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. 
Thank you Natasha for another excellent recipe. delicious and easy recipe. i used less garlic and more ginger to taste. my family enjoyed it.
Hi Larry, I’m so glad you enjoyed this recipe!
What type of oil is recommended?
Hi Anne, we used this oil here.
Tried it.. it turned out awesome. My husband loved it too. Thanks for sharing
I’m so glad you both enjoyed that! Thank you for watching!
Can i omit the cashews
Hi Donna, you sure can!
A family favourite it in our house. Cashews really complete the meal. Next time I will serve with ramen noodles.
That’s a great idea, Jada! Thank you for that awesome review!
Ok thanks!
Also it says to brown the chicken but then it says to cook which do we do
Hi Donna, step 3 says “Once oil is hot, add chicken in a single layer. Cook chicken until browned, mixing as needed. Once cooked, remove chicken from pan and set aside.” once that step is done you add vegetables to the same pan and then re-add the chicken in step 5. I hope that helps! Let me know if you have any other questions.
Can you leave out or substitute the ginger, not a fan of it.
Hi Patricia, ginger does add that great authentic stir fry flavor but you could sub it with a little more garlic.
Delicious. I used chicken breast. I didn’t have any ginger so I added some ground ginger to the sauce. Will definitely make again.
I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us!
I made this last week and it was delicious. I wanted to make a stir fry with honey so I chose this recipe. The kids loved it too. I’m going to make it again because it was quick and easy and tasty. We all loved it. I like that this stir fry has enough sauce. Some recipes don’t have enough and you don’t really know until you’ve made it.
Hi Edwina, That is the best when kids love what we moms make. That’s so great!
my fiance has IBS and garlic and ginger may set it off. any replacemnet that would suit this stir fry
Hi Darren, the garlic really amplifies the flavor you can definitely omit or replace that. If you experiment, let me know how you liked the recipe
Tastes so good! Been making this for sometime now. However, prep and cook time are not accurate.
Hi Nat, I’m so glad you love the recipe. The cook time can vary if you are using a different sized skillet or different heat setting.
I have made this twice now, so good!!!
That’s so great! I’m so glad you enjoyed that, Brittni!
Great stir fry. I would add more vegetables next time, I put in what the recipe called for but it wasn’t enough. Also I found I needed to add more chicken stock and a bit less ginger.
Still scrumptious though!
Thank you so much for sharing that with me.
Hi Valentina, very tasty recipe. I just added a touch of red pepper flakes for a little heat. Thanks for sharing your recipe.
We’re so glad you enjoyed this recipe, Fran! Thank you for sharing that with us!
Chicken Stir Fry is my favorite food. my family also like it so much.I never cook it perfectly. But now I cook it perfectly for following your great article. Your cooking recipe is very easy and great thank you for valuable nice article.
Hi, Natasha!
How much rice do you make for this recipe? And, at what point do you add it in when making this recipe?
Hi Victoria, it really depends on how many you are planning to serve. This recipe makes 4 portions so I will typically make between 1 and 1 1/2 cups of rice which after it is cooked, 1 cup raw rice = 3 cups cooked rice.
I’m so glad I came across this recipe. It will definitely be my Go-To stir fry recipe from now on. Simply put, the flavor is delicious!
I’m so glad you enjoyed that Jenny!
This is the absolutely best stir fry I have ever done and will be my only one from now on.
That’s so great! It sounds like you have a new favorite!
Best substitute for soy sauce or could it be made without? I am allergic to soy.
Hi Lisa, Coconut Aminos is our favorite product to use as a substitute, but keep in mind it does have less sodium so adjust seasoning to taste.
Hello Natasha,
Is there a substitute for corn starch!
Thank you,
Julia
Hi Julia, it can be substituted with flour, arrowroot, or potato starch.
Thank you so much! I look forward making this recipe for my son ! 👌
I hope he loves it!
Really delicious recipe!! The sauce was so good, just too salty.
It’s a very versatile recipe because you can add your favorite veggies! I will make a few changes next time. Use low sodium soy sauce. I did double the sauce recipe which may have made it extra salty. I would also simmer the sauce to thicken in a separate pot before adding it to my chicken and veggies. Adding it to them and then simmering over-cooked my ingredients. It tasted just like the stir fry at our local restaurant! I will definitely be adding this to the rotation at my house!
Hi Suzanne, it is defnitly versatile, I’m happy you enjoyed this recipe!