You won't believe how fast this stir fry recipe comes together! (2024)

Bless This Mess Recipes Easy Dinners Chicken

By Melissa

No ratings yet

on Jan 10, 2020, Updated Mar 12, 2024

Jump to RecipeRate Recipe

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.

I love this quick and easy stir fry recipe so much! It tastes amazing and it’s so much healthier than take-out. This is the perfect recipe for hectic nights when you want something flavor-filled but don’t want to spend an hour cooking!

With a few simple ingredients and a delectable sauce, you’ll love how easy this stir fry is to make and how delicious it is to eat!

You won't believe how fast this stir fry recipe comes together! (2)

Table of Contents

  • Straightforward and Simple Stir Fry
  • How can I make stir fry spicier?
  • How do I prevent lumps from forming in the sauce?
  • What else can I serve stir fry with?
  • Quick and Easy Stir-fry Recipe
  • More Asian Inspired Recipes:
  • More QuickDinners:

Straightforward and Simple Stir Fry

I got this recipe from my sister (hi, Lachelle!), and it is so very delicious. The idea is that you cook up a little chicken, and at the same time, throw all of the ingredients for the sauce in a mason jar and give it a shake. Then you just add the sauce to the chicken, add some frozen veggies (Costco has a fabulous organic frozen stir-fry vegetable medley that we love), and then serve it all over hot rice.

It takes less than a half-hour to throw together, and the whole family loves it. It’s always a winner in our house, and the recipe is one that will go in your quick meal rotation with ease. I can’t get over the flavors and simplicity; you’d think it was takeout when you eat it but it’s even better! Enjoy and pin it for later!

You won't believe how fast this stir fry recipe comes together! (3)
You won't believe how fast this stir fry recipe comes together! (4)

How can I make stir fry spicier?

If you’d like the sauce a bit spicier, make it a few hours ahead of time with the red pepper flakes. Let the sauce rest in the fridge and re-shake it before you are ready to use. Letting the pepper flakes sit in the sauce will give them time to release more of their heat.

How do I prevent lumps from forming in the sauce?

To ensure there are no cornstarch lumps in the sauce, I recommend combining the corn starch and the cold water and shaking those together well before adding the additional ingredients.

What else can I serve stir fry with?

If you don’t want to make rice or want to try something else, other great options for a stir-fry is to serve it with salad, fruit, steamed veggies, egg rolls or dumplings, or noodles. You can even change your rice to fried rice if you want to try something different!

To make fried rice, heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a skillet over medium heat and add the cooked rice. Let the rice sit and cook for about a minute before stirring it a couple of times every minute or so for 10 minutes. (Letting it sit for a bit will allow some rice pieces to get crispy.) Move the rice to one side of the pan and crack an egg into the bare side of the pan. Scramble the egg in the pan using a spatula, and once the egg is cooked, mix it into the rice. Stir in your chicken, sauce, and veggies, and voila! Fried rice!

You won't believe how fast this stir fry recipe comes together! (5)

No ratings yet

Quick and Easy Stir-fry

By: Melissa Griffiths

I love this quick and easy stir fry recipe so much! It tastes amazing and it’s so much healthier than take-out. This is the perfect recipe for hectic nights when you want something flavor-filled but don’t want to spend an hour cooking!

Prep: 10 minutes mins

Cook: 20 minutes mins

Total: 30 minutes mins

Servings: 6

Save

Pin RecipeRate RecipePrint Recipe

Ingredients

  • 2 pounds chicken, cut into bite-sized pieces
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 package frozen stir fry vegetables
  • Hot cooked rice, about 6 cups cooked

For the sauce:

  • 3 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 1/2 cup cold water
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1/3 cup honey
  • 1/2 cup soy sauce
  • 1/4 cup vinegar
  • 1 cup chicken broth
  • 1 pinch of red pepper flakes, optional

Instructions

  • Heat a large nonstick or cast iron skillet over medium to medium-high heat. Add the oil and heat for 30 seconds. Add the chicken and cook until the chicken is cooked through and no longer pink in the center.

