This Chicken Stir Fry is a quick, easy & healthy dinner for busy weeknights. Chicken and vegetables are quick fried then tossed with a fresh, piquant plum sauce for the perfect dinner in 30!
Easy Stir Fry Chicken and Vegetables
I love stir frys after a busy day and this easy chicken stir fry with plum sauce is definitely up there with my favorites. I could have made my PF Chang’s Copycat Mongolian Beef or Thai Beef with Carrot Basil Salad but this one was a great change of pace and it’s a bit on the healthier side. It’s a perfect dinner for the busy work week and great if you are on a low carb or gluten-free diet. Of course, the biggest plus for me was it used my plums!
If you read my post about my finger lickin’ good plum jam, a super fresh spread that’s like liquid fruit on a spoon, you’ll know where I was coming from when I decided to make something with a plum sauce. Yep, you got it! Too many overripe plums. No plums, no problem! Just substitute hoisin sauce that’s readily available in the Asian section of your grocery store. If you’re up to it, check out how easy the plum sauce is to make. And it keeps for about 1 month in the fridge.
How to Make Sweet Plum Sauce
- Combine sliced plums, garlic, sugar, vinegar and salt in a medium saucepan. (photo 1)
- Stir well. (photo 2)
- Cook over high heat for 3 minutes. Reduce heat and let simmer. (photo 3)
- It will thicken and look like a preserve. It takes about 15 minutes. (photo 4)
At this point, you can use the plum sauce in your recipe or pour into a glass jar with lid and store in refrigerator.
There is nothing easier than this stir fry chicken and vegetables. And it’s one of the healthier dinners to eat. This one uses chicken, but pork would work equally as well, and your favorite vegetables for a well-balanced dinner. You can change out the snow peas for the veggies your family prefers like carrots, broccoli (love the broccoli-carrot slaw mixture you can buy prepackaged in your grocer’s produce section) or mushrooms. It can be served over rice, riced cauliflower or quinoa, whatever your family likes best.
FAQs about Stir Frys
What is a stir fry?
A Chinese cooking method where ingredients, both vegetables and/or meat, are fried quickly in a hot oil.
What’s the best oil to use for stir frys?
You need a high smoke point oil so stick with vegetable, soybean, peanut or canola oil.
What can you add to stir frys?
Stir Frys are super adaptable. You can make them with chicken, beef, pork and even go vegetarian with tofu. For vegetables, you can pretty much add any of your favorites. The denser vegetables such as carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, green beans and bell peppers get added first since they need longer to cook. Towards the end of cooking, add the more tender vegetables such as snap peas, onions, celery, baby corn, snow peas, mushrooms, zucchini and bok choy.
Pro Tip: Always have all your ingredients prepped before starting to cook. Have your meat sliced, vegetables chopped and all the liquids measured and ready to go. It’s one of the fastest cooking dishes once started.
How to Make Chicken Stir Fry with Plum Sauce
- In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of oil over medium to medium high heat. When hot, add sliced onion and cook 2-3 minutes, stirring often. (photo 1)
- Add red bell pepper and continue to cook. (photo 2)
- Cook until beginning to caramelize, about 4-6 minutes, then remove from skillet. (photo 3)
- Season chicken with salt and pepper and add to skillet with remaining oil. Cook, stirring constantly for 3-4 minutes. (photo 4)
- Stir in snow peas. (photo 5)
- Add red pepper flakes. The more you add, the spicier it will be. (photo 6)
- Sprinkle in minced ginger. (photo 7)
- Toss the onion-pepper mixture back into pan. (photo 8)
- Stir and reduce heat to medium low. (photo 9)
- Flavor with plum sauce and water. Toss to coat all vegetables and meat and simmer for 1 minute. Just enough to warm snow peas slightly. (photo 10)
Sprinkle with peanuts.
Garnish with sesame seeds. Serve in skillet or remove to serving dish.
There isn’t much this easy chicken stir fry doesn’t have. It’s rich with vegetables, the chicken is tender and the plum sauce adds just that little bit of sweetness to make the whole dish come together. Whatever way you choose to make it, this chicken stir fry is fresh, healthy and super tasty! Enjoy!
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This Chicken Stir Fry is a quick, easy & healthy dinner for busy weeknights. Chicken and vegetables are quick fried then tossed with a fresh plum sauce for the perfect dinner in 30!
- 4 large overripe plums pitted & diced
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 2 Tablespoons sugar
- 2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3 Tablespoons peanut oil
- 1/2 sweet onion, sliced thin
- 1 red bell pepper, seeded & sliced thinly
- 1- lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut in chunks
- salt & pepper to taste
- 6- oz fresh snow peas
- crushed red pepper flakes
- 2 teaspoons fresh ginger, minced
- 1/3 cup plum sauce
- 2 Tablespoons water
- 1/3 cup peanuts, chopped
- Sesame seeds (optional)
-
Combine all ingredients in a medium saucepan and cook over high heat for 3 minutes.
-
Reduce heat and let simmer until it starts to thicken and looks like a preserve, about 15 minutes.
-
Remove from heat and let cool slightly. Pour into a glass jar with lid and store in refrigerator.
-
Have everything cut and ready to go prior to assembling.
-
In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of oil over medium to medium high heat.
-
When hot, add sliced onion and cook 2-3 minutes, stirring often.
-
Add red bell pepper and continue to cook until beginning to caramelize, about 4-6 minutes. Remove onion & pepper from skillet.
-
Season chicken with salt and pepper and add to skillet with remaining oil.
-
Cook stirring constantly until chicken is cooked through and brown on the outside. About 3-4 minutes.
-
Stir in snow peas and red pepper flakes (the more you add the spicier it will be). Add ginger along with onion-pepper mixture.
-
Reduce heat to medium low and add plum sauce and water. Toss to coat all vegetables and meat and simmer for 1 minute. Just enough to warm snow peas slightly.
-
Remove to serving bowl and sprinkle with peanuts and sesame seeds.
FAQs about Stir Frys
What is a stir fry?
A Chinese cooking method where ingredients, both vegetables and/or meat, are fried quickly in a hot oil.
What's the best oil to use for stir frys?
You need a high smoke point oil so stick with vegetable, soybean, peanut or canola oil.
What can you add to stir frys?
Stir Frys are super adaptable. You can make them with chicken, beef, pork and even go vegetarian with tofu. For vegetables, you can pretty much add any of your favorites. The denser vegetables such as carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, green beans and bell peppers get added first since they need longer to cook. Towards the end of cooking, add the more tender vegetables such as snap peas, onions, celery, baby corn, snow peas, mushrooms, zucchini and bok choy.
Pro Tip: Always have all your ingredients prepped before starting to cook. Have your meat sliced, vegetables chopped and all the liquids measured and ready to go. It's one of the fastest cooking dishes once started.
Original recipes from Martha Stewart (plum sauce) & Fine Cooking (chicken stir-fry).
This post has been updated with more step-by-step directions and new photos. It was fist published on April 13, 2016.
