Description
A chicken stir-fry made with thighs instead of breasts is juicier, more forgiving, and cheaper per pound. Toss in whatever vegetables are on sale — broccoli, bell peppers, snap peas, carrots — and coat everything in a quick garlic-ginger-soy sauce that clings to each piece. Fifteen minutes of actual cooking, most of it hands-on over high heat, and dinner is done.
Ingredients
Units
- 1 1/2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs, sliced into thin strips
- 2 cups broccoli florets
- 1 red bell pepper, sliced into strips
- 1 cup snap peas
- 2 medium carrots, sliced thin on the diagonal
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch mixed with 2 tablespoons water
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- Steamed rice for serving
Instructions
- Whisk together the soy sauce, rice vinegar, brown sugar, and cornstarch slurry in a small bowl. Set aside.
- Heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in a wok or large skillet over high heat until smoking. Add the chicken strips in a single layer and cook without stirring for 2 minutes until seared on the bottom. Toss and cook another 2 minutes until cooked through. Remove and set aside.
- Add the remaining tablespoon of oil. Add the carrots and broccoli and stir-fry 2 minutes. Add the bell pepper and snap peas and stir-fry another 2 minutes until crisp-tender.
- Add the garlic and ginger and cook 30 seconds. Return the chicken to the wok.
- Pour the sauce over everything and toss until the sauce thickens and coats the chicken and vegetables, about 1 minute. Drizzle with sesame oil.
- Serve immediately over steamed rice.
Notes
- The highest heat your stove can produce is what you need. Stir-frying over medium heat steams the food instead of searing it.
- Cook the chicken and vegetables separately so nothing is crowded — overcrowding is the number one reason home stir-fries turn out soggy.
- Chicken thighs stay juicy even if you slightly overcook them, which makes them far more forgiving than breast meat in a stir-fry.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Cuisine: Chinese-American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 390
- Sugar: 8
- Sodium: 760
- Fat: 14
- Carbohydrates: 28
- Fiber: 4
- Protein: 32
- Cholesterol: 95