When dinner needs to happen fast, chicken stir fry is one of those meals that can save the evening.
It’s quick, colorful, packed with flavor, and easy to customize with whatever vegetables happen to be sitting in your refrigerator. Better yet, everything comes together in one skillet or wok, which means you can have a homemade dinner on the table without leaving behind a mountain of dishes.
The secret to a great stir fry isn’t complicated ingredients.
It’s preparation, high heat, and timing.
Once that skillet gets hot, everything moves quickly, so have your chicken sliced, vegetables chopped, and sauce mixed before you start cooking.
For this recipe, we’re keeping things simple and getting dinner on the table in about 20 minutes.
What You’ll Need
For the chicken and vegetables:
- 1½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs
- 2 tablespoons vegetable or olive oil
- 1 red bell pepper, sliced
- 1 green bell pepper, sliced
- 1 small onion, sliced
- 2 cups broccoli florets
- 1 cup sliced carrots
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon fresh grated ginger, optional
- Black pepper, to taste
- Cooked white or brown rice, for serving
For the stir fry sauce:
- ⅓ cup low-sodium soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons honey or brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- ½ cup water
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- Pinch of crushed red pepper flakes, optional
Get Everything Ready First
Before turning on the stove, slice the chicken into thin, bite-sized strips. Try to keep the pieces roughly the same size so they’ll cook evenly.
Next, prepare all your vegetables.
This is one recipe where you don’t want to be chopping an onion while the chicken is already cooking. Stir frying happens quickly, and having everything within reach makes the entire process easier.
In a small bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, honey or brown sugar, rice vinegar, sesame oil, water, cornstarch, garlic powder, and crushed red pepper flakes if you’re using them.
Set the sauce aside.
Let’s Cook
Heat a large skillet or wok over medium-high to high heat. Add about one tablespoon of oil.
Once the pan is hot, add the chicken in a single layer.
Don’t overcrowd the skillet. If necessary, cook the chicken in two batches. Overcrowding lowers the temperature of the pan and causes the chicken to steam instead of developing that flavorful browned exterior.
Cook the chicken for several minutes, stirring occasionally, until it’s browned and cooked through. Chicken should reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees.
Transfer the cooked chicken to a plate.
Add the remaining tablespoon of oil to the skillet.
Now add the broccoli and carrots first because they’ll take slightly longer to cook. Stir fry them for about two minutes before adding the peppers and onions.
Continue cooking for another two to three minutes.
You’re looking for vegetables that are tender but still have some bite. One of the best things about stir fry is that combination of juicy chicken, savory sauce, and vegetables that still have a little crunch.
Add the garlic and ginger during the final 30 seconds or so of cooking the vegetables. Garlic can burn quickly in a hot skillet, so you don’t want to add it too early.
Return the chicken to the pan.
Give your prepared sauce another quick stir because the cornstarch may have settled at the bottom.
Pour the sauce over the chicken and vegetables.
Now comes the good part.
Toss everything together as the sauce begins bubbling. Within a minute or two, the cornstarch will help transform that thin sauce into a glossy coating that clings beautifully to the chicken and vegetables.
Once everything is hot and coated, you’re done.
Make It Your Own
Chicken stir fry is one of those recipes that should change depending on what you already have.
Don’t have broccoli? Use green beans.
Have mushrooms that need to be used? Throw them in.
You can add zucchini, snow peas, cabbage, baby corn, water chestnuts, asparagus, bok choy, or almost any vegetable that cooks relatively quickly.
You can also substitute thinly sliced beef, shrimp, pork, or tofu for the chicken.
If you want more heat, add crushed red pepper, chili garlic sauce, or your favorite hot sauce.
If you prefer something slightly sweeter, add another teaspoon of honey or brown sugar.
That’s the beauty of stir fry. Once you understand the basic technique, you don’t really need to follow the same recipe every time.
Cooking With Tiffany Tip
Slice your chicken while it’s still slightly firm from the refrigerator. Cold chicken is easier to cut into thin, even strips than chicken that has been sitting at room temperature.
And don’t skip the preparation before cooking.
Professional kitchens call it “mise en place”—having everything prepared and in its place before cooking begins. With a fast recipe like stir fry, that little bit of preparation makes all the difference.
Have your chicken ready.
Have your vegetables ready.
Have your sauce mixed.
Then turn on the heat.
Serving It Up
Spoon the chicken and vegetables over hot white rice, brown rice, or even noodles.
For an extra finishing touch, sprinkle sliced scallions or sesame seeds over the top.
And don’t forget that sauce at the bottom of the skillet. Spoon a little extra over the rice so it absorbs all that savory, slightly sweet flavor.
That’s dinner.
No complicated techniques. No hour-long cooking process. No pile of pots and pans waiting afterward.
Just tender chicken, crisp vegetables, and a rich stir fry sauce coming together in one skillet.
Fast doesn’t have to mean boring.
Sometimes 20 minutes, one hot skillet, and a few everyday ingredients are all you need to put a seriously good dinner on the table.