Chicken Stir-Fry with Vegetables
⏱ 10 min prep · 🍳 20 min · 🍽 4
Chicken breast is the cut that survives the most chaos on a weeknight: slice it into strips, sear it hot and fast until browned and crisp-edged, and it rarely dries out even when the kids end up eating in two shifts. The stir-fry vegetables — broccoli, bell pepper, red onion, and zucchini — go straight from cutting board to pan with no parboiling, so the whole dinner is done in about 20 minutes from cold skillet to table.
The sauce is the small investment that makes the difference: soy sauce and chicken stock thickened with a cornstarch slurry, lifted with honey, rice vinegar, sesame oil, ginger, and garlic. It clings to the chicken and vegetables instead of pooling at the bottom of the pan — serve it over rice or noodles so they soak up whatever sauce is left.
Ingredients
- 600.000 g kyllingfilet
- 1.000 stk brokkoli
- 2.000 stk paprika
- 1.000 stk rødløk
- koriander
- olje
- 1.000 stk squash
- vårløk
- 1.000 dl soyasaus
- 1.000 dl kyllingkraft
- 1.000 ss maizena
- 1.000 ss honning
- 1.000 ts riseddik
- 1.000 ts sesamolje
- 1.000 ss ingefær
- 2.000 fedd hvitløk
- 0.500 ts sort pepper
Instructions
Skjær kylling i strimler og stek på høy varme.
Tilsett grønnsaker og stek raskt.
Ha i hvitløk, ingefær og soyasaus.
Server med ris eller nudler.
This is the recipe we reach for on nights that run straight from school pickup into homework, showers, and lights-out with barely a gap to breathe — the vegetables can sit pre-sliced in the fridge since the night before, and the cooking itself is over before the table's even set. It's also our go-to on days when the packed lunch came home half-eaten, because the honey-soy sauce is mild enough that nobody complains it's "too spicy," unlike the curry nights that get some pushback. For the youngest at the table, we cut the broccoli and pepper smaller and hold off on extra black pepper until the grown-up plates are dished up, so one pan feeds every age without a side negotiation. Leftovers freeze in portioned containers better than expected — the vegetables lose a little crunch on reheating, but the chicken and sauce hold up fine — so we regularly double the batch and bank half for the week the schedule falls apart.
FAQ
Can I use different vegetables than broccoli, bell pepper, and zucchini?
Yes, this stir-fry works with whatever's about to turn in your crisper drawer — thin-sliced carrot, snap peas, bok choy, or shredded cabbage all hold up the same way. Swap in whatever needs using up first; the technique (high heat, short cook time, thin slices) matters more than these exact four vegetables. Just keep pieces roughly the same thickness so everything finishes cooking at the same time.
How do I make this milder for kids who don't like spicy food?
The sauce here is mild by design — honey and soy, no chili — so there's usually nothing to tone down. If you want extra heat for the adults, pass black pepper or chili flakes at the table instead of adding it to the pan. For younger or more texture-sensitive eaters, cut the vegetables smaller and set aside a plain scoop of chicken and rice before tossing everything in sauce.
Can I prep this ahead as a meal-prep dinner?
Slice the chicken and vegetables the night before and store them separately in airtight containers in the fridge — that turns dinner into a 10-15 minute job from cold pan to table. You can also mix the sauce (soy sauce, chicken stock, cornstarch, honey, rice vinegar, sesame oil, ginger, garlic) in a jar the same evening, so nothing needs measuring out on the busy night itself.
How long do leftovers keep, and does chicken stir-fry freeze well?
In the fridge, this keeps for 2-3 days in an airtight container. It freezes reasonably well too, though the vegetables soften on thawing — broccoli and zucchini lose their snap while the chicken and sauce hold up fine. Reheat in a hot skillet rather than the microwave if you want to keep as much texture as possible.
What do I serve this with if I'm out of rice or noodles?
Steamed rice or egg noodles are the classic pairing, but quinoa, bean sprouts, or even a slice of crusty bread will soak up the sauce in a pinch. If you're planning this into your weekly menu, check for leftover rice from an earlier dinner — it's usually the exact ingredient missing at the last minute.
Can I swap the chicken breast for a different protein?
Sliced pork tenderloin or turkey breast cooks in the same time with the same sauce, and thin-sliced beef takes the high heat just as well. To make it vegetarian, swap the chicken for firm tofu or extra zucchini and mushrooms, and use vegetable stock instead of chicken stock — the honey-soy sauce carries the dish regardless of what's cooking in it.