Sliced chicken and broccoli tossed in a thick, glossy honey-tamari glaze with garlic, chili garlic sauce, and a finish of sesame oil. The honey leans this sweet-and-spicy and gives it a sticky, clinging coat — richer and sweeter than a broth-based stir-fry.
SpicyDairy-FreeHigh ProteinQuick MealGluten-Free
Best for: a fast, sweet-and-spicy weeknight dinner. Serves about 2–3 as written; scale the chicken and broccoli up for a fuller table. The sauce makes about ¾ cup — enough for one skillet.
Spicy Honey Tamari Stir-Fry — Recipe
Prep
10 min
Cook
~12 min
Total
~22 min
Serves
2–3
Equipment
Large skillet or wok
Ingredients
Stir-fry
Chicken breast, thinly sliced — amount TK (about 1–1.5 lb suits this much sauce)
Broccoli florets — amount TK
Neutral oil, for the pan
Sauce
4 tbsp tamari
2½ tbsp honey
2 tbsp chili garlic sauce
2 tsp oyster sauce
1½ tbsp rice vinegar
1 tsp fish sauce
3 tbsp water
3 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
¼ tsp red pepper flakes
¼ tsp minced fresh ginger (optional)
Slurry & finish
1½ tsp cornstarch
2 tbsp water (for the slurry)
1–1½ tsp sesame oil (off heat)
Sauce
Whisk all sauce ingredients together in a bowl — everything except the cornstarch, the 2 tbsp slurry water, and the sesame oil.
Taste and adjust heat or sweetness.
Pour off ¼ cup of the sauce into a small bowl and set aside.
Stir the cornstarch into 2 tbsp water and whisk this slurry into the larger portion of sauce.
Cook
Heat a little oil in a large skillet or wok over high heat. Sear the sliced chicken until just cooked through; remove and set aside.
Add the broccoli to the hot pan and stir-fry until bright green and tender-crisp. Return the chicken.
Pour in the thickening sauce and toss until glossy and thickened, about 1 minute.
Turn off the heat. Add the reserved sauce and the sesame oil. Toss once more and serve.
Why reserve a portion
The cornstarch-thickened sauce coats and glazes; the reserved raw portion added off the heat keeps the garlic, vinegar, and sesame bright instead of cooking them flat.
How this differs from the Hunan stir-fry
Same chicken-and-broccoli idea, different sauce. This one is honey-forward — thick, sweet, and sticky, clinging to the chicken. The Hunan version is broth-based and savory, with more vegetables (carrots, baby corn) and a thinner, sharper sauce. Make this when you want sweet-and-spicy; make that when you want savory and brothy.
Notes & make-ahead
The sauce keeps in the fridge up to a week — mix the cornstarch slurry fresh when you cook, since it settles. Pull the broccoli while it still has bite; it keeps cooking in the hot glaze.
Dietary note
Tamari is typically gluten-free, but oyster sauce and fish sauce can contain wheat depending on brand. Check all three labels before calling this gluten-free. The fish and oyster sauces make it not vegetarian; swap a vegetarian “oyster” sauce and skip the fish sauce to adapt.
