This easy chicken stir fry is perfect for busy weeknights or for meal prep lunches – and the sauce is made from pantry staples!
Ingredients and substitutions
- Chicken breast – you could also use boneless skinless chicken thighs but they have a higher calorie count.
- Soy sauce – tamari is a great alternative here.
- Sesame oil – olive oil or another neutral cooking oil can be used but they won’t have the same flavour as the sesame oil.
- Rice vinegar – white wine vinegar also works.
- Mushrooms – use any kind of mushrooms you like or substitute for another veggie like zucchini.
- Broccoli – cauliflower would also taste super good in this stir fry.
- Carrot – daikon or acorn squash have a similar flavour.
- Yellow onion – you could also use white onion.
- Green and red pepper – or any other colour bell pepper of your choice.
- Maple syrup – honey, agave or rice syrup are all good substitutes.
- Garlic – you can use jarred minced garlic if you don’t have any fresh garlic.
- Ginger – minced ginger root will give you the best flavour but ground ginger works in a pinch.
- Sesame seeds – black or white sesame seeds will both work or you can try poppy seeds.
- Thai chili – red pepper flakes are a good alternative or you can leave it out altogether if you don’t like spice.
How to make chicken stir fry
- Marinate the chicken in the stir fry sauce.
- Add the chicken to the pan or wok.
- Cook the chicken until browned.
- Stir fry the mushrooms, broccoli and carrot.
- Add the onion, green pepper and red pepper.
- Mix in the sauce and chicken then serve.
What to serve with this stir fry
Rice is the most common side to serve with chicken stir fry, but there are lots of other alternatives. Try serving your stir fry with egg or rice noodles or one of these delicious side dishes:
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Frequently Asked Questions
This chicken stir fry has 400 calories per serving. It’s a healthy and filling meal option that packs a punch when it comes to protein and veggies!
Stir fry can be super healthy with the right sauce. A lot of store-bought sauces are full of preservatives and high in calories, which can make your stir fry a lot less healthy than you might think. This recipe uses a homemade stir fry sauce with boneless skinless chicken breasts and fresh veggies, so it’s a super healthy meal option.
The options are pretty much endless when it comes to what vegetables you can put in stir fry. For this recipe, I used bell peppers, broccoli, mushrooms, carrot and onion. Other veggies that would be good include snap peas, corn, zucchini, celery and edamame.
If you don’t want to serve your stir fry with rice, you could try using egg noodles, rice noodles or spiralized zucchini noodles.
Storing and reheating
This stir fry is great for meal prep. Store individual servings in the fridge in glass meal prep containers for up to five days. When you’re ready to eat, sprinkle some water over top and microwave for two minutes then serve with fresh rice or noodles!
Freezing the chicken
I wouldn’t recommend freezing this stir fry after it’s cooked as the veggies can get mushy and won’t have the same texture. You can marinate the raw chicken in the stir fry sauce then freeze it in freezer-safe Ziploc bags for up to three months. Let the chicken thaw in the fridge overnight then cook it according to the recipe instructions.
More stir fry recipes
- Cashew Chicken Stir Fry
- Easiest Ever Ground Turkey Stir Fry
- Applebee’s Shrimp Wonton Stir Fry
- 18 Stir fries for busy weeknights
Meal prep tools for this recipe
- Grab some glass meal prep bowls if you plan on turning this stir fry into leftovers.
- A Rice Cooker is invaluable for saving time, and it cooks other grains, too!
- If you’re in need of a Y peeler, here’s the one that I use.
- I get all my free-range chicken from Butcher Box, conveniently delivered to me frozen.
Chicken Stir Fry {Simple + Easy}
Ingredients
- 1 lb chicken breast, diced into one-inch cubes
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 3 tbsp sesame oil, divided
- 1 tbsp rice vinegar
- 2 cups mushrooms, stems removed and quartered
- 2 cups broccoli, cut into small florets
- 1 large carrot, peeled and sliced
- 1 medium yellow onion, large chop
- 1/2 green pepper, chopped
- 1/2 red pepper, chopped
For the sauce:
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp maple syrup
- 3 tbsp rice vinegar (unseasoned)
- 4 cloves garlic, finely minced
- 3/4 inch piece of fresh ginger, finely minced or grated
- 2 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
- 1 Thai chili, finely chopped (can substitute red pepper flakes or omit if sensitive to heat)
Instructions
- Toss the chicken breast, soy sauce, half of the sesame oil, and rice vinegar together in a large bowl. Marinate for at least 20 minutes, up to 24 hours. After marinating, discard the excess liquid.
- Mix all of the sauce ingredients in a bowl and set aside.
- Heat the other half of the sesame oil over medium-high heat in a large pan. When the oil is heated and begins to shimmer, add the chicken breast and cook until browned on all sides, about 4-5 minutes. Remove chicken from the pan and set aside.
- Add additional sesame oil to the pan if it has gone dry. Add mushrooms, broccoli, and carrots to the pan and cook until carrots are tender, about 3-4 minutes. Stir frequently to prevent burning.
- Add the onion, green pepper, and red pepper, and cook until the onions are slightly translucent and peppers become slightly tender, about 2-3 minutes.
- Add sauce and chicken and continue to cook until the sauce thickens slightly, another 2-3 minutes.
- Remove from heat, top with sesame seeds, and serve.
Notes
Nutrition
Martha says
Like the recipe. Will make it soon. Thank you
Taylor Stinson says
I’m so happy you enjoyed!