This Easy Ginger Chicken is a quick stir fry that's made in 30 minutes! The sauce is the perfect mix of sweet and savoury.
Ingredients and substitutions
- Sunflower oil – or another neutral cooking oil like olive oil or canola oil.
- Boneless skinless chicken thighs – you can use boneless skinless chicken breasts, but cooking times may vary.
- Fresh ginger – ginger powder can be used if it's all you have, but fresh ginger is best.
- Shallots – white onions can be used in a pinch.
- Green onions – scallions would also work.
- Garlic – freshly minced garlic is best but jarred minced garlic can be used instead.
- Cornstarch – potato starch or arrowroot are good substitutes here.
- Oyster sauce – you can use fish sauce or hoisin sauce instead, but the flavour might be slightly different.
- Soy sauce – coconut aminos or tamari would also be good.
- Chicken broth – vegetable broth is the best substitute here.
- Sesame seeds – black or white sesame seeds would work.
- White rice – serve with any rice of your choice like brown rice or jasmine rice.
Bok choy side dish
- Sesame oil – you can use olive oil but it will have a different flavour.
- Bok choy – serve with broccoli or another veggie of your choice.
- Soy sauce – use coconut aminos or tamari instead.
How to make ginger chicken
Step 1: Sear the chicken.
Sauté the chicken in a skillet until it has a nice sear on each side.
Step 2: Add the veggies.
Add in the ginger, shallots, white parts of the green onion and garlic.
Step 3: Mix in the cornstarch.
Sauté the veggies until softened, then sprinkle the cornstarch over top, mixing to combine.
Step 4: Add the sauce.
Add the oyster sauce, soy sauce and chicken broth. Cook until the sauce has thickened and the chicken is cooked through.
Step 5: Make the bok choy.
Sauté the bok choy until softened and cooked through. Add the soy sauce in the last minute of cooking time.
Step 6: Serve and enjoy!
Garnish with the green parts of the green onion and sesame seeds, then serve with rice and bok choy.
What to serve with ginger chicken
I like to serve this ginger chicken with a side of white rice and bok choy, but if you're looking for more side dish ideas, here are some options:
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! While I like using chicken thighs for this recipe, you can easily swap them out for boneless skinless chicken breasts for a leaner option. Keep in mind that you might need to cook the chicken breast for a bit longer.
You can use a wok if you have one (as it helps to cook everything evenly), but I just used a regular skillet. It works just as well!
This ginger chicken is already gluten-free, since it uses cornstarch instead of flour to thicken the sauce.
The cornstarch will help make the sauce nice and thick. If you want the sauce to be even thicker, let it simmer with the chicken for a bit longer until it reaches the desired thickness.
Yes! I served this dish with a side of bok choy, but you can serve it with any sautéed veggies of your choice like broccoli, bell peppers, zucchini, carrots and more.
Storing and reheating
This ginger chicken recipe is great for meal prep! Store the chicken, rice and bok choy together in airtight glass containers for up to 5 days. To reheat, sprinkle some water over top of the chicken and rice so it doesn't dry out, then microwave for 1 to 2 minutes.
Freezing this recipe
You can freeze the ginger chicken and rice, but I wouldn't recommend freezing the bok choy, as it won't defrost well. Once the chicken and rice have cooled completely, transfer them to separate airtight containers or Ziploc bags and freeze for up to 3 months. When you're ready to enjoy, let the chicken and rice defrost in the fridge overnight then reheat as normal.
Wanna Learn How To Meal Prep?
My meal planning service, Dinner Prep Pro, removes the guesswork and helps you get dinner on the table in 15-20 minutes each night. My meal prep checklists only take 1 hour each week!
Meal Prep Tools
- Grab some glass meal prep bowls to pack up your weekly lunches.
- Meal prep with your freezer! Butcher Box, conveniently delivers a variety of meats to your door frozen.
- Freeze and refrigerate leftovers in round glass microwave-safe bowls with lids.
- **Get my full list of tools here**
Easy Ginger Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp sunflower oil
- 1 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs diced
- 2 inch piece ginger sliced into 1/4 inch thick coins
- 2 shallots diced
- 6 green onions sliced; divided
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- 3 tbsp oyster sauce
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1/4 cup chicken broth
- Sesame seeds for garnish
Rice
- 1 cup white rice
- 1 1/2 cups water
Optional bok choy side dish
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 454 g bok choy
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
Instructions
- Cook rice and water together in a rice cooker or pot on the stove until all liquid has absorbed.
- Meanwhile, heat sunflower oil in a medium-sized skillet over high heat. Add chicken, season with salt & pepper and saute for 2 minutes until chicken has a nice sear on each side.
- Reduce heat to medium-high, then add ginger, shallots, the white parts of the green onion and garlic. Saute for 5 minutes until softened, then sprinkle cornstarch overtop, mixing to combine.
- Add oyster sauce, soy sauce and chicken broth. Reduce heat again to medium, then cook for another 5 minutes until sauce has thickened and chicken is cooked through.
- Meanwhile, heat sesame oil in a large skillet over med-high heat then add bok choy. Season with salt and pepper to taste and saute for 3-4 minutes until softened and cooked through, adding soy sauce in the last minute of cook time.
- Serve ginger chicken with rice and bok choy, then garnish with green parts of the green onion and sesame seeds. Serve and enjoy!
Share With Me!
Did you make this recipe or want to share your thoughts? Make sure to leave your review below and tag me on Instagram #thegirlonbloor so I can check it out!