This easy Chicken Stir-Fry with Snap Peas and Carrots, sauteed with fresh ginger, lime juice, and a touch of soy sauce, is perfect for a quick weeknight meal.
Chicken Stir-Fry with Snap Peas and Carrots
What’s better than throwing veggies and protein into a wok and having dinner ready in minutes? I love making chicken stir-fry recipes for dinner and usually use whatever vegetables I have on hand. They’re a great way to clean out the refrigerator! The crunch of the sugar snap peas with the chicken is so good, and my daughter enjoys munching on them raw while I’m cooking. Homemade stir-fry chicken is an excellent way to satisfy those takeout cravings without all the heavy, fried flavors. For more easy stir-fry recipes, I love this Broccoli Beef Stir-Fry, 10-Minute Soba Noodle Stir-Fry, and this popular Orange Chicken.
Chicken Stir-Fry Ingredients
Chicken Stir-Fry Sauce:
- Soy Sauce: You have options here! For soy sauce, I like the low-sodium kind; for gluten-free, choose tamari; and for Whole30, coconut aminos are great.
- Lime Juice gives the sauce a burst of bright citrus.
- Water helps combine and balance the other flavors in the sauce.
- Cornstarch thickens the stir-fry sauce.
Chicken Stir-Fry with Snap Peas and Carrots
- Chicken: Slice a pound of skinless, boneless chicken breasts into thin pieces. Below, I give more details about the best way to do it.
- Salt seasons the chicken.
- Oil: Use an oil with a high smoke point, like canola or refined coconut oil.
- Garlic infuses the stir-fry with its aromatic, complex flavor.
- Ginger: Peel the skin off the fresh ginger with a spoon, and grate a teaspoon of fresh ginger.
- Vegetables: I used sugar snap peas and carrots in this chicken stir-fry, but you can use whatever you have in your fridge.
- Scallions: Slice scallions and sprinkle over the stir-fry.
Tips on How to Make Chicken Stir Fry:
- Chicken Stir-Fry Sauce: Whisk the soy sauce, lime juice, water, and cornstarch in a small bowl.
- Season the chicken with salt.
- Cook the Chicken: Set the wok on high heat. When very hot, add half the oil and then the chicken. Cook for a few minutes until the chicken is cooked through and browned. Remove the chicken and set aside.
- Garlic and Ginger: Reduce the heat to medium, add the remaining oil, and sauté the garlic and ginger for 20 seconds.
- Stir-Fry the Vegetables: Add the carrots and sugar snap peas and cook for a few minutes.
- Sauce: Return the chicken to the wok with the soy sauce mixture, mix well, and cook for another minute. Top with scallions when serving.
Variations
● Snap Peas: Substitute snow peas.
● Vegetables: Swap the veggies with bell pepper, mushrooms, onion, or broccoli.
● Protein: Replace chicken with shrimp or sliced pork chops.
● Vegetarian Stir-Fry: Omit the chicken and add an extra vegetable.
● Ginger: Sub fresh ginger with powdered ginger.
● Garnish with sesame seeds or cilantro.
● Pan: Use a large skillet if you don’t have a wok.
What to Serve with Chicken Stir-Fry
You can eat this healthy chicken stir-fry by itself or add a noodle or grain to soak up the sauce for a more filling meal. Here are some ideas for what to serve with your stir-fry chicken.
● Brown or White Rice
● Noodles, like udon, soba, or rice noodles
● Quinoa
● Cauliflower Rice
Storage
Leftover stir-fry chicken will last in the refrigerator for 4 days and can be reheated in the microwave.
FAQ
● Hot Pan: When you are ready to cook your meat, make sure the wok is already very hot.
● Slice Thinly: When making an authentic Chinese stir-fry, one of the most important things is how you slice your chicken. The thinner the chicken, the more tender it becomes and the better it is for reheating.
● Cut Evenly: Uniformly cut your vegetables to ensure they cook in the same amount of time.
Freeze the chicken for about one hour before slicing. When partially frozen, it’s easier to thinly slice the chicken against the grain.
● Don’t worry about the chicken being frozen. Since the slices are so thin, they will thaw out in just a couple of minutes.
● Cutting against the grain makes the bites very tender to chew, especially when reheating.
Yes, you can definitely swap snow peas for snap peas in this stir-fry
Since stir-fries are cooked on high heat, you need an oil with a high smoke point. Refined coconut, avocado, or canola oil would all work
When cooking a stir-fry, add the sauce at the end.
More Asian Chicken Recipes you might enjoy:
- General Tso’s Chicken
- Filipino Adobo Chicken
- Chicken Satay with Peanut Sauce
- Thai Basil Chicken
- Korean Grilled Chicken
Spring Stir Fried Chicken with Sugar Snap Peas and Carrots
Ingredients
For the sauce:
- 1 tbsp low sodium soy sauce or GF tamari, or Coconut Aminos for W30
- 1 tbsp fresh lime juice
- 2 tbsp water
- 1 tsp cornstarch or arrowroot
For the Stir Fry:
- 1 lb skinless, boneless chicken breast, sliced thin
- salt, to taste
- 1 tbsp canola or coconut oil
- 2 tsp fresh garlic, minced
- 1 tsp fresh ginger, grated
- 1 cup sugar snap peas
- 1 cup carrots, sliced diagonally
- scallions for garnish
Instructions
- Combine soy sauce, lime juice, water and cornstarch in a small bowl, mix together and set aside.
- Season chicken lightly with salt. Heat a large wok over high heat.
- When the wok is very hot, add half of the oil, then add the chicken. Stir fry, stirring occasionally until the chicken is cooked through and browned, about 3-4 minutes.
- With a slotted spoon, remove the chicken and set aside. Reduce heat to medium.
- Add the remaining oil to the wok; add the garlic and ginger, stir for 20 seconds. Add the sugar snap peas and carrots, stirring over medium high heat until tender crisp, about 3-4 minutes.
- Return the chicken to the wok, add the soy sauce-lime mixture, mix well and cook another 30 seconds to one minute.
- Serve immediately and top with fresh scallions.
Last Step:
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