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Home » Recipes » Chicken Stir Fry Recipe

Chicken Stir Fry Recipe

by Mike Hultquist · Jul 19, 2021 · 14 Comments

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Chicken Stir Fry Recipe

My favorite chicken stir fry recipe with lots of juicy chicken and vegetables quickly seared then tossed in a spicy stir fry sauce that always satisfies. So easy to make!

Chicken Stir Fry in a pan

Easy Chicken Stir Fry Recipe

We're heating up the wok and whipping up a Spicy Chicken Stir Fry tonight, my friends. Would you care to join me?

I make stir fry dishes constantly, and have been for years and years. They're so quick and easy to make, which is important for busy people who want a quick weeknight dinner that satisfies.

This particular dish is loaded up with lots of healthy chicken and veggies, but it's my sauce that you'll return to again and again.

Mike's Recipe Highlights

  • My Spicy Stir Fry Sauce Recipe makes this chicken stir fry stand out from all the rest. This is for those who want big flavor. And you can make it ahead! It's so much better than store bought.
  • This dish can be on the table in 30 minutes or less, even if you're a slow cook like me.
  • It's very easy to customize with different vegetables, making it super versatile and easy to please the whole family.

Let's talk about how we make chicken stir fry Mike's way, shall we?

Featured Reader Comment

From Peter: "This is fantastic recipe. I've made it several times, it's a family favorite."

Chicken Stir Fry Ingredients

  • FOR THE STIR FRY SAUCE
  • Gochujang. I love hot gochujang, though you can use milder. Also, try it with other flavorful chili pastes like Chinese Doubanjiang or Korean Ssamjang. XO Sauce is a great addition as well!
  • Hot Paprika. Or use a mix of cayenne and sweet or mild paprika – you can use other spicier chili powders as well, or sweet paprika for a milder version.
  • Sesame Oil.
  • Soy Sauce. Use low sodium soy sauce if desired.
  • Rice Vinegar.
  • Brown Sugar. Or use honey, which I love as well.
  • Garlic. Use fresh garlic or garlic powder, though I prefer fresh.
  • Ginger. Use fresh ginger or ground ginger, though I prefer fresh.
  • Chicken Broth.
  • Red Pepper Flakes.
  • Corn Starch. Mixed with 1 tablespoon water. This is a nice thickener for your stir fry sauce. It will thicken up slightly in the pan as you cook it, allowing the sauce to stick to all of your chosen meats and vegetables. Each bite will be fantastic and delicious.
  • FOR THE CHICKEN STIR FRY
  • Sesame Oil. Or you can use olive oil or vegetable oil.
  • Chicken. I'm using boneless skinless chicken breast here, but you can use boneless chicken thighs, or a combination.
  • Salt and Pepper.
  • Sugar Snap Peas.
  • Broccoli.
  • Bell Pepper.
  • Jalapeno Pepper. Or use your favorite spicy chili pepper, like Chinese hot peppers, Thai peppers, African Bird’s Eye peppers, or others.
  • For Serving. Chopped green onion, toasted cashews, spicy red pepper flakes

How to Make Chicken Stir Fry - the Recipe Method

Make the Stir Fry Sauce

Whisk the Ingredients. Whisk all of the ingredients together in a small bowl until well combined. Set aside until ready to use.

Make the Chicken Stir Fry

Stir Fry the Chicken. Heat the oil in a large skillet or wok to medium high heat. Add the chicken and cook for 2 minutes, stirring often. You don't have to cook it all the way through, just mostly through, as we're going to simmer it in the sauce in a bit.

Stir fry sauce and stir frying chicken in a wok

Stir Fry the Vegetables. Add the broccoli, peas and chopped peppers. Cook, stirring often, for 2 minutes, or until the vegetables begin to soften. You can cook longer if you need to.

Sauce and Simmer. Add the stir fry sauce and stir. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 3 minutes, stirring a bit, or until the chicken is cooked through and the vegetables are cooked to your liking. The stir fry sauce will thicken in the pan and coat the chicken and vegetables.

Stir frying vegetables and chicken in a wok to make a spicy chicken stir fry

Garnish and Serve. I like my chicken stir fry with either steamed white rice or stir fry noodles. Sprinkle on some spicy chili flakes, chopped fresh scallions (green onion), and some toasted cashews, either whole or crumbled.

