This Healthy Chicken Stir Fry is loaded with veggies and chicken coated in easy sweet and savory sauce. It is a 30 minute meal everyone will love!
Stir fries like healthy beef and broccoli, shrimp stir fry recipe and beef stir fry recipe are a true saving grace on weeknights.
Chicken Stir Fry Recipe
This healthy chicken stir fry is a spin-off of the ever-popular Asian chicken stir fry.
It’s one of our favorite quick healthy dinner ideas. Perfect for a weeknight family supper, dinner on the fly, even impressive enough to serve a gang or when company’s coming. Kids love anything stir fry!
Whether it’s vegan like broccoli and mushroom stir fry and buckwheat stir fry with vegetables (we are Russians, we love “grechka”!), or scrumptious salmon stir fry, I know dinner table will be quiet.
Leftovers pack up and transform into teriyaki chicken meal prep!
When it comes to a stir fry, I’m picky. I like my veggies crisp and thick not overly salty sauce covering each piece of chicken. Even when I make Instant Pot stir fry.
Ingredients for Healthy Chicken Stir Fry
- Chicken: You can use bone in or boneless chicken. You can use chicken breast that is cubed or sliced thinly so it sears quickly. Or use chicken drumsticks or thighs for a heartier taste, to save a few $s and to make a more substantial meal.
- Vegetables: Plan around seasonal veggies or just wing it with whatever you have on hand. Crisp carrots, bright red peppers, broccoli, onions, asparagus, cauliflower and snow peas make a colourful combo. If you’re more adventuresome, try eggplant slices, a variety of mushrooms, bamboo shoots, water chestnuts, or a handful of bean sprouts. Check out this awesome guide to Asian greens and vegetables.
- Stir fry sauce: Cornstarch, chicken broth, soy sauce, honey or maple syrup or brown sugar and vinegar. That’s it! No oyster sauce, mirin or sake.
- Seasonings: Grated ginger and garlic.
- Oil, for frying: My go-to stir fry oil is avocado oil because it has a high smoke point. Other great option is coconut oil. Olive oil has a low heat point, so it’s not recommended.
- Garnishes: Toasted sesame seeds and green onions.
How to Make Chicken Stir Fry
Ingredients, sauce and technique are similar to chicken and broccoli stir fry, which you can follow as well if you have less variety of vegetables.
- Prep: Cut the vegetables and chicken (if using chicken breast). “Stir fry” means to cook small pieces of food quickly on high heat while constantly stirring. So make sure everything is prepped before you light the stove.
- Make stir fry sauce: Whisk together broth, soy sauce, maple syrup, vinegar, cornstarch, ginger, garlic and set aside.
- Get the oil in your wok or deep-sided pan hot, hot, hot! Your pan is ready when a few drops of sprinkled water sizzle and dance on the surface.
- Cook chicken: Don’t overcrowd the pan, or the meat will steam instead of quickly searing. Cook for 3-4 minutes per side before stirring, so meat gets a sear. Don’t overcook. That’s one secret of a successful chicken stir fry.
- Cook vegetables in batches: Remove chicken on a plate. Add oil and cook onion and bell peppers first, about 2-3 minutes. The second secret is to not overcook your veggies. You want your chicken and veggie stir fry full of bright crunch and colour – in the pan and on your plate.
- Add sauce to the wok: Then add broccoli, whisk stir fry sauce because cornstarch settles, and give it a gentle stir. Let the sauce come to a boil. Cook for a few minutes until the sauce is nice and thick, stirring often.
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Combine ingredients and garnish: Return the chicken, onion and bell peppers to the wok and mix everything together. Throw on some sesame seeds…and voila!
More Tips and Substitutions
- Be ready: “Stir fry” literally means to cook cut, chopped, and sliced ingredients quickly on high heat while stirring constantly. So make sure meat and veggies are prepped even before you turn on the stove.
- Frozen veggies: You can use frozen veggie mix or even labeled “stir fry blend” vegetables. I use it with Instant Pot stir fry recipe. Just cook until veggies are warmed through and to your preferred doneness. Keep in mind frozen veggies are already somewhat “cooked” by freezing process.
- Cookware: To get a good sear on chicken and veggies, I recommend to use large deep ceramic non-stick skillet. I find wok does not sear food well on residential stove but rather steams it with its high walls. But use what you are used to.
- Dried ginger: If you don’t have any fresh, use 1 tsp of dried instead. This is another ingredient you can omit if you haven’t got any and aren’t prepared to make an extra trip to the store.
