This quick chicken stir fry with frozen vegetables has tender chicken, crisp veggies, and a flavorful, sweet, and savory Asian inspired sauce. All made with what you already have on hand!
Jump to:
If you caught my freezer clean-out video on YouTube. You know the idea for this simple Asian inspired stir fry came from the whole week's meal plan I made from what I already had on hand.
This dish is everything you need on a busy weeknight. It's quick, flexible, and uses up those forgotten ingredients in the back of your fridge and freezer. So use whatever veggies you have on hand. Bell peppers, onions, mushrooms, frozen green beans, or broccoli it all works. Get creative and use what needs to be used up.
Serves 4 people, so it's great for families or meal prep for the week.
Chicken Stir Fry Ingredients
One of the best parts of dish is the sweet and savory stir-fry sauce. Plus, the chicken comes out incredibly tender thanks to a simple Chinese technique called velveting. Once you try it, you'll never make regular stir-fry chicken the same way again.
For Chicken
- chicken thighs (or breast)
- cornstarch
- cooking oil
- soy sauce
- garlic powder, onion powder, & black pepper.
For Stir Fry
- green bell pepper
- red bell pepper
- frozen green beans
- frozen broccoli florets
- mushrooms
- onion
- garlic cloves (fresh or frozen)
- small piece of ginger (fresh or frozen)
- cooking oil
- shaoxing wine
- red pepper flakes
- White pepper
For Stir Fry Sauce
- soy sauce
- dark soy sauce
- sesame oil
- cornstarch
- chicken bouillon
- brown sugar
- chicken broth
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
When making any stir-fry, prepping your ingredients before you start cooking is a must! Since the stir-frying process goes by very quickly once you start cooking.
So get your chicken sliced, your veggies chopped, and your sauce mixed before you turn on the stove. It will make the whole process so much smoother.
Step 1: Start by slicing your chicken into thin strips. In a bowl, mix the cornstarch, oil, water, along with a little black pepper, garlic, & onion powder with your chicken strips and let them sit while you prep everything else. (This is when the velveting process happens.)
Step 2: While the chicken marinates, slice up your bell peppers, mushrooms, and onion. Grab your frozen veggies straight from the freezer (seriously, no need to thaw). Then, whisk together all your sauce ingredients in a small bowl and set it aside.
Step 3: Heat a large skillet or wok over high heat with 2 tbsp of oil. Once it's nice and hot (you'll see it shimmer and smoke slightly) add your chicken in a single layer. Let it sear for about 2-3 minutes without moving it. This creates a gorgeous crust. Flip and stir-fry another 5 minutes until cooked through. Remove the chicken and set it aside.
Step 4: In the same pan, add another splash of oil if needed, then toss in your bell peppers, and your frozen veggies (yes, still frozen!). Stir fry for about 3-4 minutes until they start to soften and get a little char on them. The frozen veggies will release some moisture, which is totally fine. It helps steam and get them tender.
Step 6: Return your chicken to the pan, give your sauce a quick stir (that cornstarch likes to settle at the bottom). Pour the sauce over everything and mix. Let it cook for another 2-3 minutes until the sauce thickens and coats everything beautifully. Stir it, and that's it!
Serving Suggestions
This simple stir fry with frozen vegetables is perfect over a big bowl of fluffy white steamed rice or simple instant noodles (or whatever you have on hand).
Topping Suggestions:
- chili crisp
- roasted sesame seeds
- sliced green onions
These toppings are not necessary, but highly recommended to take this dish to a whole other yummy level!
Substitutions
- Soy sauce - substitute with coconut aminos to make it gluten-free.
- Shaoxing wine - substitute with sherry
Tools
While it's customary to use a wok for stir frying. Any large skillet will work. My enameled cast iron pan is always what I reach for when stir frying. Cast iron is great at holding heat, keeping my pan nice and hot during the stir-frying process. And of course, the MVP for meals like this... my rice cooker.
Pro Tip
When stir frying, do not crowd the pan or use low heat. Doing this will lead to steaming, resulting in a soggy texture rather than crisp veggies and juicy chicken. Use high heat and cook your meat in batches if necessary.
FAQ
My go-to is either canola or vegetable oil. But avocado, sunflower, and peanut oil work great too. You just want to use a neutral cooking oil with a high smoke point. Since stir frying uses very high heat. I don't recommend using butter or extra-virgin olive oil, as they will burn and smoke.
Stir fry is highly customizable. Some of my favorite stir fry veggies are: mushrooms, snap peas, carrots, cabbage, green beans, broccoli, bokchoy, shaved brussels sprouts, onions, and bell peppers.
Related
Looking for more recipes like this? Try this:
If you want to see how this recipe fits into my whole freezer clean-out and meal plan, check out my YouTube video.
I walked through my entire fridge and freezer and planned a week's worth of meals using what I already had. It was so satisfying, and this stir fry was definitely the highlight.
Ingredients
Method
- Start by slicing your chicken into thin strips. In a bowl, mix the cornstarch, oil, water, along with a little black pepper, garlic, & onion powder with your chicken strips and let them sit while you prep everything else. (This is when the velveting process happens.)
- While the chicken marinates, slice up your bell peppers, mushrooms, and onion. Grab your frozen veggies straight from the freezer (seriously, no need to thaw). Then, whisk together all your sauce ingredients in a small bowl and set it aside.
- Heat a large skillet or wok over high heat with 2 tbsp of oil. Once it's nice and hot (you'll see it shimmer and smoke slightly) add your chicken in a single layer. Let it sear for about 2-3 minutes without moving it. This creates a gorgeous crust. Flip and stir-fry another 5 minutes until cooked through. Remove the chicken and set it aside.
- In the same pan, add another splash of oil if needed, then toss in your bell peppers, and your frozen veggies (yes, still frozen!). Stir fry for about 3-4 minutes until they start to soften and get a little char on them. The frozen veggies will release some moisture, which is totally fine. It helps steam and get them tender.
- Toss in the mushrooms, onions, garlic, and ginger. And cook for another couple of minutes, stirring occasionally until onions are clear and the garlic and ginger are fragrant.
- Return your chicken to the pan, give your sauce a quick stir (that cornstarch likes to settle at the bottom). Pour the sauce over everything and mix. Let it cook for another 2-3 minutes until the sauce thickens and coats everything beautifully. Stir it, and that's it!
Leave a Reply