how to make a quick chicken stir fry without rice

This simple and flavorful stir-fry is a great way to cook up a quick meal. It's easy and quick, and doesn't require any rice or other side dishes.

Takeout Restaurants Near Me

18/08/2021 00:17 290

Table Of Contents

What do we need
How to make it
Sauce Variations
Chicken thighs or breast?
Vegetarian version
Veggie swaps/additions
Watch how to make it

How to make a quick chicken stir fry without rice

My tasty chicken and veggie stir fry – a quick mid-week meal with a kick of chilli heat that you can get on the table in less than 20 minutes! chicken stir fry on a bowl of boiled rice with a further bowl in background

It’s very easy to fall into the stir fry trap – a few veggies, maybe some meat and a jar of stir fry sauce. We all do it, but it can get boring very quickly! Sauces from a jar have their advantages, but making your own sauce can be just as quick and you can easily change it up to make an endless number of variations

Reading: how to make a quick chicken stir fry without rice

This is a sweet and spicy version – made using sweet chilli sauce, chillies and brown sugar – plus a few other goodies. If you don’t want too much heat, then leave out the fresh chillies – my kids still eat every bite even with a little sweet chilli sauce!

What do we need

How to make it

Full recipe with detailed steps in the recipe card at the end of this post.

8 image collage showing how to make chicken stir fry

chicken stir fry with rice in a bowl topped with chillies and spring onions

Sauce Variations

You could add a little more sugar, plus the juice of a lime for a tangy-sweet sauce.
Try adding pineapple chunks and juice, a tablespoon of malt vinegar and sugar and an extra squirt of ketchup for a quick sweet and sour stir fry.
Add hoisin and oyster sauce for an earthier sweet/salty flavour

Pile in the veggies and watch the kids eat them up with no complaints! So much tastier than take-out!

Chicken thighs or breast?

You can use either for this recipe. Coating the chicken in the cornflour helps to keep the chicken juicy and tender, so go with your own preference.

I use chicken breast for this recipe because I find chicken breast generally less fiddly to slice up.

Vegetarian version

Swap out the chicken for quorn, mushrooms or tofu for a vegetarian alternative.

Veggie swaps/additions

You can use whatever you’ve got in that will cook relatively quickly over a high heat. Such as:

Baby corn, beansprouts, bamboo shoots, tender stem brocolli, strips of carrot, asparagus, strips of cabbage (white or green), leeks, radish or courgette (zucchini).

If you’ve tried my recipe then please rate the recipe and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing your thoughts and add-ons to my recipes! You can also follow me on INSTAGRAM, FACEBOOK, PINTEREST, and TWITTER to see what I’m up to in the kitchen, what recipes I’m loving, and of course, YOUTUBE to see our latest recipe videos!

Watch how to make it

This post was first published in March 2016. Updated in May 2020 with new photos, video and recipe tips.

Some of the links in this post may be affiliate links – which means if you buy the product I get a small commission (at no extra cost to you). If you do buy, then thank you! That’s what helps us to keep Kitchen Sanctuary running. The nutritional information provided is approximate and can vary depending on several factors. For more information please see our Terms & Conditions.