  • While the chicken is cooking, add all of the sauce ingredients to a quart mason jar, add a lid, and shake well to combine.

  • When the chicken is cooked through, reduce the heat to medium and pour the sauce over the chicken. Stirring continuously, cook until the sauce thickens and the color changes from a muddy brown to a cleaner, reddish color. This should take about 3 minutes.

  • Add the frozen vegetables, and cook until the veggies are heated through.

  • Serve the chicken, sauce, and veggie mixture over hot cooked rice, and garnish with chopped green onion and sesame seeds if desired. Enjoy!

Notes

  • Feel free to use fresh chopped veggies if you’d like; frozen ones just make things really easy. This is an easy recipe to use what veggies and meat you like or have on hand. It’s very flexible.

Nutrition

Serving: 1 of 6 servings, Calories: 530kcal, Carbohydrates: 65g, Protein: 39g, Fat: 11g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 6g, Trans Fat: 0.02g, Cholesterol: 98mg, Sodium: 1404mg, Potassium: 681mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 16g, Vitamin A: 55IU, Vitamin C: 2mg, Calcium: 31mg, Iron: 2mg

Like this recipe? Rate and comment below!

More Asian Inspired Recipes:

  • Orange Chicken with Stir-Fry Veggies
  • Thai Chopped Salad with the Best Peanut Dressing
  • Green Thai Chicken Coconut Curry
  • Asian Chicken Salad with Peanut Lime Dressing
  • Shrimp Sushi
  • Very Veggie Asian Pasta Salad

More QuickDinners:

  • Healthy 30 Minute Alphabet Soup
  • 30 Minute Meaty Margherita Pizza
  • Simple 30 Minute Barbecue Sauce
  • 30 Minute Simple Roasted Tomato and Sausage Pasta
  • Quick, Easy, and Healthy White Chicken Enchilada Soup
  • Quick and Easy Sweet Potato Curry (meatless)
  • Quick and Easy Lentil Tacos

This post was originally published in 2013 and has been updated and rephotographed in January 2020.

Thisveggie and chicken stir fry takes less than thirty minutes and feeds your family something delicious with lots of vegetables and chicken.

About Melissa

Read More About Me

You May Also Like:

Easy Dinners

Air Fryer Chicken Thighs

Soups, Stews, & Chowders

Chicken Gnocchi Soup

Chicken

Chicken Cordon Bleu

Chicken

Louisiana Chicken

You won't believe how fast this stir fry recipe comes together! (2024)

FAQs

What are the 3 rules of stir frying? ›

The first is to cook your protein and your vegetable separately, and combine them only after both are fully cooked. A second rule of thumb for stir-frying: Choose one vegetable per stir-fry. Finally, always remember to add liquid only after everything is more or less finished cooking.

What is the secret ingredient in stir fry? ›

Ketchup Is The Secret Ingredient For A Top-Notch Stir Fry.

What veggies go first in a stir fry? ›

Stir-fry onions first, then add hard vegetables such as carrot and broccoli. Quick-cooking vegetables, such as snow peas, leafy greens and bean sprouts, should be added towards the end of cooking. If using vegies that have a combination of both textures, such as gai laan, add the stems first and the leaves later.

What makes a good stir fry? ›

A great stir-fry typically consists of four important components: protein, vegetables, aromatics, and sauce. Standard stir-fry starts with one pound of protein and two pounds of vegetables, and a basic stir-fry sauce (recipe below). You can add aromatics or herbs to change the flavor profile of your dish.

What should you not do when stir-frying? ›

Read on for the 10 most popular mistakes people make when stir-frying… and how to avoid them.
  1. But first… ...
  2. #1: Using the wrong pan. ...
  3. #2: Slicing ingredients too large or thick. ...
  4. #3: Being unorganised. ...
  5. #4: Not getting the wok hot enough. ...
  6. #5: Adding the oil before the wok is hot. ...
  7. #6: Throwing every ingredient in at once.

