Best Chicken Stir Fry Recipe

This chef-approved Chicken Stir Fry recipe uses a Chinese culinary technique called velveting for ultra-tender, juicy chicken. Packed with colorful vegetables and a glossy, flavorful homemade sauce, it’s a quick weeknight favorite you’ll make again and again.

Meggan’s notes

As a classically-trained chef, I love recreating restaurant favorites like chicken stir fry at home with simple, approachable ingredients. They taste better, cost less, and in the case of Chicken Stir Fry, are ready in 30 minutes or less.

The secret to tender, juicy chicken just like your favorite Chinese restaurant is velveting, a quick marinating technique I learned in culinary school. This Chinese cooking technique locks in moisture and flavor in every bite.

While it might sound fancy, velveting is incredibly easy and only takes 15 minutes. Just dust the chicken with baking soda and let it sit for 15 minutes. Finish the dish off with my super-easy, flavorful stir-fry sauce, and you’ll love everything about this meal.

Recipe ingredients

At a Glance: Here is a quick snapshot of what ingredients are in this recipe.
Please see the recipe card below for specific quantities.

Ingredient notes

• Baking soda: Used here as a simple way to tenderize the chicken quickly at home. Velveting the chicken can also involve creating a slurry using ingredients such as cornstarch, egg white, oil, water, and seasoning such as soy sauce, oyster sauce, and vinegar. The chicken is blanched or fried, and then returned to the dish to finish cooking. 
• Ginger: Store the whole root ginger in the freezer, as-is, and grate it when you need it using a box grater or microplane grater. To peel the ginger, scrape off the skin with the tip of a spoon or use a sharp knife. 
• Chicken: This technique for velveting chicken works on chicken thighs, too.
• Bell peppers: I like to use a variety of bell peppers for the most colorful stir-fry.
• Red chili flakes: Consider omitting these if you’re feeding children, or add more if you love the heat.

Step-by-step instructions

1. In a medium bowl, toss chicken and baking soda together. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to sit for 15 minutes.

2. Rinse chicken and pat dry. Set aside.

3. In a medium bowl, whisk together cornstarch and water. Add chicken broth, honey, soy sauce, sesame oil, and red pepper flakes (if using). Whisk to combine and set aside.

4. In a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil until shimmering. Add chicken, ¼ teaspoon salt, ⅛ teaspoon pepper, and cook until chicken is light golden brown and reaches 165 degrees internally on an internal thermometer, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Remove chicken from pan and set aside.

5. Add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil to the skillet. Add broccoli, bell pepper, carrots, and onion, and stir-fry over medium-high heat until crispy on the edges and tender, about 5 to 7 minutes. Add garlic and ginger, and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

6. Return chicken to pan with vegetables. Whisk stir fry sauce to recombine, and add to pan.

7. Stir to combine, scraping any brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Bring to a boil. Cook until sauce is thickened, about 1 minute, stirring often.

7. Garnish with green onions. Serve on cooked rice, if desired.

Recipe tips and variations

• Yield: This Stir Fry Chicken Recipe makes enough for 4 entree-sized servings, about 1 cup each.
• Storage: Store leftover stir fry chicken in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to 4 days.
• Make ahead: Stir fry sauce can be made up to 3 days in advance.
• Freezer: Cool and pack into freezer-safe containers, leaving at least a 1/2-inch headspace for expansion. Label, date, and freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator or reheat straight from the freezer. Microwave or heat on the stove to 165 degrees.
• Make it a meal: Start with an appetizer of Potstickers or Crab Rangoon with sweet Thai chili sauce or my favorite Asian dipping sauce. You can serve it with cooked white rice or Brown Fried Rice for a restaurant-quality meal at home.
• Get sauced: One of the best things about eating at an Asian restaurant is the sauces! Try my restaurant sauce dupes like Thai Peanut Dressing, Asian Salad Dressing, Teriyaki Sauce, Ginger Sauce, or Vietnamese Peanut Sauce.

