You have to try this easy, sweet, and savory weeknight meal!
When I’m thinking of something quick, healthy, and delicious to make on a weeknight, my go-to is always stir fry. All you generally need is some rice or noodles (or rice noodles), some veggies out of the fridge, some type of protein, and a sauce. Cook the rice or noodles, sautee the veggies and protein, throw it all together, and voilà! You have something great the whole family can enjoy, in under 30 minutes. But unlike typical stir fry recipes, we’re getting rid of the rice and noodles altogether in this honey ginger chicken stir fry and doubling down on the veggies and delicious sauce.
That way, we get all the healthy stuff and none of those carbs that add so many extra calories. In fact, you could call this dish a “protein-packed stir fry” because the broccoli and chicken breast give you 26 grams of protein per serving! Plus, you may end up with leftovers for lunch the next day if it isn’t all devoured—which is usually the case. But that’s a good thing, right?
Let’s Talk About the Sauce!
In any stir fry, the sauce is the star of the show. Without it, you just have sauteed veggies and chicken—that isn’t a stir fry. But with the sauce, you have something entirely different.
Unlike the first part of the stir fry recipe—any protein and any veggie—stir fry sauce has a rule. You must combine something salty (e.g. soy or fish sauce) and something sweet (e.g. mirin, honey, or sugar). This salty and sweet combination is what brings the most flavors out of your veggies and protein. Just make sure to not overcook soy sauce or mirin because they do burn. Try not to leave them cooking in a hot pan for more than a couple of minutes. You want a nice glaze that coats your ingredients.
If you follow my sauce recipe fully, you won’t have to worry about enough flavor! I’ve combined soy sauce, honey, grated ginger and garlic, rice vinegar, sriracha, dijon mustard, and cornstarch. Everything balances out perfectly—salty, sweet, acidic, spicy, and the cornstarch to thicken the sauce.
Honey Ginger Chicken Stir Fry Cooking Order
It’s all about cooking your ingredients at the right time to ensure the textures and flavors are just right. Here’s the order you should follow:
First, prepare your sauce so that it’s ready to go when the time comes. Simply whisk together the ingredients and set it aside. Then, sautee the veggies in a pan on medium to high heat using an oil that doesn’t burn at high temperatures. I used avocado oil. Try to avoid olive oil. Remove the veggies from the pan and then add your chicken, cooking until it’s golden brown. Add your sauce, let it bubble, and then turn your heat down and add the veggies back in. After a few minutes, it’s done! Dinner is served!
If you’d like to make this stir fry more filling, I like to serve it with some cilantro lime rice or even some sesame noodles! Adding rice or noodles will also make the recipe go further, so you have a better chance of ending up with leftovers.
Honey Ginger Sauce
- 1/4 cup soy sauce low sodium
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1 inch piece of ginger grated
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 teaspoon sriracha optional
- 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
Stir Fry
- 2 tablespoons avocado oil divided
- 1 cup broccoli chopped
- 1/2 red bell pepper sliced
- 1/2 orange bell pepper sliced
- 1 pound chicken breast cut into cubes
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In small bowl, whisk the ingredients for the sauce. Set aside.
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Heat one tablespoon of the avocado oil in large pan over medium/high heat. Add the broccoli and bell peppers to the pan. Cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently.
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Remove the veggies from the pan, and add the other tablespoon of avocado oil. Place the chicken pieces in the pan, making sure not to overcrowd the pan. Brown for 1-2 minutes on each side.
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Once the chicken is done browning, pour the sauce into the pan. Once the sauce starts bubbling, reduce the heat to low. Simmer for 2-3 minutes. Then add the veggies back into the pan and simmer for 3-4 more minutes.
SmartPoints (Freestyle): 9
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If you try this honey ginger chicken stir fry, be sure to let us know what you thought in the comment section!
If you love it, you might also like to try our Chicken, Broccoli, and Asparagus Stir Fry or this Honey Garlic Shrimp Stir-Fry!
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