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Chinese

Weeknight Chicken Stir-Fry

Chicken, broccoli, and snap peas in a soy-ginger sauce that thickens in the pan. Have the rice going before you heat the skillet, because the stir-fry is the fast part.

Prep
15 min
Cook
12 min
Total
27 min
Servings
4
Difficulty
Easy
Jump to recipe
Chicken, broccoli, and snap peas in a glossy sauce over rice.

Why you’ll love it

  • The sauce is mixed before the pan is hot, so you are not measuring over a flame.
  • Vegetables stay crisp if you do not cover the pan.
  • It uses one skillet and a pot of rice.
  • Leftovers reheat better than most stir-fries because the sauce is not watery.

Ingredients

Servings4

Ingredient amounts scale. Oven temperature and cook time do not. Salt, spices, and leaveners are a starting point after you scale. Taste and adjust.

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Instructions

  1. 1

    Stir the soy sauce, honey, vinegar, cornstarch, and water in a small bowl.

  2. 2

    Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over high. Cook the chicken until just browned and 165°F, about 4 to 5 minutes. Remove it.

  3. 3

    Add the remaining oil, broccoli, and snap peas. Stir-fry 3 to 4 minutes, until the broccoli is bright and still crisp.

  4. 4

    Add garlic and ginger. Stir 30 seconds.

  5. 5

    Return the chicken. Pour in the sauce and simmer 1 minute, until it turns glossy.

  6. 6

    Take it off the heat, add the green onions, and serve over rice.

Pro tips

  • High heat and a big pan. A crowded medium flame boils the vegetables.
  • If the broccoli is still hard when the sauce is done, add a spoon of water and cover for 30 seconds only.
  • Slice the chicken while the pan heats so nothing sits raw on the counter longer than it needs to.

Easy substitutions

Snap peas
Sliced bell pepper.
Honey
1 tablespoon brown sugar.
Chicken
Shrimp. Cook them just until pink, about 2 minutes.

Storage and reheating

Storage

Refrigerate up to 3 days.

Reheating

Stir in a skillet over medium heat with a splash of water until hot.

Nutrition

Estimates per serving, using standard ingredient averages and rounded to the nearest gram. This is not a lab analysis, and it shifts if you change brands or add sides.

Calories
280
Protein
30 g
Carbs
16 g
Fat
10 g
Fiber
3 g

Moderate · Stovetop · High Protein

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From the kitchen

Kitchen tools we love

Practical tools these recipes actually use. This is not a review roundup, and these are not paid placements. If affiliate links are added later, they will be labeled and disclosed.

  • A heavy 12-inch skillet

    Most of the chicken and steak recipes are written for one pan that holds heat. Stainless or cast iron both work.

  • An air fryer with a real basket

    The air-fryer recipes expect a single layer. A crowded basket steams instead of browning.

  • A half-sheet pan

    Drumsticks, potatoes, sausage, and carrots all use one. A dark pan browns faster than a very shiny one.

  • A sharp chef’s knife

    These recipes do not need a specialty blade. A sharp 8-inch knife is faster and safer than a dull one.

  • A large cutting board

    Big enough that the onion and the raw chicken are not sharing the same puddle.

  • Dry cups and a liquid cup

    Desserts in particular expect level dry measures and a separate cup for milk.

  • An instant-read thermometer

    Use it for poultry, pork chops, and meatloaf. Color is a weak guide.

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Ingredients