This Sticky Chicken Stir Fry makes a fantastic mid-week meal that’s prepared really quickly. If you marinade the meat the night before, you can have this on the table in 25 minutes!
I was having a cupboard clear out yesterday, and I found 7 – yes that’s SEVEN – bottles of soy sauce. I’ve obviously got some kind of lack-of-Chinese-food-phobia causing me to pick up a bottle every time I do the shopping. Or maybe I should just clear out my cupboards more often….
I do seem to go through a fair amount when I’m in the mood for Asian ricey/noodley dishes like this crispy chill beef or these veggie Asian noodles.
And that was exactly what I was in the mood for yesterday. Something sticky, saucy and Asian inspired. I am trying to be a little healthier during the week, so I was looking for something packed with crunchy veg and bright colours too.
This one is a particularly good mid week meal that’s prepared really quickly. If you marinade the meat the night before, you can have this on the table in 20-25 minutes. If you forget to marinade it the night before (as I often do) then a 20 minute marinade will be just fine. You can still get this cooked in a little over half an hour.
Simply marinade chicken thighs with soy sauce, honey, garlic, ginger, chilli sauce, sesame oil, mirin, rice vinegar and a splash of sherry.:
Stir together, cover and refrigerate for about an hour:
Then fry up the chicken in a wok until it’s browned, saucy and bubbly:
Add in any veggies you like – I’m using broccoli, mushrooms, sugar snap peas, yellow pepper and kale in this one:
The addition of the veggies thins the sauce slightly, so I also stir in a little cornflour/cornstarch slurry at the end, to thicken the sauce and make sure it clings to the chicken and vegetables.
I used chicken thighs here – far better than chicken breast in a stir fry as they’re more moist and tender. Chicken breast can have a tendency to dry up and become a little chewy when it’s cooked quickly.
I used the veg I had in, so use what you have. Carrots, red onion, spring greens, pak choi, asparagus – pretty much anything will work here. You can even add in some ready-noodles or serve with some rice if you’re feeling hungry.
Coming back to that cupboard clear out – yes, I found some mirin, Chinese rice wine vinegar and a bit of sherry in the endless rows of bottles. The addition of these less-standard ingredients really helps to build layers of flavour in the marinade. If you haven’t got them though, you can leave them out and you’ll still get a delicious tasting dish.
Can I make it gluten free?
Yes, replace the soy sauce with tamari. I would use 3 tbsp of tamari instead of 4 as I find it can be a little overpowering.
Mirin and rice wine occasionally contain gluten – so check your brand. You can replace with an extra splash of sherry.
Also, serve with rice or gluten free noodles.
Can I make it ahead?
This stir fry tastes best when made right before serving. However, leftovers can make a great salad the next day. Simply cook quickly, cover and refrigerate until the next day. Add a few leaves and a little couscous and you have a great lunch.
Can I make it vegetarian?
Yes, replace the chicken with a meat-free alternative such as tofu or quorn, or you can leave out entirely. There’s no need to marinade if you’re only making it with vegetables. I’m i’m making a veggie version, I like to sprinkle on some chopped cashews before serving.
The Sticky Chicken Stir Fry Recipe:
Sticky Chicken Stir Fry
Ingredients
Chicken and Marinade:
- 1 lb (450g) chicken thigh fillets chopped into chunks
- 4 tbsp dark soy sauce
- 2 tbsp runny honey
- 1 tbsp sweet chilli sauce (stored bought or homemade)
- 2 cloves of garlic peeled and crushed
- 1 tsp minced ginger
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 1 tsp mirin optional
- 1/2 tsp Chinese rice vinegar optional
- 1 tbsp dry sherry optional
Stir Fry:
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 small head of broccoli split into small florets
- 3 mushrooms sliced
- 1 cup (100g) sugar snap peas
- 1 yellow bell pepper sliced
- 2 packed cups (100g) chopped kale
- 1 tbsp cornflour mixed with 2 tbsp cold water
To serve:
- 1 small chilli pepper deseeded and finely chopped
- 1 pinch chilli flakes
- Cooked noodles or boiled rice to serve
Instructions
- In a medium sized bowl, mix all the marinade ingredients with the chicken. Cover in cling film and leave to marinade in the fridge - ideally for a couple of hours or overnight, but 20 or 30 minutes is fine if you’re short on time.
- In a wok or large frying pan add the oil and heat on high. Using a slotted spoon, scoop out the chicken from the marinade, letting the marinade drip back into the bowl, and place in the wok. It will sizzle, so be careful not to get splashed.
- Turn the heat down to medium and let the chicken cook for a couple of minutes without moving it around. This will ensure you get a lovely sticky brown coating on the chicken. Give everything a stir and cook the chicken for another couple of minutes until it’s just about cooked through.
- Add in the reserved marinade and a splash of water, then and turn up the heat to bring to the boil (it must be heated to boiling, as it’s had the raw chicken in it).
- Turn the heat back down to medium and add in your broccoli. Cook for two minutes and then add in your mushrooms, sugar snap peas and yellow pepper. Cook for a further two minutes, stirring often.
- Pour in the cornflour mix a little at a time, giving it a good stir. This will thicken the sauce and ensure it coats the veg nicely. If it’s looking too dry, you can add another splash of water and heat through.
- Stir in the kale for the last minute of cooking, then turn off the heat.
- Serve topped with some finely chopped red chillies and a few chilli flakes.
Recipe Video
Recipe Notes
Can I make it gluten free?
Yes, replace the soy sauce with tamari. I would use 3 tbsp of tamari instead of 4 as I find it can be a little overpowering. Mirin and rice wine occasionally contain gluten - so check your brand. You can replace with an extra splash of sherry. Also, serve with rice or gluten free noodles. .Can I make it ahead?
