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Best Chicken and Veggie Stir Fry recipe image

Best Chicken and Veggie Stir Fry

Jen Paleracio
Delicious and quick dinner during a busy weeknight. Perfectly seared chicken with a sweet and tangy sauce. Stir-fried with fresh veggies.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine Chinese, Filipino, Japanese
Servings 6

Equipment

  • Wok or wide pan
  • Measuring cup
  • Measuring spoons
  • knife
  • Chopping board
  • Spatula

Ingredients
  

FOR THE SAUCE:

  • 1 medium size orange, juice and zest
  • 3 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce, 2 tablespoons if using regular soy sauce
  • 3 tablespoons oyster sauce or use a vegetarian oyster sauce
  • 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • 1 tablespoon brown sugar
  • 1 clove of garlic, grated
  • 1/2 teaspoon grated fresh ginger, 1 teaspoon minced
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch
  • 1/4 cup water

FOR THE STIR FRY

  • 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into inch cubes
  • 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
  • 3 tablespoons oil
  • 1 yellow onion, chopped
  • 3 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 1 bell pepper, cut into bite size pieces
  • 1 carrot, peeled, julienne or thin strips
  • 2 cup broccoli florets
  • 1 tablespoon water
  • 1 teaspoon sesame oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon red chili pepper flakes
  • option: sesame seeds

Instructions
 

MAKE THE SAUCE:

  • In a measuring cup, use a Microplane and zest one orange. In the same cup, squeeze the juice of the same orange. Add soy sauce, oyster sauce, rice vinegar, honey, brown sugar, garlic, ginger, cornstarch, and water. Stir until the cornstarch and sugar are dissolved. Set it aside.

COOK THE CHICKEN:

  • Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Then, use tongs to coat well. Heat a wok with oil. Add the chicken, and cook them in batches (see NOTE #1).
  • Drain excess liquid (see NOTE #2), add about a tablespoon of oil to the pan, and continue searing the rest of the chicken for 2 minutes or until golden brown. Set them aside.

FINISH STIR FRYING:

  • Use the same pan and add more oil if it starts drying. Add onion and garlic, and saute until the onion is tender and the garlic is aromatic about 2 minutes.
  • Add bell pepper, carrot, broccoli, and water (see NOTE #3), and stir to combine. Cook until the broccoli turns bright green and tender but not overcooked.
  • Pour the sauce over the veggies, and stir to combine. Add the cooked chicken, sesame oil, and red chili pepper flakes, stir, and simmer for a minute or until the sauce thickened. Serve warm with steamed rice.

Video

Notes

NOTE #1 - Don't overcrowd the pan when searing your meat. Overcrowding the pan brings the temperature of the oil down and you will not get nice seared meat. 
NOTE #2 - It is best to season the meat before cooking, but the salt draws out moisture and the chicken releases a lot of liquid while cooking. In order to get a nice brown color while searing is to drain the liquid and add oil. Then continue cooking the chicken on both sides until golden brown. This particularly happens when cooking chicken breast without any coating (like flour or cornstarch). 
NOTE #3 - Commercial kitchen has an industrial stove that spits fire flames like dragons! Home kitchens normally don't have an industrial stove. When the flame is super high, it's able to cook everything at the same time, but at home, we have to cook with what we got. The best way to get nice crunchy veggies while stir-frying at home is to add a bit of water or oil to prevent them from sticking at the bottom of the pan. This technique will also steam the veggies and give them a nice texture.
 
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Keyword bell pepper, broccoli, brown sugar, chicken, cornstarch, easy stir fry, garlic, onion, oyster sauce, rice vinegar, soy sauce, stir fry veggies