This Healthy Chicken Stir Fry is loaded with chicken and veggies coated in easy sweet and savory stir fry sauce. It is a 30 minute meal everyone will love!
Stir fries like chicken and broccoli stir fry, chicken asparagus stir fry and healthy orange chicken are a true saving grace on busy weeknights.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
This healthy chicken stir fry is one of our favorite quick healthy dinners! Perfect for a weeknight family supper, dinner on the fly, even impressive enough to serve a gang or when company is coming.
Also, to make this healthy chicken stir fry recipe, you will need very simple ingredients. The healthier stir fry sauce is plentiful to coat both chicken and veggies.
Kids love anything stir fry, so I think your dinner table will be quiet if you make this recipe.
Reader’s Review
Easy, no fancy ingredients, quick, and yummy. We will be adding to our rotation!
Sass
Ingredients for Healthy Chicken Stir Fry
- Chicken: I used boneless skinless chicken breasts. You can use cubed chicken breast or thinly sliced chicken breast, so it sears quickly. Boneless skinless chicken thighs also will work.
- Vegetables: Plan around seasonal veggies or just wing it with whatever you have on hand. Crisp carrots, bright red bell peppers, broccoli, onion, 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 or gluten-free tamari, honey or maple syrup or brown sugar and vinegar. That’s it! No oyster sauce, mirin or sake.
- Seasonings: Grated fresh 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 or sesame oil has a low heat point, so it’s not recommended.
- Garnishes: Toasted sesame seeds and green onions.
How to Make Healthy Chicken Stir Fry
Prep: Cut the vegetables and chicken breast.
Make stir fry sauce: Whisk together chicken broth, soy sauce, maple syrup, vinegar, cornstarch, ginger, garlic and set aside.
Get the oil in your wok or deep pan hot, hot, hot! Your pan is ready when a few drops of sprinkled water sizzle and dance on the surface.
Cook chicken: Add chicken to the skillet and cook for 3-4 minutes per side before stirring. Then stir and cook a few more minutes until chicken is tender.
Don’t overcook the meat. That’s one secret of a successful chicken stir fry recipe. Also don’t overcrowd the pan or the meat will steam instead of quickly searing.
Cook vegetables in batches: Remove cooked chicken breast onto a plate. Add oil and cook onion and bell peppers first, about 2-3 minutes.
The second secret is to not overcook your vegetables. You want your stir fry full of bright crunch and color, in the pan and on your plate.
Add sauce to the wok: Then add broccoli, whisk stir fry sauce because cornstarch settles, add it to the skillet 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.
Combine ingredients and garnish: Return cooked chicken breast, onion and bell peppers to the wok and mix everything together. Throw on some sesame seeds and your chicken stir fry is ready!
Tips for Best Results
- Be ready: “Stir fry” means to cook small pieces of food quickly on high heat while constantly stirring. So make sure meat and vegetables are prepped even before you turn on the stove.
- Cut vegetables into uniform size pieces: Not only will veggies cook evenly but also your healthy chicken stir fry will have more pleasant look and texture.
- Best cookware for stir fry: 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. Cast iron skillet will work great too! Use what you are used to.
Variations
To make this healthy chicken stir fry recipe, use what you have on hand. Here are a few ideas:
- Using frozen vegetables: You can use store-bought frozen vegetable mix or even labeled “stir fry blend” vegetables. I use it with Instant Pot stir fry. Cook until vegetables are warmed through and to your preferred doneness. Keep in mind they are already somewhat “cooked” by freezing process.
- Using bone-in chicken: You can use bone-in chicken drumsticks or chicken thighs. You will have to cook it a bit longer with a splash of broth.
- Dried ginger: If you don’t have any fresh ginger, use 1 teaspoon of dried ginger instead. Or just omit it.
- Dark color sauce: If you would like dark chicken stir fry sauce like mine in photos, use brown sugar.
Serving Ideas
Steamed rice is the traditional accompaniment to any of stir fry recipes. You can also serve healthy chicken stir fry with cooked quinoa, Instant Pot long grain white rice, brown rice vermicelli, udon noodles or Instant Pot brown rice.
To enhance flavors even more, add a tablespoon of butter and green onions on top.
For a low carb chicken stir fry meal, serve over a bed of spaghetti squash noodles, cauliflower rice or zucchini noodles.
How to Store and Reheat
Store: Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for 1-2 days.
Reheat: To enjoy warm again, reheat by simmering in a small pot with a splash of water or chicken broth until heated through. Stir occasionally and enjoy all over again.
I do not recommend to freeze this dish because vegetables will become soggy upon thawing.
More Stir Fry Recipes to Try
- Chicken cabbage stir fry
- Basil cashew chicken
- Teriyaki chicken and cauliflower
- Shrimp stir fry
- Chicken soba noodles
Healthy Chicken Stir Fry
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 pounds boneless chicken breast or thighs, cut into 1 inch pieces
- 1 large white onion, thinly sliced
- 2 large bell peppers, thinly sliced
- 1 pound broccoli, chopped
- 3 large 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 tablespoons honey, maple syrup or brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds, for garnish
- 2 tablespoons 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.
- Dried ginger: If you don’t have any fresh, use 1 tsp of dried instead.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Going to be trying this today looks good! Wondering if I can subsitude chiken broth for vegtable broth?
Yes you can!
We all really liked this recipe. I did use chicken breasts and 2 tbsp. of pancake syrup (all I had to substitute and it wasn’t noticeable in a bad way anyway). I had to use olive oil for frying. I’ll be making this recipe again; thank you so much!
You are very welcome Elaine!
Hi Olena, i tried the reciept last night. It is so delicious and I like those colourful veggies. Easy to cook an very healthy..
Thank you so much for making me the best mom..
That is the best when kids (& the rest of the family) love what we moms make. That’s so great!
Thank you for the recipe. It turned out very well.
Earlier i made it out of the ready made sauces from the store and overcooked my veggies. Now i know the trick thanks to you.
Glad you found my tips helpful Farida!
This is the best stir fry recipe I’ve ever made! Normally I make a bland, tasteless stir fry, Not this time!! This was amazing! Pretty much followed the recipe and used veggies I had on hand. Thank you for this, definitely a keeper!!!
I am so happy that the stir fry turned out so well for you Colleen!
It was excellent and healthy—my whole family enjoyed it, kids too! And, it was also very easy to make!
Sounds like a win for you and your family Kristin. Yay!
This was delicious
Very Tasty, 100% would make again
Happy to hear this!
OMG my friends And I loved it so easy and no messing around IT was really tasty And so healthy thank you for sharing your wonderful recipes so we can enjoy a healthy meal x
You are very welcome Ilona!
Low sodium!! We didn’t use any kind of a soy sauce instead I substituted 4 tsp of orange zest. Also we doubled the sauce recipe for the extra sauce.
Fantastic! Glad you enjoyed the recipe!