What is the best oil for stir-frying? ›

So many different oils, the good news is you can stick with what you know – canola is great! The best oils for stir frys are the oils with the higher smoke points. These tend to be the “thinner” oils such as peanut, grapeseed or canola.

Do you stir-fry vegetables in oil or butter? ›

Stir Fry Tips and Variations

While I usually make quick vegetable stir fry with avocado oil, you can also use grape seed oil, olive oil or even ghee. Regular butter has too many fat solids and will smoke and burn. If you don't have green onions, substitute half a yellow, white or red onion.

What can I add to stir-fry to give it Flavour? ›

5. Add flavour.
  1. Herbs: basil, oregano, cilantro.
  2. Spices: cumin, coriander, cardamom.
  3. Reduced sodium or no sodium added broth.
  4. Fresh lemongrass, garlic or ginger.
  5. 100% fruit juice.
  6. Citrus zest.
  7. Lower sodium soy sauces (<600 mg sodium per tablespoon)
Sep 16, 2019

What are the seven common ingredients in a stir-fry? ›

The main ingredients to a stir-fry are: Proteins – chicken, beef, pork, seafood, tofu, tempeh, seitan. Aromatics – garlic, green onions, shallots, ginger.

What goes first in stir-fry? ›

Meat first, then vegetables – If you want meat or seafood in your stir fry, cook it first then scoop it out onto a separate plate before cooking the vegetables. You'll add the meat back in at the end. 5. Don't crowd the pan – If you have too much in your pan, the vegetables will steam instead of staying crisp.

How do you make stir-fry taste like a restaurant? ›

Aromatic ingredients like garlic, ginger, green onions, chilies and spices. These ingredients are typically added to the oil first to infuse it with flavor. You won't need much; a few teaspoons to a tablespoon of total aromatic ingredients per person adds a serious amount of flavor.

What can I put in a stir-fry instead of meat? ›

The next time you're looking for a meat-free meal on a weeknight, try one of these quick and easy stir fry recipes.
  1. 1Tofu and peanut quinoa fried 'rice' ...
  2. 2Spicy broccoli and coconut noodles. ...
  3. 3Broccolini with garlic and sesame. ...
  4. 4Crispy tofu and kale stir-fry. ...
  5. 5Stir-fried barley with vegies and macadamias.

What goes first in a stir fry? ›

Meat first, then vegetables – If you want meat or seafood in your stir fry, cook it first then scoop it out onto a separate plate before cooking the vegetables. You'll add the meat back in at the end. 5. Don't crowd the pan – If you have too much in your pan, the vegetables will steam instead of staying crisp.

What are the 4 basic rules of cooking? ›

Four Steps to Food Safety: Clean, Separate, Cook, Chill. Following four simple steps at home—Clean, Separate, Cook, and Chill—can help protect you and your loved ones from food poisoning.

Do you add stir-fry sauce before or after? ›

Once the meat is done cooking, add the vegetables to the pan. If you are using fresh vegetables, you will need to stir them around for 4-5 minutes so they start cooking before you add your sauce. When they are starting to feel tender, but still have a lot of bite to them, add the sauce.

What is the general rule of frying? ›

Dry foods thoroughly before frying, otherwise they will splatter and cause burns. Keep your oil level at half-full - topping up with fresh, clean oil daily improves the frying life of the oil. Never overload the fryer with food as the temperature is drastically reduced and food will become soggy and greasy.

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Gov. Deandrea McKenzie

Last Updated:

Views: 5805

Rating: 4.6 / 5 (66 voted)

Reviews: 81% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Gov. Deandrea McKenzie

Birthday: 2001-01-17

Address: Suite 769 2454 Marsha Coves, Debbieton, MS 95002

Phone: +813077629322

Job: Real-Estate Executive

Hobby: Archery, Metal detecting, Kitesurfing, Genealogy, Kitesurfing, Calligraphy, Roller skating

Introduction: My name is Gov. Deandrea McKenzie, I am a spotless, clean, glamorous, sparkling, adventurous, nice, brainy person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.