More Asian recipes

Appetizer Recipes

Potstickers

Chicken and Turkey Recipes

Homemade Teriyaki Chicken

Eats

Chicken Lettuce Wraps

Salad Recipes

Chinese Chicken Salad

Stir Fry Chicken Recipe

By Meggan Hill

This chef-approved Chicken Stir Fry recipe uses a Chinese culinary technique called velveting for ultra-tender, juicy chicken. Packed with colorful vegetables and a glossy, flavorful homemade sauce, it’s a quick weeknight favorite you’ll make again and again.

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 15 minutes mins

Total Time 30 minutes mins

Servings 4 servings (1 cup each)

Course Main Course

Cuisine Asian

Calories 350

5 from 1 vote

ReviewPrint

Ingredients 

US CustomaryMetric

For the chicken:

• ▢ 1 pound boneless, skinless, chicken breasts cut into 1 inch cubes
• ▢ 1 tablespoon baking soda (see note 1)
• ▢ Salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the stir fry sauce:

• ▢ 1 tablespoon corn starch
• ▢ 2 tablespoons water cold
• ▢ 1/4 cup chicken broth
• ▢ 1/4 cup honey
• ▢ 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• ▢ 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon red chili flakes (optional)

For the stir fry:

• ▢ 2 tablespoons olive oil divided
• ▢ 2 cups broccoli florets cut into bite-sized pieces
• ▢ 1 bell pepper stemmed, seeded, and cut into 1 inch pieces
• ▢ 2 carrots sliced into 1/4-inch pieces on a bias
• ▢ 1 small onion peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
• ▢ 2 cloves garlic minced
• ▢ 2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger (see note 2)
• ▢ green onions thinly sliced, for garnish
• ▢ cooked rice or cooked noodles (such as chow mein), for serving

Instructions 

• In a medium bowl, toss chicken and baking soda together. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to sit for 15 minutes. Rinse chicken and pat dry. Set aside.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together cornstarch and water. Add chicken broth, honey, soy sauce, sesame oil, and red pepper flakes (if using). Whisk to combine. Set aside.
• In a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil until shimmering. Add chicken, ¼ teaspoon salt, ⅛ teaspoon pepper, and cook until chicken is light golden brown and reaches 165 degrees internally on an internal thermometer, about 5 minutes. Stir occasionally. Remove chicken from pan and set aside.
• Add remaining tablespoon of olive oil to the skillet. Add broccoli, bell pepper, carrots, and onion, and stir-fry over medium-high heat until crispy on edges and tender, about 5 to 7 minutes. Add garlic and ginger, and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
• Return chicken to pan with vegetables. Whisk stir fry sauce to recombine, and add to pan. Stir to combine, scraping any brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Bring to a boil. Cook until sauce is thickened, about 1 minute, stirring often. Garnish with green onions. Serve on cooked rice, if desired.

Recipe Video

Notes

1. Baking soda: Used here as a simple way to tenderize the chicken quickly at home. Velveting the chicken typically involves creating slurry using ingredients such as cornstarch, egg white, oil, water, and seasoning such as soy sauce, oyster sauce, and vinegar. The chicken is then blanched or fried, then added back into the dish to finish cooking. 
2. Ginger: Store the whole root ginger in the freezer, as-is and grate it when you need it using a box grater or microplane grater. To peel the ginger, scrape of the skin with the tip of a spoon or use a sharp knife. 
3. Chicken: This technique for velveting chicken works on chicken thighs, too.
4. Yield: This Stir Fry Chicken Recipe makes enough for 4 entree-sized servings, about 1 cup each.
5. Storage: Store leftover stir fry chicken in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to 4 days, or freeze up to 3 months. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1 cupCalories: 350kcalCarbohydrates: 30gProtein: 28gFat: 14gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 0.01gCholesterol: 73mgSodium: 1805mgPotassium: 807mgFiber: 3gSugar: 22gVitamin A: 6419IUVitamin C: 84mgCalcium: 52mgIron: 2mg

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