Easy, delicious and made from items you likely have in your freezer or pantry, this Teriyaki Broccoli Chickpea Stir Fry is going to be a new healthy dinner recipe staple.
Jump to RecipeTeriyaki Broccoli Chickpea Stir Fry
Captain’s log, stardate 41153.7. We are on day 5 of our social distancing expedition and I haven’t seen anyone other than my mate and offspring in over 120 hours. We are starting to wonder if there are still other lifeforms on this planet …
Okay, clearly I am being dramatic. But we are indeed on day 5 of keeping our distance from basically all the other humans…including those at the grocery stores. (thanks Coronavirus!) Which means, I’ve been staring at my freezer and pantry, wondering what the heck I am going to make for dinner.
You too? Yeah, I have been hearing that a lot lately.
Truthfully, meal planning seemed a bit futile when it became apparent that we might be needing to go out and about considerably less. When I hit the store to stock up, I was more concerned with getting staples that were either shelf stable or freezer friendly. So, going into this “situation” I didn’t have a freaking clue what I would be making out of everything I got.
You too? Yeah, I have been hearing that a lot lately.
Luckily, I am a creative lady in the kitchen and can pretty much figure out how to make a meal out of just about anything. But that is kind of why you are here…
This Teriyaki Broccoli Chickpea Stir Fry is not only FAST, yummy as hell, veggie-loaded…but made with the inspiration and contents of my pantry and freezer. Meaning, this is going to be a GREAT healthy dinner recipe to keep in your back pocket for after this global craziness and plug in on one of those busy weeknights we all kinda miss right now.
Suggested Adaptations when making Teriyaki Broccoli Chickpea Stir Fry
- Replace the chickpeas with chicken or shrimp If you have some chicken or shrimp hanging out in your fridge or freezer that needs to be used up or you just prefer, you can switch out the chickpeas in this recipe with 1 pound of raw chicken or shrimp. Cut the chicken into bite sized pieces and cook into a little extra oil until cooked through, then add the broccoli and continue the recipe as directed. For shrimp, cook alone until the shrimp is starting to turn pink. Add broccoli and continue recipe as directed. Shrimp cook much faster than chicken, but also be sure it is cooked through before serving.
- Replace the honey/maple syrup with brown sugar.
- Add extra frozen vegetables. Things like frozen peppers or peas would be a lovely addition to this dish.
How to serve Teriyaki Broccoli Chickpea Stir Fry to kids
Serve it deconstructed !
If you are serving to a child warming up to the idea of stir fry or sauces, consider deconstructing this Teriyaki Broccoli Chickpea Stir Fry for them before adding the homemade teriyaki sauce to the whole shebang.
A deconstructed meal basically means taking the components of a recipe that is all mixed together (like a stir fry or casserole) and separating the ingredients out when serving. This can help children who feel overwhelmed by a whole-bowl-of-new to feel less stress or help children who are selective eaters be able to pick and choose which elements of a meal they want to eat (and leave the others) without them rejecting the whole meal because foods they love are stirred in with foods they are warming up to.
See below for a visual example of this Teriyaki Broccoli Chickpea Stir Fry served deconstructed!
Looking for other easy and healthy dinner recipes?
Along with this awesome teriyaki broccoli chickpea stir fry, here are a few more easy and healthy dinner recipes that I adore:
- Creamy Cauliflower Alfredo Sauce (vegan)
- Chickpea Vegetable Nuggets
- Slow Cooker Creamy Vegetable Chicken Stew
- Sweet Potato Apple Sausage Skillet
- Instant Pot Black Bean & Butternut Squash Soup
- Instant Pot Lentil Soup (+ slow cooker instructions)
Teriyaki Broccoli Chickpea Stir Fry
Ingredients
For teriyaki sauce
- 1/4 cup coconut aminos can sub soy sauce
- 2 tbsp honey or maple syrup
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 1 tbsp cornstarch can sub arrowroot powder
For stir fry
- 16 ounces broccoli florets about 4-5 cups
- 2 cans cooked chickpeas drained and rinsed, about 3 cups
- 2 tsp sesame oil
- salt to taste
- sesame seeds garnish (optional)
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk together ingredients for the teriyaki sauce. Set aside.
- Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add broccoli florets, cover and cook about 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally. Use a wooden spoon to break apart chunks of frozen broccoli.
- Add chickpeas to the skillet and cook an additional 4-5 minutes, or until broccoli is tender. Season with salt, if desired.
- Remove from heat and pour the teriyaki sauce over the stir fry. Stir a few times to coat all of the stir fry in sauce.
- Serve warm over rice or quinoa. Top with sesame seeds if desired.
Nutrition
The nutritional information is provided as an estimate only and may vary based on the product type, servings and other factors. If you are following a diet, please consult with a professional nutritionist or your doctor. Stay healthy!
Made this for lunch today and was SO GOOD. Yes, lunch! It cooked really quick and the prep was super minimal, which was perfect. My husband was basically licking his plate
Right!? I love that it is quick enough that making it for lunch is doable!
SO yummy and super easy!!! Thank you!!
I am so glad you enjoyed it! We all need easy and yummy right now!
Yuuumm!! It was a hit! Thanks for an easy recipe with items that were accessible during this time. We make your recipes on the daily over here!
Yay! I am so glad. I love that this is a recipe that is easy to enjoy now with everything that is going on but is something that will be wonderful to make all the time!
Delicious and so quick to put together! I added some yellow pepper and celery, too.
Love those additions! And so glad you enjoyed it 🙂
Is this meant to be fresh ground ginger, or is intended to be the powdered/spice-type ginger? Only have the dried powder on hand! Thank you – super excited to give this a shot!!
Hi Jillian! Ground herbs usually refers to the dried kind! So it sounds like you have exactly what you need!
Gave this recipe a shot tonight – holy heck was it delicious! Had some fresh broccoli about to go bad, so used that up, pan fried it in a bit of olive oil till it had some color and then added a little splash of water when I put the chickpeas in (and covered it for a few) to help the broccoli steam and soften a touch more for Mr. 18mo. Followed the sauce recipe and added just a splash of Tamari to it for that extra savory kick. It had such a great consistency once it hit the hot pan and the cornstarch could really do its thing to pull the dish together. This will definitely be on regular rotation at our house!!
Yay! I am so glad you enjoyed! And I love the addition of tamari! I need to try that the next time I make this
Delicious!! Added some leftover chicken too. So good
I am so glad you enjoyed! And I love to add chicken or shrimp to this recipe too!
Do you think I could use frozen broccoli?
Yes, that is what I used. It works great