Chicken and vegetable stir-fry

Fifteen minutes, crunchy vegetables and a sauce made from what's in your pantry.

18 min
Total time: 18 min
Hands-on: 2 servings
Servings: 375 cal
Per serving: Easy
Difficulty: Wok or skillet
Method

Photo: rovingI · CC BY 2.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

Ingredients

2 servings

For the stir-fry

For the sauce

Nutrition facts

per serving

375cal

Protein: 40 g44 %
Carbs: 24 g26 %
Fat: 12 g30 %
Fiber: 7 g
Sugarstotal, including the natural sugars in fruit and dairy: 12 g

Approximate values, calculated from food composition tables. They vary with the brands and cuts you use.

Step by step

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Chicken and vegetable stir-fry

Fifteen minutes, crunchy vegetables and a sauce made from what's in your pantry.

1Step 1 of 6

Cut everything before you start

The stir-fry takes eight minutes and there's no time to chop along the way. Have the chicken in strips, the vegetables cut and the garlic minced on separate plates, within reach.

Tip: Cut everything the same thickness. If the carrot is thick and the pepper thin, they'll never be perfectly cooked at the same time.

2Step 2 of 6

Mix the sauce

In a glass, dissolve the cornstarch in the cold water and add the soy sauce, vinegar, honey and ginger. Stir and set aside. The cornstarch is what will make the sauce cling at the end.

3Step 3 of 6

Sear the chicken

Wok or large skillet over very high heat with the oil. Add the chicken in a single layer and leave it for 2 minutes without touching, then stir for 1 more minute. Transfer to a plate even if it isn't fully cooked.

03:003 min · Sear the chicken

4Step 4 of 6

Vegetables, hardest first

In the same wok, carrot and broccoli for 3 minutes, then the pepper for 2 minutes and the garlic for 30 seconds at the end. Keep stirring over high heat.

Tip: If the wok runs dry and starts to burn, add a tablespoon of water: it creates steam and lifts whatever is stuck.

05:005 min · Vegetables, hardest first

5Step 5 of 6

Everything together with the sauce

Return the chicken to the wok, stir the sauce (the cornstarch settles) and pour it in. In 1 minute it goes from runny to glossy and thick, coating everything.

01:001 min · Everything together with the sauce

6Step 6 of 6

Serve immediately

Straight from the wok to the plate. Top with toasted sesame seeds and, if you like, serve over rice or cooked noodles.

About this recipe

A wok stir-fry is the fastest dinner there is, and also the easiest to ruin: if everything goes in at once, the vegetables release water, the temperature drops and instead of frying, it stews. The result is a soggy, sad plate.

The technique is always the same: very high heat, ingredients in batches and everything cut and ready before you turn on the stove. There's no time to chop anything once the wok is going.

The sauce uses four pantry staples and is a thousand times better than any packet.

Tips for getting it right

Turn your burner all the way up. A stir-fry over medium heat is a stew.
Don't overfill the wok. Load it to the top and the temperature crashes and everything steams.
The vegetables should stay crisp. If they bend when you poke them, they've gone too far.

Variations

With shrimp

Swap the chicken for 9 oz (250 g) of peeled shrimp and cut the searing to 90 seconds: they cook in no time.

Vegan

7 oz (200 g) of pressed, cubed extra-firm tofu, browned just like the chicken. Replace the honey with agave syrup.

Storage

2 days in the fridge, although the vegetables lose their crunch. For meal prep, undercook them slightly.

Questions

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a real wok?

No. A large skillet with a heavy base works well, as long as you don't overload it. What matters isn't the shape, it's high heat and food that isn't crowded.

Why are my stir-fry vegetables soggy?

Too much food at once or not enough heat. Either way the temperature drops, the vegetables release water and end up stewed. Cook in two batches if needed.

What does cornstarch do in stir-fry sauce?

It thickens the sauce as it heats and makes it stick to the ingredients instead of pooling at the bottom. A teaspoon is enough; any more and it turns gummy.

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