Chicken Stir Fry Recipe
This easy zucchini mushroom chicken stir-fry recipe is bursting with flavor in every bite! All you need is one skillet, 20 minutes, and just a handful of pantry ingredients.
Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into bite sized cubes (you can also use boneless, skinless chicken thighs)
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic or 1 teaspoon of garlic powder
- ½ tablespoon fresh minced ginger or 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 8 ounces white button mushrooms thinly sliced
- 1 zucchini sliced into 1/4-inch thick half moons
- 3 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
- drizzle of toasted sesame seed oil optional
- sesame seeds for garnish
- chopped scallions for garnish
Instructions
- Coat the chicken. Place the chicken pieces in a bowl and sprinkle with cornstarch; toss to coat.
- Brown the chicken. Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat; add the chicken pieces to the hot oil and cook for 6 minutes, or until browned on both sides and cooked through. Remove the chicken from the skillet and set aside.
- Sauté the aromatics. Turn the heat down to medium-low and add the garlic and ginger to the skillet; cook and stir for 15 seconds, just until fragrant.
- Cook the vegetables. Turn up the heat to medium-high and stir in the mushrooms and zucchini; cook for 4 minutes or until fork-tender and browned. Stir frequently.
- Make the stir fry sauce. In the meantime, in a small mixing bowl, whisk together soy sauce, rice vinegar, and sugar.
- Combine. Stir the chicken back into the skillet, add the prepared stir-fry sauce, and stir to coat the chicken and veggies. Stir and cook for 30 seconds to 1 minute, or until everything is heated through and the sauce has slightly thickened.
- Finish and serve. Remove from heat; sprinkle with sesame oil and sesame seeds. Garnish with scallions and serve.
Video
Notes
- Chicken: This Panda Express "copycat" uses chicken breasts, but you can also use chopped chicken thighs. Chicken breasts and chicken thighs are both commonly used in stir-fry dishes. The main difference between the two cuts of chicken is the amount of fat they contain. Chicken breasts are leaner and have less fat, while chicken thighs are slightly fattier and have more flavor but will take a minute or two longer to cook through.
- Zucchini and Mushrooms: Again, keeping with the original recipe, I suggest cutting the zucchini into 1/4-inch thick half-moons and slicing the mushrooms about the same size.
- Stir Fry Vegetables: If you don't want to use or don't have the mushrooms and zucchini on hand, you can substitute them with sliced bell peppers, broccoli florets, snap peas or snow peas, onions, etc. However, it's important to note that not all vegetables cook at the same time and temperatures. Veggies like onions, carrots, and bell peppers take longer to cook than, say, bok choy, mushrooms, or spinach.
- Rice Vinegar: Rice vinegar is a type of vinegar made from fermented rice. It is a popular ingredient in Asian cuisine. If you find yourself in a situation where you cannot find rice vinegar, white vinegar or apple cider vinegar are suitable substitutes.
- Store completely cooled chicken and veggies in an airtight container and keep them in the fridge for 2 to 3 days.
Nutrition
Serving: 6ounces | Calories: 184kcal | Carbohydrates: 11g | Protein: 28g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 73mg | Sodium: 571mg | Potassium: 782mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 132IU | Vitamin C: 12mg | Calcium: 23mg | Iron: 1mg