Boom! Done! Your chicken stir fry is ready to serve! Looks so good, doesn't it? All those peppers and veggies and chicken in that spicy stir fry sauce. I love this recipe! SO good. I hope your family loves it.

Chicken Stir Fry looking extremely yum.

Recipe Tips & Notes

  • The Vegetables. I'm using broccoli, snap peas and lots of chili peppers in my chicken stir fry, but you can use any of your favorite vegetables. Popular additions to consider are green beans, mushrooms, carrots, peas, and others. Sesame seeds are a nice extra garnish. You can also add in as many as you'd like. It's really hard to get too many veggies in your diet. Veggie stir fry!
  • The Stir Fry Sauce. My stir fry sauce is fairly spicy with my preferred ingredients, though you can easily spice it up more with spicy chili powders or changing the ratios. Use more hot gochujang to add more zing. Hotter peppers is always a great way to really liven up a dish.
  • Serving Up Your Stir Fry. Sometimes I just enjoy the stir fry on it's own, straight out of the pan and into my bowl. However, I often serve it either over cooked white rice or toss it with prepared noodles. It's really whatever you're in the mood for. Try it over fried rice. You'll love it.

Storage & Leftovers

Storing your Chicken Stir Fry in an airtight container in the fridge may allow you to store the leftovers for up to 3-4 days. To maximize the storage life, make sure to refrigerate it promptly.

That's it, my friends. I hope you enjoy my chicken stir fry recipe. It's my favorite way to make it. Let me know if you make it. I'd love to hear how you changed it up and made it your own. Keep it spicy!

Try Some of My Other Popular Recipes

  • Pork Stir Fry
  • Spicy Shrimp Stir Fry
  • Spicy Beef Stir Fry
  • Teriyaki Shrimp Stir Fry
  • Drunken Noodles
  • Hunan Chicken
  • Spicy Chicken Fried Rice
  • Miso Ramen
  • Yakisoba Noodles
  • Stir Fry Sauce
  • XO Sauce
Chicken Stir Fry in a bowl with white rice

Got any questions? Ask away! I’m happy to help. If you enjoy this recipe, I hope you’ll leave a comment with some STARS. Also, please share it on social media. Don’t forget to tag us at #ChiliPepperMadness. I’ll be sure to share! Thanks! — Mike H.

Chicken Stir Fry Recipe
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Chicken Stir Fry Recipe

My favorite chicken stir fry recipe with lots of juicy chicken and vegetables quickly seared then tossed in a spicy stir fry sauce that always satisfies. So easy to make!
Save Recipe Saved!
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American, Chinese
Keyword: chicken, doubanjiang, gochujang, spicy, Stir Fry
Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes minutes
Calories: 545kcal
Author: Mike Hultquist
Servings: 4
Tap or hover to scale
5 from 3 votes
Leave a Review

Ingredients

FOR THE STIR FRY SAUCE

  • 2 tablespoons gochujang use less for milder stir fry sauce - try it with doubanjiang as well!
  • 1.5 tablespoons hot paprika or use 1/2 tablespoon cayenne + 1/2 tablespoon sweet paprika – you can use other spicier chili powders as well
  • 4 tablespoons sesame oil
  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon brown sugar or use honey
  • 1 teaspoon fresh minced garlic
  • 1 teaspoon fresh minced ginger
  • ½ cup chicken broth
  • 1 tablespoon red pepper flakes
  • 1 tablespoon corn starch mixed with 1 tablespoon water

FOR THE CHICKEN STIR FRY

  • 1 tablespoon sesame oil or use olive oil or vegetable oil
  • 1.5 pounds chicken breast boneless cut into bite-sized pieces (or use chicken thighs, or a combination)
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 8 ounces broccoli
  • 8 ounces sugar snap peas
  • 1 large bell pepper chopped
  • 1 jalapeno pepper chopped, or use your favorite spicy chili pepper
  • 1/2 cup toasted cashews
  • For Serving: Chopped green onion, toasted cashews, spicy red pepper flakes

Instructions

MAKE THE STIR FRY SAUCE

  • Whisk all of the ingredients together in a medium-sized bowl until well combined. Set aside until ready to use.

