CHICKEN STIR FRY

Skip the take out– this Chicken Stir Fry is the real deal. It’s packed with fresh sautéed veggies, flavorful chicken, and an addictive savory sauce all ready in 30 minutes or less!
This stir fry is the perfect easy weeknight dinner solution. After you’ve tried this stir fry, make sure to try these other easy dinner favorites: chicken chow mein, beef lettuce wraps, or easy asian steak bites.

Quick And Easy Dinner Recipe

When you’re looking for a quick weeknight dinner or a meal to clear out those leftover veggies hanging out in your fridge, a chicken stir fry always comes through. But not just any chicken stir fry — this recipe is loaded with flavors and a delicious sauce that coats it all. You can prep the veggies, chicken and sauce ahead of time to have a dinner that will take less than 10 minutes to cook through after a busy day of work. This meal also makes a great meal prep recipe as leftovers store well for 3 to 4 days.

What Do You Eat With Chicken Stir Fry?

The great thing about Chicken Stir Fry, is that it’s pretty all inclusive — you’ve got protein, vegetables, and a sauce all in one dish. I recommend serving Chicken Stir Fry over rice (brown or white) or quinoa (how to cook quinoa here).

Whenever we make Chicken Stir Fry, we like pairing it with a simple cucumber salad that I’m sharing below (it’s a delicious pairing!) You can also pair this stir fry with a fruit salad, spring rolls, egg rolls, or dumplings.

Cucumber salad:

1 large English cucumber (~2 cups sliced)
2 green onions (~2 tablespoons)
1 tablespoon sesame oil
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 teaspoon white sugar
Salt and Pepper
Optional: toasted sesame seeds

Peel cucumber and then halve lengthwise; slice the halves into thin half moons. Thinly slice green onions. In a medium bowl, toss together cucumber, green onion, sesame oil, vinegar, sugar, and a large pinch of salt and pepper (or to taste). Stir and let sit and marinate for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until chicken stir fry is ready to eat! Right before serving you can add a sprinkle of sesame seeds if desired.

What Seasonings Go Well With Chicken Stir Fry?

Chicken Stir Fry is loaded with delicious flavor, thanks to the sauce we use. Other seasonings that go really well are crushed red pepper flakes (if you like some heat) and/or toasted sesame seeds.

For this recipe, we add fresh ginger and fresh garlic to further enhance flavors.

QUICK TIP

To cut raw chicken without the fuss, freeze boneless breasts until slightly icy but not solid. The meat will hold still and cut much more easily than when it’s at its normal slipperiness!

Vegetables To Put In A Stir Fry

There are so many great options for vegetables to use in a stir fry. I used some of my favorites: broccoli, onion, carrots, snow peas, and a sweet bell pepper. Below are some other ideas:

Mushrooms
Green bell pepper
Zucchini
Red onion
Water chestnuts
Baby corn
Bok choy
Green (or red) cabbage
Asparagus
Bean sprouts

Chicken Stir Fry Sauce

Let’s be honest– plain chicken and veggies are fine and all, but it’s the sauce that really makes this dish!

It’s a combination of these simple ingredients:

Corn starch: Corn starch is what thickens the sauce and coats every bite.
Soy sauce: This is the base of the flavor for the sauce. I recommend buying lite soy sauce to avoid all the sodium.
Oyster sauce: a “secret” ingredient that really brings the flavor to the next level!
Chicken stock/broth: This bulks up and flavors the sauce; it’s a neutral flavor that allows all the other flavors to shine.
Brown sugar: A little bit of sugar balances all the flavors.
Sesame oil: Another “secret” ingredient that adds an incredible depth of flavor.

This sauce can be made ahead of time and refrigerated in a Mason jar. Shake it up right before adding it in!

Is Stir Fry Good For You?

Yes! Stir fry is packed with vegetables and are cooked in a small amount of oil so the fat content is low. Also, when sauteing in a pan, the vegetables will retain more nutrients than if they were boiled. (More information here.) The only part of this recipe that can get out of hand is the sauce; it’s important to avoid too much sugar or sodium. The sauce recipe I’ve provided fits the bill!

Below are some of the health benefits of the Chicken Stir Fry ingredients:

Ginger aids in digestion, helps prevents nausea, lowers blood sugar and improves heart disease risk factors.
Fresh vegetables are rich in potassium, folate, dietary fiber, vitamin A & C.
Chicken breasts are a great source of protein, phosphorus, niacin, and vitamin B6.
Garlic cloves combat the common cold, reduce blood pressure, improve cholesterol levels, help detoxify your body.

CHICKEN STIR FRY

Skip the take out, this Chicken Stir Fry is the real deal. Packed with fresh sautéed veggies, flavorful chicken, and an addictive savory sauce all ready in 30 minutes or less!

prep time: 20 minutes
cook time: 10 minutes
total time: 30 minutes
servings: 4 servings
calories: 210kcal

INGREDIENTS

SAUCE

2 teaspoons corn starch
1 and 1/2 tablespoons lite soy sauce
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
3/4 cup chicken stock (chicken broth works)
1 tablespoon brown sugar lightly measured, do not pack!
1/2 teaspoon toasted (or plain) sesame oil
Freshly cracked pepper

STIR FRY

1 and 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 garlic cloves finely chopped
1/2 tablespoon fresh ginger finely chopped
1 cup yellow onion thinly sliced (~1/2 medium onion)
1/2 pound (8 ounces) boneless skinless chicken breast cut into 3/4-inch chunks
3/4 cup carrot very thinly sliced on the diagonal (~1 large carrot)
1 cup sugar snap peas
1 cup broccoli florets
1 cup red pepper cut into strips (~1 medium pepper)
Optional: crushed red pepper flakes, green onion, toasted sesame seeds
Optional: serve over white or brown rice

INSTRUCTIONS

SAUCE: Start by making the sauce. In a small bowl, add the corn starch and soy sauce. Whisk with a fork until smooth. Add in the oyster sauce, chicken stock, brown sugar, sesame oil, and a few cracks of pepper (to taste). Whisk until smooth and set aside.

PREP: Prepare the chicken and veggies. Cut the chicken into small chunks (about 3/4 to 1 inch). Finely chop the garlic and ginger. Slice the onion into thin strips. Peel and then very thinly slice the carrot into diagonal slices (important the slices are thin so they cook in time). Chop the broccoli into small pieces; very thinly slice the pepper. The veggies need to be thinly sliced (or chopped small) so they can cook through quickly.

COOK: Add the vegetable oil to a very large nonstick skillet or wok. Heat to high heat. Once hot, add garlic and ginger, stirring quickly to keep from burning. Add onion. Cook, stirring constantly for 1 minute or until onion begins to soften. Add chicken and stir for 1 minute until surface goes from pink to white. Add in the carrots, sugar snap peas, broccoli, and red pepper. Stir constantly for 1 minute. Pour in the sauce and cook, stirring near constantly for another 2-3 minutes or until the sauce has thickened, chicken is cooked through, and veggies are crisp-tender (they shouldn't get soggy or soft -- you want some bite to them!)

SERVE: Remove from heat and serve immediately with your preferred base (we like rice). Garnish with crushed red pepper flakes, thinly sliced green onions, and/or toasted sesame seeds as desired.

See the blog post for my favorite side dish for Chicken Stir Fry -- a simple cucumber salad!

More Easy Chicken Dinners

Chicken Ramen 20-minute meal
Mango Chicken marinated grilled chicken with a mango salsa
Chicken Salad reader favorite
Pesto Chicken with corn and bean salsa
Coconut Curry Chicken 30-minute meal

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