- Dark colour sauce: If you would like dark stir fry sauce like mine in photos, use brown sugar. I use organic one and alternate with maple syrup or honey other times.
- Other sauce: Try healthy orange chicken sauce!
How to Serve, Store and Reheat
Serving: Steamed rice is the traditional accompaniment to a stir fry. You can also serve it with Instant Pot quinoa, brown rice vermicelli or Instant Pot brown rice. Or for a low carb version, serve on its own.
Storing: Leftovers should be placed in an airtight container and refrigerated for 24 hours.
Reheating: To enjoy warm again for healthy lunch ideas, reheat by simmering it on the stove with a splash of water or broth until heated through. Stir occasionally and enjoy all over again.
More Healthy Asian Inspired Recipes
- Cauliflower fried rice
- Chicken lettuce wraps
- Teriyaki chicken and cauliflower
- Baked teriyaki salmon
- Asian salad dressing
You may also love browsing these 65 clean eating chicken recipes!
Healthy Chicken Stir Fry
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1.25 lbs boneless chicken breast or thighs cut into 1 inch pieces
- 1 large white onion thinly sliced
- 2 large bell peppers thinly sliced
- 1 lb broccoli chopped
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 1 inch ginger peeled and minced
- 1 3/4 cup chicken stock low sodium
- 1/4 cup soy sauce I used Bragg’s liquid aminos
- 2 tbsp honey, maple syrup or brown sugar
- 1 tbsp rice vinegar
- 3 tbsp cornstarch
- 1 tbsp sesame seeds for garnish
- 2 tbsp Avocado oil for frying
Instructions
- Cut the vegetables and chicken. “Stir fry” means to cook small pieces of food quickly on high heat while stirring. I highly recommend the vegetables and meat are prepped before you light the stove.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together chicken stock, soy sauce, maple syrup, vinegar, cornstarch, garlic and ginger. Set aside.
- Preheat large ceramic non-stick skillet on medium heat and add 1 tbsp of oil.°To cook boneless chicken breasts or thighs: Cook uncovered for 3 minutes per side, stirring a few times.°To cook bone-in chicken: Add chicken and 2 tbsp of water to a wok, sprinkle with a bit of salt, cover and cook for 10 minutes. Turn, cover and cook for another 10 minutes.
- Remove chicken on a plate and return skillet to high heat. Add 1 more tbsp of oil, onion and bell peppers. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring once or twice. Remove onto a plate.
- Return skillet to medium heat, add broccoli, whisk stir fry sauce well (cornstarch settles fast at the bottom) and add to the skillet. Stir, let sauce come to a boil, then cook for a few minutes until thickened, stirring often.
- Return cooked chicken, onion and bell peppers to the skillet. Stir gently, turn off heat and garnish stir fry with sesame seeds.
- Serve hot over Instant Pot quinoa, Instant Pot brown rice, brown rice vermicelli or whole wheat spaghetti.
Notes
- Store: Refrigerate covered for up to 2 days.
- Reheat: To enjoy warm again, reheat by simmering it on the stove with a splash of water or broth until heated through. Stir occasionally and enjoy all over again.
- Meat with bone in: You can replace chicken breasts with 2 lbs chicken drumsticks/thighs. Cook times indicated in the recipe.
- Best veggies to stir fry: Crisp carrots, bright red peppers, broccoli, onions, asparagus, cauliflower and snow peas make a colourful combo.
- Best oil for stir fry: The most healthy one is avocado oil with high smoke point of 520 degrees F.
- Frozen veggies: You can use frozen veggie mix or even labeled “stir fry blend” vegetables.
- Dried ginger: If you don’t have any fresh, use 1 tsp of dried instead.
This is so delicious and was a hit with the entire family and I have two small children. Thank you for this delicious recipe and for making it ingredients I already had. So pleased that I found your page!
That is the best when kids (& the rest of the family) love what we moms make. That’s so great!
The sauce was AMAZING !! Definitely making this again !
Yeah! So glad you enjoyed it, thanks for the review!
Easy, no fancy ingredients, quick, and yummy. We will be adding to our rotation!
So glad you enjoy it!
Could the soy sauce be alternated with teriyaki soy sauce ?
Yes, you may want to check how much sugar has been added to the teriyaki soy sauce, and then omit the honey/maple sugar from the recipe as it may end up too sweet.
So easy, so tasty. Instructions Step 1 most important. Do not skip. Following Olena’s directions and suggestions and you can‘t go wrong
So glad you enjoyed it and thank you for the kind words!