This Chicken Stir Fry Recipe is so much better than takeout! The chicken and vegetables are in a garlic ginger soy sauce with honey, the perfect balance of sweet and savory. It’s ready in under 30 minutes and is so versatile.
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It’s not surprising that this Chicken Stir Fry recipe has been a reader favorite for years. Quick 30-minute meals like Beef Stroganoff, Chicken Chow Mein, and Fish Taco Bowls are some of my favorites for busy weeknights, and this easy dish is a great one to make on repeat.
Easy Chicken Stir Fry Recipe
Here’s why this chicken stir fry recipe will become a staple in your home as an easy go-to weeknight dinner. It’s so quick to make and you can use whatever vegetables you have on hand or whatever your family likes best. It tastes wonderful regardless of how you alter the vegetables and even the picky eaters will approve!
You’ll love the garlic-ginger stir-fry sauce since it has a touch of honey to give it the perfect blend of savory saltiness and sweetness. Serve over rice or noodles for a complete and satisfying meal.
Ingredients for Chicken Stir Fry
I love to use seasonal veggies in my chicken stir fry, but you can choose whatever you have on hand or a bag of stir-fried veggies from the grocery store. It’s so easy to make it truly yours!
- Chicken Thighs – cut into 1″ or bite-sized pieces. This is a fattier chicken cut, so it stays juicy on the inside. You can use chicken tenders or even chicken breast, but be careful not to overcook them.
- Oil and Butter – I recommend unsalted butter and a high smoke point cooking oil such as extra light olive oil or Canola.
- Veggies – I use zucchini, broccoli, carrots, mushrooms, red pepper, onions, and cashews to add a little crunch to this stir fry, but feel free to try my other favorites listed below. Just be sure everything is cut into uniform pieces.
- Flavorings/Spices – garlic cloves and ginger
- Stir Fry Sauce ingredients – chicken broth, water, soy sauce, honey and cornstarch. For gluten free, be sure to use a gluten-free soy sauce.
Variations
You will love how versatile this stir fry is, and you can use just about any vegetables you have on hand for this chicken stir fry. Here are some great options:
- cauliflower
- sweet peas
- asparagus
- snap peas or green beans
- bean sprouts
- baby corn
- water chestnuts
How to Make Chicken Stir Fry
Chicken stir fry couldn’t be easier to make than this recipe. It takes 30 minutes and one pan!
- Cut the chicken thighs and all the veggies into bite-sized pieces
- Stir the stir-fry sauce ingredients together until no lumps remain. Set aside.
- Heat a large pan or wok on medium-high heat. Add oil once hot and cook the chicken pieces in a single layer, stirring to brown all sides and cook through. Remove from the pan.
- Add the rest of the oil and butter to the hot pan followed by the veggies. Stir and cook until crisp-tender.
- Return the chicken to the pan and add the garlic and ginger, stirring for 1 minute.
- Add the cashews and then pour the sauce over the chicken and vegetables, stirring to coat. Simmer until the sauce thickens and the ingredients are well incorporated.
Tips for Making the Best Chicken Stir Fry
Stir fry is easy to whip up and makes a complete meal quickly with little cleanup. Here are some of my tips for making the best stir fry:
- Equal-sized pieces – It helps to cut each ingredient into equal sizes so they all cook at an even rate
- Timing – determine which ingredients may need extra time to cook and add those first (think broccoli or mushrooms). Then add quicker-cooking veggies (like leafy greens or bean sprouts) at the end.
- Use a large skillet or wok to avoid overcrowding the pan which leads to steam cooking.
- Preheat the pan – the food should sizzle when it hits the pan.
Can I use Frozen Vegetables in Stir Fry?
You can use frozen vegetables in a chicken stir fry, but they take a few minutes to cook. Do not thaw and add veggies directly from the freezer, and stir frequently for even cooking. Also, frozen vegetables can release more liquid, so allow it to evaporate or pat dry with a paper towel to prevent a watered-down sauce.
What to Serve with Chicken Stir Fry
My chicken stir fry recipe is easy to serve by itself, but for a complete meal, serve it with your favorite starchy or carby side, like fried rice, brown rice, quinoa, white rice, or pasta.
My Chicken Stir Fry recipe comes together quickly with protein, veggies, and a savory-sweet ginger soy sauce. Cook up a pot of rice for a complete meal in under 30 minutes!
Make-Ahead
Stir fry leftovers keep well in the fridge for an easy lunch the next day. Try these storage ideas:
- To Refrigerate: Cool and store in an airtight container for 3-4 days.
- Freezing: We like freezing in serving sizes. Put your grain and the cooled stir fry into a freezer-safe container and freeze for up to 3 months.
- To Reheat: Thaw in the fridge and reheat in a saute pan or wok on the stove until heated through
More Easy Stir Fry Recipes
If you love takeout copycat recipes, you will surely find some treasured recipes in this list. Let me know if you have any recipe requests for your favorite takeout dishes.
- Beef and Broccoli Stir Fry
- Kung Pao Chicken
- Vegetable Stir Fry
- Egg Roll in a Bowl
- Chicken Vegetables and Pasta Stir Fry
- Chicken Broccoli Stir Fry
- Shrimp Stir Fry
- Beef and Broccoli Ramen Stir Fry
- Honey Garlic Chicken
Chicken Stir Fry Recipe
Ingredients
Chicken Stir Fry Ingredients:
- 1 lb chicken thighs, *cut into bite-sized pieces
- 1/2 zucchini, sliced or cubed
- 2 Tbsp oil, divided
- 1 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 cup broccoli, cut into florets
- 1 small carrot, julienned or cubed
- 8 oz mushrooms, sliced
- 1/2 red pepper, cubed
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tsp fresh ginger, minced
- 1/2 onion, cubed
- ½ cup cashews
Best Stir Fry Sauce Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup chicken broth
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/4 cup soy sauce, or gluten-free soy sauce
- 2 Tbsp honey
- 1 Tbsp corn starch
Instructions
- Trim chicken thighs of excess fat and cut them into bite-sized pieces. Cut the vegetables into even-sized pieces (about the same size as the chicken pieces).
