Chicken dinners · Chinese

Easy Chicken Stir Fry

Name: Easy Chicken Stir Fry
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 20 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: chinese
Ingredients: 1.25 lb (567 g) boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1 inch pieces; 1 tbsp soy sauce, for the chicken; 1 tbsp cornstarch, divided; 3 tbsp neutral oil, divided; 3 cups broccoli florets, bite size; 1 red bell pepper, cut into 1 inch pieces; 1.5 cups snap peas; 3 garlic cloves, minced; 1 tbsp fresh ginger, grated; 0.33 cup (80 ml) low sodium soy sauce; 3 tbsp water; 2 tbsp honey; 1 tsp toasted sesame oil; 0.5 tsp red pepper flakes, optional; 1 tsp cornstarch whisked with 2 tbsp cold water, for the sauce; Cooked white rice, to serve; Sesame seeds and sliced green onions, to finish

Stir fry is a technique wearing a recipe's clothes. Once you know the three stage pattern, protein first, hard vegetables next, sauce last, you can cook almost anything from the fridge in 20 minutes and have it taste deliberate instead of improvised.

This version is the baseline I cook most often: chicken thigh slices, broccoli, red pepper, and snap peas in a garlic ginger soy sauce with a little honey and sesame. The sauce is thickened with a cornstarch slurry, which is what makes it cling to everything instead of pooling sadly at the bottom of the bowl.

Two rules make the difference between crisp stir fry and sad stewed vegetables. Dry the chicken before it hits the pan, and do not crowd it; chicken steams instead of browning when it is stacked. Cook in two batches if you must. The pan should sound loud and sizzly the whole time.

Jump to recipe

By the TasteBoard team. Timed in a home kitchen, with total time added up and safe temperatures checked.

Photo: @Andy Li / Wikimedia Commons, CC0

30 min promise: 20 min total
Prep: 10 min
Cook: 10 min
Total: 20 min
Servings: 4
Course: Chicken dinners
Calories, about: 380 per serving

Ready in 20 min, honestly. No hidden waiting.

Instructions

1Toss the chicken with 1 tbsp soy sauce and 1 tbsp of the cornstarch and let it sit while you cut the vegetables. This velvets the chicken and keeps it tender.
2Whisk the sauce: remaining soy sauce, water, honey, sesame oil, pepper flakes, and the cornstarch slurry. Keep it by the stove.
3Heat 1.5 tbsp oil in a large wok or skillet over high heat until it shimmers. Add the chicken in a single layer and cook 3 to 4 minutes, turning twice, until browned and cooked through to 165 F (74 C) inside. Move it to a plate.
4Add the remaining oil, then the broccoli and pepper. Stir fry 3 minutes, until the broccoli is bright green and blistered in spots.
5Add the snap peas, garlic, and ginger and toss 45 seconds, until fragrant. Push everything aside, give the sauce a stir, and pour it into the empty side. Let it bubble 30 seconds until glossy and thickened.
6Return the chicken and toss everything together for 1 minute, until coated and steaming. Serve over rice with sesame seeds and green onions.

Tap a step to mark it done, saved on this device only. Timer buttons count down right here and beep when time is up.

Why you will love it

20 minutes total, and the sauce takes 2 of them.
Works with any vegetables you have, so it cleans out the crisper drawer.
Chicken thigh pieces stay juicy; breasts work too with one timing change.
Dairy free and easy to make gluten free with one swap.
Cheaper and faster than delivery, and the leftovers pack well for lunch.

Tips

Cut everything before the pan gets hot. Stir fry moves fast, and there is no time to chop mid cook.
High heat is what makes stir fry taste like takeout. If your smoke alarm is a concern, use a cast iron pan and open a window.
Thighs are juicier, but if you use breasts, slice them thinner and pull them at 165 F (74 C) a minute sooner.
Sauce too thick? Splash in water 1 tbsp at a time. Too thin? Let it bubble 1 more minute, it reduces fast.

Swaps and variations

Any vegetables: what changes: everything. Carrots and green beans go in with the broccoli, mushrooms and zucchini with the snap peas, leafy greens in the last 30 seconds.
Gluten free: what changes: use tamari instead of soy sauce, everything else stays.
Shrimp instead of chicken: what changes: faster, 2 minutes per side, and shrimp are done when opaque at 145 F (63 C).
Tofu instead of chicken: what changes: vegetarian. Press 14 oz extra firm tofu 15 minutes, cube, and brown it well before the vegetables.

What to serve

Steamed jasmine rice, the default for a reason.
Fried rice made earlier in the week, if you are feeding teenagers.
Nothing but chopsticks, if the pan was big enough and the day was long enough.

Storage and reheating

Leftovers keep 3 days in the fridge. Reheat in a hot skillet with a splash of water for 3 to 4 minutes until steaming, 165 F (74 C) at the center; the microwave in 60 second bursts also works, the vegetables just soften more. Freeze up to 2 months, the texture of the vegetables goes slightly soft, which is fine over rice. Do not reheat the rice more than once.

Calories shown are an estimate from standard ingredients, not medical advice. Brands and amounts change the number.

Questions cooks actually ask

Can I use frozen stir fry vegetables?

Yes, and this is one dish where they behave well. Cook them from frozen over the highest heat, a handful at a time, and expect a minute less cooking; the water they release boils off fast in a hot pan.

Why is my chicken rubbery?

It overcooked, or it was crowded and steamed. Single layer, hot pan, pull it at 165 F (74 C). The cornstarch coating also protects it, so do not skip the toss in step 1.

Can I make the sauce ahead?

Yes, it keeps a week in the fridge in a jar. Shake before using since the cornstarch settles. This makes the weeknight version even faster, and it is a good habit on Sundays.

Is stir fry healthy?

Compared to almost any takeout version, yes: you control the oil, sugar, and salt. As written it is about 380 calories with rice, high in protein, and heavy on vegetables.

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Easy Chicken Stir Fry

Instructions

Why you will love it

Tips

Swaps and variations

What to serve

Storage and reheating

Questions cooks actually ask

Cook something similar next

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Keep exploring

All chicken dinners recipes

Chinese recipes

High protein recipes

Dairy free recipes

Weeknight recipes

Chicken Temperatures, the Honest Guide