Simple, flavorful sweet and spicy stir fry with a four ingredient citrus sauce comes together in just 20 minutes fo an easy weeknight dinner made in one pan.
Have you ever been thinking bout what to cook and wanted to do as little grocery shopping for the meal as possible? Or even none at all? I have been there and it inspired the shrimp & broccoli stir fry we're talking about today. A couple of weeks ago, I had shrimp in the freezer, a bag of cuties oranges on the counter and a variety of spices in my cabinet. I grabbed a head of broccoli crowns from the produce section and whipped up a delicious (and clean) lunch for the whole week in about 20 minutes. In one pan. So I've made it many more times since then and can confirm that it is perfect. Let's get into it.
More Sweet & Spicy Recipes:
This shrimp and broccoli stir fry is simple and filling yet SO flavorful. That comes from a sauce made with ingredients many of us have in our kitchens and one you might not yet but totally should: sesame oil. Sesame oil is the secret weapon in many Asian and Asian-inspired meals. I also use it in these wonton power bowls. It adds a nutty flavor--a little something extra that your tongue will probably recognize once you try it. If you don't have sesame oil in your pantry, I encourage you to pick up a bottle on your next grocery run. You won't regret it. Here's the full rundown on the sauce.
Sweet & Spicy Citrus Stir Fry Sauce Ingredients
- Crushed Red Pepper
- Honey
- Orange Juice
- Sesame Oil
You can also add orange zest for and even more deeply orange flavored stir fry sauce. The beauty of this recipe is truly the simplicity. You likely have all the ingredients to make it on hand, which means dinner will come together even faster. A quick, clean, 20-minute dinner sounds just your speed, doesn't it?
Cooking Rice for Stir Fries
Of all the things I can skillfully create in the kitchen, a solid pot of boiled rice is not one of them. I almost always seem to burn the bottom. Eventually, I gave up on the traditional method and started using a rice cooker. I don't boil rice at home very often (maybe part trauma and part preference?) which means the rice cooker didn't get too much use so when I moved out, I left it with my parents. Recently, I discovered the life-changing magic of boil-in-bag brown rice. 🙂 I cooked up a few cups of that to complete my shrimp & broccoli stir fry for the week but for those of you looking for a low-carb option, the shrimp and broccoli is quite good on its own. You can also add additional veggies, if you so desire--check out this special peanut stir fry from my archives for inspo.
This shrimp & broccoli stir fry is now a major player in my workweek meal prep lineup and it also makes for a delicious quick shrimp dinner option. If you want to see more easy meals like this one, just let me know in the comments below. Thanks for reading!
P.S. More one-pan wonders:
Quick stir fry meal packed with protein, fiber, and flavor
- 1 ½ pound shrimp peeled and de-veined
- 1 large head broccoli crowns or 4 cups frozen broccoli thawed and drained
- 3 cloves garlic chopped or minced
- sea salt to taste
- black pepper to taste
- olive oil
- 4 cups cooked brown rice optional
- ¼ cup honey
- juice of two oranges
- crushed red pepper to taste
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- 3-4 drops sesame oil
Season shrimp with salt and pepper then set aside. Cut broccoli crowns into 2-inch pieces. Peel and chop garlic cloves. Mix together all sauce ingredients and set aside.
Add olive oil to a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Add garlic and shrimp to heated pan. Once they begin to sizzle, pour in sauce. Stir until shrimp is cooked through then remove shrimp with tongs.
Add broccoli to pan to cook until tender (about 5 minutes). Sauce should thicken.
Add shrimp back to pan and toss with broccoli and remaining sauce.
Serve with brown rice or alone.
Brittany F. says
Just what I need for weeknight dinner ideas! This seems simple to make and looks delicious. I love the idea of using fresh oranges in the dish.
Katrina Adams says
This is a perfect easy weeknight dinner and looks delicious!!
Capri says
I love the flavor of the honey and orange! This recipe is so delicious and was super easy to make!
Chenée says
I love this stir fry! The orange in the sauce was so delicious, and it was so easy to make!
Tamara says
A good stir fry is always on the menu in my household, one is here to stay though!! That citrus sauce just brought about an addictively delicious flavor! My kids keep asking me to make it again. Thanks for sharing this one!
Marta says
The citrus sauce was a nice change of pace for this shrimp and broccoli stir fry. This is my go-to dish whenever we order takeout, but that citrus sauce elevated it.
Jessica says
This was really easy to make and I love the orange flavor. I added orange zest too for more citrus pop. Great recipe!
Calysta Watson says
This was such a tasty dish that reminds me of a healthy version of a Chinese-style orange shrimp! I am adding this to my list of go-to weeknight dinners!
Robin says
The sesame oil, red pepper and ginger made this an automatic hit!
Crystal DaCruz says
I feel like you wrote this recipe with my family's lifestyle and tastes in mind! We devoured this orange chicken! Can't wait to check out your other quick and easy meal recipes!
Kaluhi says
This was so perfect and really filling too! I had this with rice. The citrus really popped and worked so so well with the shrimp. Can't wait to try this again!