Chicken Stir Fry
This tasty easy chicken stir-fry recipe is one we make so often. Loaded with chicken and veggies. We love that it has plenty of savory stir fry sauce too. No dry stir fry here! The chicken is tender and flavourful with veggies that are crisp-tender. This is one of those recipes we love to make especially in the midweek for a quick and delicious meal the whole family will love. Got to love easy stir fry recipes like this one - they truly save the day!
Chicken Stir Fry Recipe Ingredients
- CHICKEN: I use boneless skinless chicken breast or chicken thighs. Chicken thighs have a a little more fat in them and they are hard to overcook so they are very popular for stir frys. Feel free to slice it in thin pieces or cube it.
- SOY SAUCE: I usually use a low sodium one so that the dish is not overly salty. I stress this even more especially if you end up using chicken broth - low sodium all the way otherwise it will be too salty. For a gluten-free option use coconut aminos.
- CHINESE COOKING WINE: Is also called Shaoxing Wine and is a very aromatic and flavourful rice wine. You could use mirin as a substitute or dry cooking sherry or just plain rice wine will work in a pinch too.
- OYSTER SAUCE: This adds flavor to the sauce and has a sweet savory umami flavor. If you need to substitute it with something you could use hoisin sauce or even teriyaki sauce - they are not exactly the same of course but will do in a pinch.
- SESAME OIL: Adds really great flavor to the sauce
- WATER: I add water to the pan along with the sauce/slurry which helps create the final thickened sauce. You could use chicken broth instead of water if you wish but if you do use low sodium chicken broth. Add more water if needed to thin out sauce to taste.
- VEGETABLE OIL: I use a neutral oil for stir frying - my go to is canola oil. It has a higher smoke point perfect for stirfrys - peanut oil or grape seed oil work well too.
- VEGETABLES: My favorite classic combo is sliced bell pepper, carrots that are sliced into match sticks, and small broccoli florets. I don’t precook any of them as I want a slight bite to my veggies - I don’t want them soggy or over cooked
- ONION, GARLIC & GINGER: Use as much or as little as you prefer. I like to use either a small yellow onion or a shallot.
How To Make Chicken Stir Fry
- Whisk together stir fry sauce ingredients, minus water
- Toss chicken in some of the sauce to give it a quick marinade
- Stir fry chicken then remove from pan
- Stir fry veggies
- Return chicken back to pan along with the garlic and ginger and cook 30 seconds stiring
- Stir in the remaining sauce followed by the water, simmer and stir until thickened
- Remove from heat and serve over rice or noodles
Chicken Stir Fry Variations
- Add a hint more sweetness to dish by adding a touch of honey to the sauce
- Add some extra heat by adding some chili flakes/ red pepper flakes to sauce or stir frying some sliced chilies with the veggies
- Switch out the protein - shrimp is a good choice for an even quicker stir fry
- Switch out the veggies: use bok choy, baby corn, cabbage, water chestnuts, mushrooms, snap peas / snow peas, zucchini
Tips For Making A Great Stir Fry
Is there a secret to a good stir fry? Not so much a secret but some essential things to note and do to make your stir fry great! Here they are:
- Allow to time to heat wok or skillet - you want your pan to be nice and hot then you add your oil just before adding the ingredients
- Cook protein first then remove from pan
- Cook protein & veggies separately as they take less time to cook then your protein usually. You want your veggies to be tender crisp with a slight bite in them still - not soggy and over cooked.
- Keep your food moving in the wok - love using a wok for that reason. High heat and constant motion (thus the name stir fry) cook protein uniformly and vegetables lose their raw edge and maintain vibrant color and fresh crunch
- Make sure to taste sauce and adjust ingredients to taste before adding to the stir fry.
- Garnish with sliced onions, sesame seeds, chili sauce
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Recipe
Servings: 4
Prep Time: 20 mins
Cook Time: 12 mins
Total Time: 30-35 mins
Ingredients
For the Stir Fry Sauce
- 3 tablespoons cornflour/cornstarch
- 3 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce, all purpose or light
- 1½ tablespoons Chinese cooking wine or Mirin or dry sherry, plus more to taste
- 3 tablespoons oyster sauce
- 2 teaspoons sesame oil
- Black pepper to taste
- 1 cup water, plus more if needed
For the Stir Fry
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast, thinly sliced or cubed
- 1 red bell pepper, de-seeded and chopped
- 1 small carrot, thinly sliced into matchsticks /julienned
- 2 cups bite-sized pieces broccoli florets
- 1 small yellow onion, thinly sliced (or one shallot)
- 1 tablespoon finely grated fresh ginger
- 3 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
Garnishes (Optional)
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
- 1 green onion, sliced
- Hot sauce or chili flakes
Directions
- In a small bowl whisk together all the sauce ingredients except for the water. Set aside along with the water
- Marinate chicken: toss chicken pieces with 2-3 teaspoons of the sauce - set aside a few minutes while you prepare rest of ingredients
- In a large skillet or wok on medium high heat, add 1 tablespoon of oil. Add the chicken in a flat layer and cook until lightly browned, about 2-5 minutes, stirring and flipping pieces as needed. Remove the chicken to a plate. (feel free to do this in batches as to not over crowd pan and feel free to add more oil to pan if needed)
- Add 1 tablespoon of oil to pan along with the red bell pepper, onion, carrot, and broccoli. Cook/stir fry vegetables until tender crisp, about 3-4 minutes
- Add the chicken back to the pan with the minced ginger and garlic. Stir for 30 seconds.
- Pour in the sauce and water and stir fry for another 1-2 minutes, until the sauce thickens. Adding up to ¼ cup extra water if needed to thin it out if desired.
- Garnish with green onion and sesame seeds before serving. Serve with brown rice, white rice or our preferred is Jasmine rice, but you could even serve this stir fry with cauliflower rice / quinoa or even over a bed of noodles.
Recipe Notes
- Use low sodium or light soy sauce so that the sauce is not overly salty
- Leftover chicken stir fry will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3-4 days. Reheat stove-top or in the microwave. Feel free to add a splash of water or broth to the sauce while reheating if it has thickened.
