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 used low sodium chicken broth and low sodium soy sauce and it turned out great.
Good to hear that you enjoyed it!
This is an awesome recipe. Quick easy and delicious. I used onion, celery, carrots, zucchini, string beans, and mushrooms. I will be cooking this recipe for years to come. Thanks
Thank you for this great feedback, Eric!
I have watched several of your reels on FB over the last couple of months. I tried this recipe for Chicken Stir-Fry last night. AMAZING! The sauce is always the tricky part for me, so this was the reason I tried your recipe.
Joy and COOK ON!
Thank you so much, Wayne!
We loved it! Did increase cornstarch by 50% on advice of other reviewers. Tossed half of it with the chicken before sautéing. Added a dash of fish sauce to the sauce to deepen the flavor. Otherwise made as written and it was delicious.
Thank you for sharing, Amy!
I’d love to try this recipe, but have a few questions first. I only have low sodium soy sauce and low sodium chicken broth. How would you recommend I use these as substitutes? Also, would it make a huge taste difference to omit the cashews? Thanks in advance!
Hi Amira! It would be fine to use both of those. You can make adjustments to your preferred taste (for example- adding more salt if it needs more flavor). We love the addition of nuts, like cashews, but it would be fine without nuts too. I hope you love the recipe!
Stir fry was always my least favourite dish growing up. I love my mom dearly, but chicken breast cannot sit in a frying pan for half an hour and remain edible, and “low sodium” soy sauce is a crime against nature. This recipe has changed that very quickly, and I make a double batch at least once a month.
That said, I would be VERY interested to see someone get this prepped and cooked in 30 minutes. Even in a single batch, the sauce took a good 10 minutes alone just to thicken. A minor complaint, of course. Excellent recipe.
Thank you so much for sharing that with me, Dan!
We had to use low sodium chicken broth and soy sauce which made us have to use more seasoning for ours BUT that’s on US not this recipe, this recipe is delicious! After we added our seasonings it was less bland (again on us because we are watching our sodium intake). We added sugar snap peas at the end during the simmering process and served it over those 90 second fried rice packets. So good! Will make again 🙂
Thanks so much for sharing that with us. Good to hear that you enjoyed this recipe!
As a beginner cook, this definitely took way longer than 30 min to prepare 😅 especially with all of the veggie prep…but it turned out delicious !
I’m glad it was delicious, Evelina! Thanks for sharing.
Do you use regular chicken broth and Soy sauce… not the lower sodium versions in this recipe?
Yes, that’s correctly. But you can substitute to your preference if you’d like.
Tried it for the first time, it is absolutely delicious! 100% recommend
So glad you loved it!
This recipe is very delicious! I used coconut aminos instead of soy sauce. It tasted better than when you use soy sauce. Can you omit the honey?
That’s wonderful! I’m glad you love itZ
I think you could omit if you prefer that.
This was delicious!! I used 2 tbsp brown sugar in place of honey. Served over brown rice. Yum!
That sounds great, Audrey! Appreciate you sharing that with us.
The first time I made a stir fry that tastes authentic. Thank u sooo much!! I just used a little less ginger. Delicious!!
That’s great, Donna! Thank you for sharing.
Great, delicious meal! Absolutely love this recipe, I make it all the time. it’s a huge hit and a great way to get everyone eating lots of vegetables and very happily.
Thanks for the awesome feedback! Happy to hear that you love this recipe a lot.
love this so much, I bought Chinese containers and have Chinese drop off Fridays to my married kids. I add a little red chili flakes, I make your broccoli/beef with ramen and fluffy rice too, to go along, ALWAYS A HIT AND MUCH APPRECIATED.
Great to hear that it’s a hit! Thanks for your comments and review, Sandy.
Another winner Natasha! And yes it was better than take out.
So glad to hear that, Terry! 🙂
Made it last night. Hubby and I enjoyed it immensely. Should have pounded down chicken thighs; will use chicken tenders next time.
Thank you for sharing. I’m glad it was enjoyed!
Could I sub chicken breast??? This recipe sounds incredible!
Hi Trinity! Chicken thighs tend to be more forgiving in stir fry, but you can substitute with chicken breast if you don’t have thighs on hand. Chicken breast can be a little more dry since the meat is more lean.
Hi – can this be made without cashew nuts?
Hi! Yes, you can leave them out.
This is just amazing! Super simple,
The whole house loves it!
Wonderful! Thanks for your great comments and feedback, Sean.
Wish there was a video showing how to make this. I find it easier to follow the steps while watching a video…
Hi Jen, this recipe has no video yet. Hopefully, we can record a video tutorial on this later on.
Hi Natasha, this recipe looks fantastic. Do the recipes include the rice or is it solely the vegetables and sauce?
Hi Colleen, you can definitely serve it over rice.