This flavorful chicken vegetable stir-fry features juicy chicken breast pieces and vegetables that are perfectly tender-crisp.
The tasty sauce is made with soy sauce, garlic, honey, and sriracha. The entire dish is ready in about 30 minutes.
The best thing about stir-fries is how quick they cook, and how wonderfully crisp the vegetables are.
The combination of a succulent protein component, crisp veggies, and a flavorful sauce is simply wonderful.
This chicken vegetable stir-fry is one of the Chinese-style dishes I make most often for my family. It's an easy recipe, it's quick, and it's very flavorful thanks to the wonderful sauce.
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Ingredients
Here's an overview of the ingredients you'll need to make this tasty stir-fry. The exact measurements are included in the recipe card below.
Fresh chicken: Just like I do in this chicken Stroganoff, I use boneless skinless chicken breasts in this recipe. Boneless chicken thighs will work too.
Vegetables: To make life easy, I use a mix of frozen chopped vegetables. But it's fine to use fresh veggies.
For the sauce: Soy sauce or a gluten-free alternative, rice vinegar, honey (real or sugar-free), hot pepper sauce, and cornstarch (or a low-carb alternative).
For frying: Avocado oil, which has a high smoke point and a neutral flavor, making it ideal for stir-fry recipes.
Aromatics: Fresh minced garlic and fresh minced ginger.
To finish the dish: Sesame oil, sesame seeds, and sliced scallions.
Variations
- You can change up the protein you use. Chicken thigh pieces work just as well as chicken breast and are in fact juicier. You can also use beef strips (such as those I use in these steak fajitas) or shrimp.
- Instead of hot sauce, I sometimes use ¼ to ½ teaspoon of red pepper flakes.
- It's fine to use fresh vegetables in this recipe. I've tried fresh and frozen and both work. Make them bite-size and make sure they're sturdy. You can use vegetables such as cauliflower, broccoli, green beans, snow peas, and bell pepper strips. The idea in Chinese cooking is to very lightly cook the veggies so that they are tender-crisp. You don't want to overcook them.
Instructions
Making this chicken vegetable stir-fry is easy! Like most stir-fry recipes, most of the work when making this recipe is gathering and prepping the ingredients.
Once you have your ingredients ready, the cooking part is very fast - this dish is ready in a matter of minutes.
Scroll down to the recipe card for detailed instructions. These are the basic steps:
- Mix the sauce ingredients in a bowl.
- If using frozen vegetables, partially defrost them in the microwave.
- Cook chicken pieces with garlic and ginger.
- Add the vegetables and the sauce.
- Cook briefly, then garnish and serve.
Expert Tip
After you add the vegetables and the sauce, make sure to cook the stir-fry briefly and minimally, just until the chicken is cooked through but before it becomes overcooked. This should take about a couple of minutes.
Recipe FAQs
You want sturdy veggies that would hold their shape and remain tender-crisp. Good choices include small broccoli or cauliflower pieces, green beans, snow peas, and bell pepper slices.
Soy sauce is a must, but you can use a reduced-sodium version if you wish. Other than that, common ingredients include rice vinegar, a hot pepper sauce, and cornstarch. You can mix garlic and ginger into the sauce or cook them separately.
It depends on the oil. Unrefined sesame oil has a low smoke point and is easily burnt when cooked over high heat. So it's best to use it as a finishing oil rather than as a cooking oil.
Refined sesame oil has a high smoke point and can be used as a cooking oil.
Serving Suggestions
I usually serve this stir-fry on a bed of any of the following:
Storing Leftovers
You can keep the leftovers in the fridge, in an airtight container, for up to 4 days. Reheat them gently, covered, in the microwave at 50% power.
More Stir-Fry Recipes
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Recipe Card
Chicken Vegetable Stir-Fry
Ingredients
Sauce:
- 3 tablespoon light soy sauce (or a gluten-free alternative)
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon honey (I use sugar-free honey)
- 1 tablespoon hot pepper sauce such as sriracha
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch or a low-carb alternative
Stir-fry:
- 1 lb. frozen chopped vegetables (I use this stir-fry blend from Whole Foods)
- 2 tablespoons avocado oil
- 1.5 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into bite-size pieces
- 1 tablespoon fresh garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon fresh ginger root minced
Garnishes:
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon sesame seeds for garnish
- ¼ cup scallions green parts, thinly sliced
Instructions
- Prepare the sauce: In a small bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, rice vinegar, honey, hot pepper sauce, and cornstarch. Set aside.
- Place the frozen vegetables in a large, microwave-safe bowl. Add 2 tablespoons of water, cover, and microwave for 3 minutes. Gently stir, drain, and set aside. The veggies won't be fully defrosted at this point - that's fine.
- In a large, deep skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat for about 2 minutes.
- Add the chicken and stir-fry until no longer raw, turning the chicken pieces so that they are cooked on all sides, about 5 minutes.
- Add the garlic and ginger and cook, stirring, for 1 minute.
- Give the sauce a quick additional stir, then add the vegetables and the sauce to the pan. Cook, stirring gently, until the chicken is cooked through, everything is well-coated, and the sauce thickens, about 2 minutes.
- Off heat, drizzle the dish with sesame oil and sprinkle it with sesame seeds and sliced scallions. Serve immediately.
Video
Notes
- The nutrition info assumes that sugar-free honey and cornstarch were used.
- It's fine to use fresh vegetables in this recipe. Make them bite-size and make sure they're sturdy. You can use vegetables such as cauliflower, broccoli, green beans, snow peas, and bell pepper strips. The idea in Chinese cooking is to very lightly cook the veggies so that they are tender-crisp. You don't want to overcook them.
- You can keep the leftovers in the fridge, in an airtight container, for up to 4 days. Reheat them gently, covered, in the microwave at 50% power.
Nutrition per Serving
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Cup measurements refer to the standard American cup, which is 240 milliliters. Most of my recipes are low-carb (or keto) and gluten-free, but some are not. Please verify that a recipe fits your needs before using it. Recommended and linked products are not guaranteed to be gluten-free. Nutrition info is approximate, and the carb count excludes non-nutritive sweeteners. Nutrition info may contain errors, so please verify it independently. Recipes may contain errors, so please use your common sense when following them. Please read these Terms of Use carefully before using any of my recipes.
Sandra J Redmon-Mendez
Great Great recipe! My husband ❤️ it!
I do not like sesame so I omitted it.
Vered DeLeeuw
I'm so glad you and your husband enjoyed this stir-fry, Sandra!
Rosemary
This is absolutely delicious. I chose the fresh vegetable alternative, using green onion, green beans and collards from the garden. Great recipe.
Vered DeLeeuw
Collards from the garden! Yum!