This very flavorful chicken stir-fry features juicy chicken breast pieces and veggies that are perfectly tender-crisp. The tasty sauce is made with soy sauce, garlic, honey, and sriracha.
I was never much into Asian-style food until I met my husband. Back in the nineties, his parents had spent several years working in China, and his entire family was enamored with Chinese cooking. He used to make me a wonderful dish of sweet and spicy shrimp, keeping the vegetables wonderfully crisp. That's how I fell in love with Chinese cooking.
This chicken 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. Even the leftovers are pretty good, although admittedly the dish tastes best when served fresh.
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Ingredients
Here's an overview of what you'll need to make this tasty stir-fry. The exact measurements are included in the recipe card below.
Fresh chicken: I use boneless skinless chicken breasts. Chicken thighs should 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.
Instructions
How to make a chicken stir-fry? It's 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 the 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.
Variations and substitutions
I love this recipe as is and almost always make it as written. But in case you'd like to vary the basic recipe, here are a few ideas for you:
- 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 or shrimp.
- Instead of hot sauce, you can use ¼ to ½ teaspoon of red pepper flakes.
- 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.
Serving suggestions
Since my husband and I eat a low-carb diet, I usually serve chicken stir-fry on a bed of cauliflower rice. If you don't mind the extra carbs, white or brown rice would obviously work too. Other than that, since this dish contains chicken and vegetables, it makes a complete meal, so there's no need to serve it with a side dish.
Frequently asked questions
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.
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.
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 on 50% power.
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Recipe card
Chicken Stir-Fry with Vegetables
INGREDIENTS
Sauce:
- 3 tablespoon light soy sauce (or use a gluten-free alternative and add salt as needed)
- 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 minced fresh garlic
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger root
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, 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, 1 minute.
- Give the sauce a quick additional stir, then add the vegetables and the sauce to the pan. Cook, stirring gently, until 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.
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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.
Vered DeLeeuw, LL.M., CNC, has been following a low-carb real-food diet and blogging about it since 2011. She's a Certified Nutrition Coach (NASM-CNC), has taken courses at the Harvard School of Public Health, and has earned a Nutrition and Healthy Living Certificate from Cornell University. Her work has appeared in several major media outlets, including Healthline, HuffPost, Today, Women's Health, Shape, and Country Living. 