MAKE THE CHICKEN STIR FRY

  • Heat the oil in a large pan or wok to high heat. Add the chicken and cook for 2 minutes, stirring often.
  • Add the broccoli, peas and chopped peppers. Cook, stirring often, for 2 minutes, or until the vegetables begin to soften.
  • Add the stir fry sauce and stir. Bring to a quick boil, then simmer for 3 minutes, stirring a bit, or until the chicken is cooked through and the vegetables are cooked to your liking. The stir fry sauce will thicken in the pan and coat the chicken and vegetables.
  • Garnish and serve. I like my chicken stir fry with either steamed white rice or stir fry noodles.

Notes

Calories estimated without rice or noodles.

Nutrition Information

Calories: 545kcal   Carbohydrates: 26g   Protein: 45g   Fat: 30g   Saturated Fat: 5g   Polyunsaturated Fat: 10g   Monounsaturated Fat: 12g   Trans Fat: 1g   Cholesterol: 109mg   Sodium: 771mg   Potassium: 1285mg   Fiber: 6g   Sugar: 10g   Vitamin A: 3887IU   Vitamin C: 131mg   Calcium: 90mg   Iron: 5mg
Chicken Stir Fry Recipe
Did You Enjoy This Recipe?I love hearing how you like it and how you made it your own. Leave a comment below and tag @ChiliPepperMadness on social media.

Reader Interactions

Comments

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    Recipe Rating




  1. Craig Russell says

    May 12, 2025 at 5:41 pm

    5 stars
    Excellent recipe. Perfectly spicy. Added mushrooms and zucchini. Wonderful dinner. Thank you.

    Reply
    • Mike H. says

      May 13, 2025 at 4:33 am

      Happy to hear it, Craig. Enjoy!

      Reply
  2. Victoria Sparhawk says

    April 24, 2025 at 2:54 pm

    5 stars
    Love the recipe, but I substituted avocado oil, because it's a high-heat oil unlike sesame oil. Avo is a neutral oil, so it worked out great. Thanks for kicking it up to the next level!

    Reply
    • Mike Hultquist says

      April 24, 2025 at 3:02 pm

      Glad you enjoyed it, Victoria! Cheers!

      Reply
  3. Nathan Yuma says

    November 18, 2023 at 7:21 pm

    5 stars
    Love the sauce recipe. I substituted the red pepper flakes with gochugaru this I've made it the original way as well. Either way this sauce is money! Thanks Mike for all your amazing recipies and knowledge!

    Reply
    • Mike Hultquist says

      November 19, 2023 at 8:09 am

      Excellent! Thanks, Nathan!

      Reply
  4. Peter Laczko says

    September 15, 2022 at 4:53 am

    This is fantastic recipe. I've made it several times, it's a family favorite.
    Peter

    Reply
    • Mike Hultquist says

      September 15, 2022 at 5:56 am

      Thanks, Peter!

      Reply
  5. Obed Salazar says

    August 09, 2021 at 12:52 pm

    Hi Mike,

    This looks great, but I have not made it yet. One question. The photo of the stir-fried vegetables does not show any chicken pieces. Did you remove the chicken from the wok? I think this would be a good idea, so as not to over-cook the white meat.

    Thanks,
    Obed Salazar

    Reply
    • Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says

      August 09, 2021 at 12:55 pm

      Obed, you can remove the chicken if you'd like, cook the vegetables, then stir the chicken back in with the sauce and simmer if you're concerned about overcooking. You don't have to, though. It will work either way.

      Reply
  6. Mary D says

    August 06, 2021 at 8:19 pm

    Hi Mike,
    This recipe looks great to make. Easy to make too. Thanks for the recipe.
    Wish me luck.
    Mary

    Reply
    • Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says

      August 07, 2021 at 7:43 am

      Good luck, Mary. Yep, pretty easy!

      Reply
  7. Altie Metcalf says

    July 19, 2021 at 8:58 pm

    Hi Mike! I love your recipes. ¼ cup of sesame oil in the stir fry sauce seems like a lot. Doesn't it overpower it?

    Reply
    • Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says

      July 19, 2021 at 9:23 pm

      Hi, Altie. You can dial that back if you are concerned, then add in more as you desire. Maybe start with a tablespoon or 2, then taste, then add more if you think it needs it. It really should be to your personal taste. Let me know how it goes for you.

      Reply

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