Chinese chicken stir fry is the simplest Chinese recipe ever, and once you make it you will certainly want to make it again and again. I like to use chicken and vegetables, along with a flavorful sauce. This makes a wonderful dinner served with rice, noodles or your favorite Asian side dish.
You will need skinless, boneless chicken breast to make this easy Chinese chicken stir fry, along with vegetables (either snow peas and water chestnuts or carrots, or anything else you like, such as mushrooms, bamboo shoots, broccoli or bell pepper).
The sauce for the easy Chinese chicken stir fry is up to you. You might want to make a chicken stir fry marinade to soak extra flavor into the chicken. There are easy chicken stir fry recipes for every palate.
I like to combine 2 tablespoons of hoisin sauce with a tablespoon each of soy sauce and oyster sauce, but use whatever you had. Perhaps you want to use another kind of Chinese cooking sauce or simply add a splash of teriyaki, a splash of soy sauce and a few roasted sesame seeds. You can really go to town and get creative here because anything goes.
Making a Great Chinese Chicken Stir Fry is Simple
This recipe is a good starting point if you are not used to making Chinese recipes, because it is really simple. You will need either a wok or a nonstick skillet. Put a tablespoon of oil in there and heat it up until it is nearly smoking or just beginning to smoke. Meanwhile toss your chicken in cornstarch and cut your vegetables.
When the oil is ready it is time to add the chicken and then use a wooden or silicon spatula to keep it moving. The art of stir-frying is keeping the ingredients moving in the wok so they cook fast and evenly, as well as ensuring you have everything cut thinly to maximize surface space. This also helps the ingredients cook fast in this easy Chinese chicken stir fry recipe.
Chinese Chicken Stir Fry Keto Option
The nice thing about dishes like stir fries is you can tweak them to suit your preferred way of eating. I like to use chicken thigh rather than breast since it’s higher in fat so more satisfying for keto.
Rather than using a hoisin-based sauce here, you can make something simple with soy sauce, sesame oil and a pinch of 5-spice if you prefer. Mix-ins include peanut butter (unsweetened), artificial sweetener or anything else you wish to add.
PrintEasy Chinese Chicken Stir Fry
Chicken, vegetables and an easy hoisin based sauce combine to make this simple stir-fry. You can make this very quickly and easily and the flavor is absolutely delicious. Serve it with rice or noodles.
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 10 mins
- Total Time: 20 mins
- Yield: 4 1x
- Category: Entree
- Cuisine: Chinese
Ingredients
- 1 lb (450g) chopped skinless chicken breast
- 4 oz (115g) trimmed, de-stringed snow peas
- 2 oz (60g) sliced water chestnuts or matchstick-cut carrots
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 16 cashews (optional)
- Splash of soy sauce (optional)
- Pinch of white sugar or sweetener (optional)
Choose One of These for the Sauce:
- 4 tablespoons hoisin sauce
- 2 tablespoons hoisin sauce plus 2 tablespoons oyster sauce
- 2 tablespoons hoisin sauce and 1 tablespoon each oyster sauce and Asian chili sauce
- 2 tablespoons hoisin sauce and 1 tablespoon each oyster sauce and soy sauce
Instructions
- Toss the chicken in the cornstarch and salt.
- Heat the oil in a wok or skillet until nearly smoking.
- Add the chicken and sauté for 2 minutes or until almost cooked through.
- Add the vegetables, sauce of choice and nuts, soy sauce and/or sugar if using.
- Stir-fry for 1 or 2 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through and the vegetables are coated in sauce.
- Serve with rice or noodles, if liked.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/4 of the recipe -
- Calories: 211
- Fat: 9g
- Carbohydrates: 14g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 34g
