjust upward when you taste the final product. I do want to confirm, though, that you used low-sodium soy sauce in the end. If you used regular soy sauce, that could also contribute to making this pretty salty.
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Mary says
I just made this exactly according to the recipe. It was unbearably spicy. I love spicy foods but this was really over the top. I wonder if the brand of ingredients matters. For example, maybe the chili garlic paste I used was not the one she used. I liked the flavor but the level of spice was too much to enjoy the food — and as I said, I love spicy food!
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Rebecca says
She is me, Mary 🙂 I used Huy Fong chili garlic paste because that’s what I always use. And honestly, for us, this isn’t super spicy. 🙂 If you like the flavour, I’d advise making it again and reducing the chili garlic sauce quantity.
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Leona says
The first Chinese take-out I ever ordered was Beef with Broccoli, which my friend suggested to me “because most Americans like it.” It was boring and heavy. I was rather disappointed.
Yours sounds amazing. I’m looking forward to trying it!
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Liz says
Would love to make this, but I cannot consume alcohol (even the negligible amount left after boiling). Is there anything I could use in place of dry sherry/rice wine?
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Rebecca says
I would suggest subbing in chicken broth or white grape juice. They’ll have vastly different end results, but still be delicious!
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Cindy Campbell says
I’m allergic to shellfish. Any suggestions on what to substitute for the oyster sauce?
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This looks awesome!
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Kim says
Would love to try this recipe, it is very similar to the one I made up in my head. Two issues, well really only just one issue. We CAN’T USE OYSTER SAUCE DUE TO SEAFOOD ALLERGY, I am also a heart patient so I always use the low sodium GF soy sauce + I add onions and water chestnuts. I’ve always steamed my broccoli after the onions & water chestnuts have spent time in my Garlic grapeseed oil,few splashes of Soy, and broth with some seasonings. I use Garlic, ginger, pinch of cardamom and either allspice or fresh grated nutmeg. I LOVE MY MEAT RARE, so once the veggies are ready the last thing I add is the meat. It takes no time at all for the sauce to thicken up and the meat won’t be overcooked. Long story short, can you think of ANYTHING BESIDES OYSTER SAUCE that might work in this recipe? Oh, I also sometimes do a splash of Sweet Vermouth in my sauce as the Anise brings out a great flavor in Broccoli Beef. That reminds me I also use Chinese 5 spice! Any thoughts? Thanks in advance 🙂
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Lissa Mattson says
Me too. I’d love to have this recipe.
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Rebecca says
I had technical difficulties this morning but I fixed it! Thank you!!
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Rae says
I bet this is a fantastic recipe , since all of your recipes that I’ve tried are delicious, but…..there is only the title on this page and the comment section. Not sure what happened, but I’d love to see the rest of it!
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April Clark says
Me too!
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Rebecca says
I fixed it now, thank you!
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April Clark says
Thank you!!
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Rebecca says
Thanks so much, Rae! I had a technical issue this morning and I fixed it.
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Rae says
Such a coincidence since I was searching for beef and broccoli recipes last night. I pulled something close to it together from a few different recipes and a few tweaks of my own that turned out pretty good. Looking forward to making your recipe!
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