- Combine all of the ingredients for the sauce in a bowl. Set aside.
- Add the remaining oil and the butter to the skillet with the broccoli, zucchini, mushrooms, red peppers, onion, and carrots. Cook until vegetables are crisp-tender, mixing frequently.
- Add chicken back to the pan. Add the garlic and ginger and cook for 1 minute, stirring frequently.
- Add the cashews then pour the sauce into the pan and bring to a boil. Turn down the heat and let stir fry simmer until the sauce thickens and is well incorporated with the remaining ingredients. Garnish with green onion and sesame seed before serving if desired.
Notes
- Vegetables: Feel Free to swap vegetables to fit your preferences or what you have on hand. Great options include: cauliflower, sweet peas, asparagus, green beans, snap peas, bean sprouts, baby corn, or water chestnuts.
- Chicken: You can use chicken tenders or even chicken breast, but be sure not to overcook.
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Nutrition Per Serving
Filed Under
Hi! I’m Natasha Kravchuk, a New York Times bestselling cookbook author, recipe developer, food photographer, and writer. Here you’ll find delicious, reliable recipes made with simple ingredients, plus easy step-by-step photos and videos to help you cook confidently at home. 
I tried this today and it was absolutely delicious! thanks for sharing this recipe.
That’s so great! Thank you for sharing that with me Kirthi!
Yummy! I doubled the sauce and veggies. So good!
I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us!
YUM!!! So delish! Thank you for the recipe!
You’re welcome! I’m so happy you enjoyed it
Delicious! Made this for dinner last night and everyone in the family loved it.
Sounds like you may have discovered a new family favorite! I’m so happy to hear you all loved that!
This recipe looks amazing. Valentina did an amazing job!
She sure did! Thanks girl!
Great recipe. Thank you for sharing!
My pleasure! I’m so happy you enjoyed that!
Natasha
Hubby and i made this last night and LOVED it! He raved about it the whole time we were eating and is still going on about how good it was today.
We used snow peas instead of zucchini and i only used 1/2 the amount of garlic. Super easy and beyond delicious! Can’t decide what to make next!!
Thanks to you and your friend for posting this!
i took a picture i was so impressed, i just have to find where to post so you can see it
Hi Chalen! Thank you so much for sharing this with me! I would love to see that. You can post it on social media and #natashaskitchen or tag @natashaskitchen.com
This came out very yummy. Would be great if you could add approximate cooking times to the steps in the recipe for us novices … I definitely let my veggies go too long. Haha!
I followed the recipe exactly, and the sauce was so runny that the veggies were swimming in it until I could cook it down, so they were very soggy. I also adjusted with additional corn starch once I realized how much there was. Maybe not so much water next time. Otherwise the taste was good.
are the cashews suppouse to be raw or salted? Or raw and toasted and then added into the dish? Mine tasted soggy right away, was not pleasant.
Could this be done in a crockpot?
Hi Mayya. That is a great question. Honestly I haven’t made this specifically in a crock pot so I can’t say. If you experiment please let me know how you like it.
I just made this and it was awesome! I changed out the zucchini with snow peas, and increased the carrots and it was great! The flavors are perfect!
Hi Scott! I’m so happy you liked this! Thank you for sharing this with us!
I have tried other stir fry recipes, but this one is the best! And so quick to make. Thank you!
Thank you for that great review, Lesya! Sounds like you found a new favorite!
This was a wonderful dish . I couldn’t be more pleased . Thanks
Natasha!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Thank you for the wonderful review!
Absolutely delicious, even my picky kids loved it. You should do a video……
Thank you ladies.
I’m so happy you enjoyed that!
This recipe is sooo easy and sooo yummy! My whole family loved it! Served it over soft uncle bens rice and it was amazing. Thankyou ladies for posting it:)))
You’re so welcome Alina. I’m so happy you enjoyed it!
Hi Natasha,
I love all of your recipes and get so excited when you post something new. Can you please post a healthy, but yummy oatmeal cookie recipe for back to school.
Thank you!!
Thank you so much for your great review Suzy. I have so many great recipes planned, can’t wait to share!
So much better then take out! I added a lilttle bit sesame oil and it turned out so delish! Thank you!
You’re welcome! Thank you for sharing that with us!
very nice recipe i try this recipe thanks for sharing the article
You’re welcome!
a great recipe, love being able to use my own fresh ingredients in what, for me, is a different flavor profile, and also love knowing what’s in it (as opposed to take-out!), great for instance that the sweetener is honey instead of a dollop of sugar, thank you!
Yes! I love that you can make this a different recipe every time just using the veggies you have on hand, and the honey as a sweetener is a healthier and tastier way to go 😉
I happened upon this recipe today and realized I already had everything for it in my fridge! It was easy and so good. The husband loved it and I know I will definitely make it again. I just used whatever I had on hand, which was zucchini, onion, green beans, carrots, bell pepper, and mushrooms.
I love it when that happens and I have everything I needed in the fridge! 🙂 Thank you for sharing your amazing review!!