This stir fry tastes best when made right before serving. However, leftovers can make a great salad the next day. Simply cook quickly, cover and refrigerate until the next day. Add a few leaves and a little couscous and you have a great lunch. .Can I make it vegetarian?
Yes, replace the chicken with a meat-free alternative such as tofu or quorn, or you can leave out entirely. There's no need to marinade if you're only making it with vegetables. I'm i'm making a veggie version, I like to sprinkle on some chopped cashews before serving. .Nutritional Information is per serving, without the serving suggestion of rice or noodles.
Nutritional Information
This recipe was first posted in July 2014. Updated in October 2018 with new photos, tips and recipe video.
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Robert Cant says
September 17, 2018 at 10:01 amLovely marinade producing delicious result – definitely recommend you try this!
Hilary says
August 9, 2018 at 11:03 amI made this. It was delicious but didn’t get that lovely brown color. Why?
Chris Corbishley says
August 23, 2018 at 10:46 amHi Hilary,
Not sure why you didn’t get the brown colour. Did you make any changes?
Thanks
Chris
MM says
May 8, 2018 at 4:32 pmOur weekend treat is usually a Chinese takeaway, I made this instead of ordering a takeout, not disappointed , absolutely gorgeous.
Andrev says
January 19, 2015 at 7:27 pmI made this for dinner at my mom’s house tonight and yum yum yum!!! My mom, my two daughters and my brother all raved about it! We have never seen this in a chinese restaurant but we thought it tasted like take-out! I added an extra clove of garlic and a handful of red, green and yellow peppers to boost the nutritional content and a little cornstarch to thicken, but otherwise left it as is…a winner!
Nicky Corbishley says
January 21, 2015 at 10:18 pmThankyou so much for reporting back Andrev. I’m really glad you enjoyed it 🙂
Char says
September 4, 2014 at 2:30 pmI would love to print this recipe but cannot find the icon that allows me to do that! HELP please
Nicky Corbishley says
September 4, 2014 at 8:57 pmHi Char,
Really sorry, but I haven’t quite got the printing feature working yet. I have installed a tool to set this up and will be converting all of my recipes to a printable format over the next few weeks. In the meantime, I think the best way would be to got to file/print on your web browser and then just print pages 2 and 3 – so you don’t end up printing all the text and comments. I’ll make this recipe a priority when I start converting to the printable format too.
Kaila511 says
July 12, 2014 at 1:01 pmIt’s great to see what you can make out of your pantry. I definitely want to base a stir fry off of this recipe. And, I found the chicken thigh tidbit to be interesting as well. Thanks for sharing! Have a wonderful Fiesta Friday and weekend! 😀
Nicky Corbishley says
July 12, 2014 at 10:55 pmThanks for visiting Kaila, let me know how it turns out and happy Fiesta Friday 🙂
Suchitra says
July 8, 2014 at 10:33 pmI love stir-fries! I like the way you have added kale. Great idea. Thanks for sharing.
Nicky Corbishley says
July 10, 2014 at 8:07 pmI’m a bit of a kale a-holic at the moment. A bit late jumping on the kale trend, but I got there in the end 🙂
Michelle says
July 6, 2014 at 4:44 pmThis looks yummy. I have the same problem as you, I have no less than 4 bottles of soy sauce in my cupboard at any given time, I’m always buying it “just in case”, least I know I’ll never run out!
Nicky Corbishley says
July 7, 2014 at 9:22 pmThanks Michelle. Yes, I’ll probably make an effort not to buy any for a while now, and then i’ll run out at a vital point in a recipe argh!
Sylvia @superfoodista.com says
July 6, 2014 at 2:50 amHi Nicky, what a gorgeous recipe!! Looks simply delicious – also thanks to your gorgeous photos!! I just saw that you are using the foodie theme!! I just switched to self hosting and will be implementing this theme too!! So happy about it, it’s gorgeous! So happy to have discovered your blog through FF! It’s really beautiful! Thanks for joining the party and hope you had fun! Sylvia
Nicky Corbishley says
July 7, 2014 at 9:27 pmThank you Sylvia, glad you like the recipe. Yes, I love the foodie theme, so easy to get up and running. Your site is looking fab! Love the look of your mint patties too!
nimmiafzal says
July 5, 2014 at 9:45 pmLooks so nice
Nicky Corbishley says
July 7, 2014 at 9:28 pmThanks!
lapetitecasserole says
July 5, 2014 at 2:16 pm7 bottles of soy sauce??? That’s great! You have probably more bottles than the shop itself ! Btw your chicken looks very yummy, I’d like to have some for my lunch today! Thanks for bringing this to FF!
Nicky Corbishley says
July 7, 2014 at 9:30 pmI’m down to six now, I go through that stuff quickly!! Thanks for visiting 🙂
A Home Cook says
July 4, 2014 at 10:45 pmWhat a beautiful photo – it makes this look so tasty.
Nicky Corbishley says
July 7, 2014 at 9:31 pmThanks for coming to take a look. It was really yummy 🙂
eatmunchlove says
July 4, 2014 at 10:30 pmLooks amazing! Thanks for bringing such an incredible entree to the party!
Nicky Corbishley says
July 7, 2014 at 9:36 pmThanks! I’m drooling over your chocolate walnut brownie cake by the way!!
Sue says
July 4, 2014 at 10:27 pmSticky is the operative word here . . . . reminds me of orange chicken which I love !! Great recipe here, thank you!
Nicky Corbishley says
July 7, 2014 at 9:38 pmooh me too, I’d never even heard of orange chicken until we came over for a holiday to the USA a while back. Love it! Wish they sold it more widely at restaurants in the UK, but I’m happy to make my own for now 🙂