This Chicken Stir Fry is a healthy and delicious 20-minute dinner! It’s packed with veggies, lean protein, and TONS of flavor.
You guys, I am absolutely obsessed with this chicken stir fry recipe. It’s healthy, it’s super easy to make, and it’s SO YUMMY! This is perfect for a quick and easy dinner with minimal prep.
Ingredients
There are 3 parts to this recipe: the marinade, the veggies, and the chicken! Super simple, classic recipe!
- Soy Sauce, Sesame Oil, Honey, Rice Vinegar, Ginger, Garlic, Red Pepper Flakes – make up a sweet, tangy, and slightly spicy marinade/stir fry sauce.
- Chicken Breasts – thinly sliced for quick cooking.
- Coconut Oil – used to sauté the veggies.
- Onion, Carrot, Bell Pepper, Broccoli, and Water Chestnuts – the classic stir fry veggie blend.
- Salt and Pepper – enhance other flavors.
- Green Onions, Cilantro, and Rice – for serving!
How to make
This chicken stir fry takes almost no time to throw together once the chicken marinates! Plus, it’s made using just one pot for easy cleanup!
- Whisk together soy sauce, sesame oil, honey, vinegar, cornstarch, ginger, garlic, and red pepper flakes.
- Stir in sliced chicken breasts and marinate for 8 hours.
- Melt coconut oil in a large skillet then stir in carrots and sauté for 5 minutes before stirring in the rest of your veggies, salt, and pepper and cooking for another 5 minutes.
- Remove the cooked veggies then add more coconut oil, stir in chicken, and cook.
- Stir in marinade and add the veggies then serve and enjoy!
What chicken to use
This recipe calls for boneless, skinless chicken breasts, but boneless, skinless chicken thighs will work as well.
I prefer chicken breasts, because that’s what I always have on hand, but many people love chicken thighs, because they tend to be juicier and often cheaper!
How to cut chicken for stir fry
Use a sharp knife to cut the chicken breasts into 1/4-inch strips. This ensures that the chicken will cook quickly and evenly.
How to season chicken for stir fry
The chicken is seasoned using a marinade made with soy sauce, sesame oil, honey, rice vinegar, fresh ginger, fresh garlic, and red pepper flakes—which is also then used as the sauce for the rest of the stir fry.
The chicken marinates in the mixture for 8 hours so it has time to really soak up all the flavor! If you don’t have 8 hours to let it marinate, shoot for at LEAST 30 minutes.
What kind of vegetables to use
Onion, carrot, bell pepper, broccoli, and water chestnuts are classic for a chicken stir fry. They provide the best flavor, texture, and tons of nutrients.
The beauty of stir fry is it’s pretty darn customizable. Anything will work! Try cabbage, zucchini, bean sprouts, green beans, mushrooms, bok choy, corn, asparagus, you name it!
Are stir fries good for you?
They sure are! This chicken stir fry is packed full of nutritious veggies and lean protein.
1 serving (1/4th of the recipe) contains about 635 calories, 39 grams of fat, 44 grams of carbs, and 32 grams of protein.
Tips
- Cut chicken and veggies evenly. Thinly slice everything in similar-sized pieces so it’s all done cooking at the right times.
- Marinate the chicken. I highly recommend marinating the chicken for the full 8 hours so it has plenty of time to really soak up the flavor and become extra tender.
- Simmer the sauce. Allowing the sauce to simmer after you add the chicken gives it time to thicken.
- Serve with rice. The chicken and veggies are delicious alone but classic stir fry is served with rice!
Variations
- Make it gluten-free. Just sub out the soy sauce for a gluten-free variety such as Tamari or coconut aminos.
- Serve it as a low-carb meal. Serve your chicken and veggies over cauliflower rice.
- Use a different grain. Quinoa or brown rice would also be delicious.
What to serve with chicken stir fry
The beauty of chicken stir fry is it’s a complete meal: veggies, lean protein, and carbs! So you don’t really need any sides BUT if you do want to add a bit to your meal, or serve up some yummy appetizers before dinner, here are some delicious ideas:
- Egg Drop Soup
- Green Salad with Asian Dressing
- Roasted broccoli
How to store
Leftover chicken stir fry (without rice) can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
To reheat, thaw in the fridge overnight (if frozen) then warm in the microwave or on the stove over low heat with a touch of water or chicken broth to thin the sauce.
– Jennifer
Chicken Stir Fry
Equipment for this recipe
Ingredients
- ½ cup soy sauce
- ¼ cup sesame oil
- ¼ cup honey
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 pound boneless chicken breasts thinly sliced*
- 4 tablespoons coconut oil divided
- 1 yellow onion diced
- 1 cup diagonally sliced carrots about 1/4 inch thick
- 1 red bell pepper sliced
- 1 head broccoli broken into florets
- 1 (8 oz) can sliced water chestnuts drained
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Green onions, cilantro, and rice for serving
Recipe Video
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk together soy sauce, sesame oil, honey, vinegar, cornstarch, ginger, garlic, and red pepper flakes.
- Stir in sliced chicken breasts.
- Cover and marinate in the fridge for 8 hours.
- Melt 2 tablespoons coconut oil over high heat in a VERY large skillet.
- Once hot, stir in carrots and sauté for 5 minutes.
- Stir in remaining veggies, season with a touch of salt and pepper, and cook for 5 minutes.
- Remove veggies and set aside.
- Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of coconut oil in the same skillet.
- Once melted, stir in the chicken (minus the marinade) and cook for 5 minutes.
- Stir in the marinade and optional - stir in the veggies if you’d like them softer.
- Bring the mixture to a high simmer and simmer for an additional 5 minutes.
- Stir in the veggies if you haven’t already.
- Taste and re-season, if necessary.
- Serve with green onions, cilantro, and rice!
- Enjoy!
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Notes
Nutrition Information
*Note: Nutrition information is estimated and varies based on products used.