Crispy Chicken Stir-Fry Recipe, Quick, Easy and Delicious.
This crispy chicken stir-fry recipe is perfect for a weeknight dinner. A protein and at least one vegetable—the formulaic requirements of every dinner, right? So, we’re obsessed with any kind of stir-fry because they so easily encompass both requirements.
The phrase “stir-fry” is really just an umbrella term hovering over any dish that is cooked at a very high heat (the “fry") and thus requires a lot of stirring (to prevent burning). A stir-fry can be whatever you make it. The options for add-ins are endless! We’ll explore that more later, but first let’s start with this particular, easy-to-love combo of crispy chicken and blistered green beans.
How Do You Make a Chicken Stir-Fry?
Stir-fries are forgiving, but there is one hard and fast rule: cook the chicken separately from the vegetables. This allows your meat to be cooked perfectly, without overcooking the veggies. An easy chicken stir-fry is just a few quick steps away. Here's how to make stir-fry:
- Start with medium heat: because we are working with cubed chicken, you’ll need to start on medium heat instead of high to be sure you don’t end up with dry chicken.
- Heat the pan before you add anything else: once your pan is warm add in sesame oil, and let it heat up until the oil is glistening.
- Work in small batches! It’s really important not to crowd the pan or the chicken will give off too much liquid too fast and you won’t get crispy brown edges! Add some of the chicken to the hot oil, and stir constantly to ensure an even browning. Once it is crispy and cooked through, remove the chicken and continue with the next batch until all of the chicken is cooked.
- Crank the heat! Once chicken is done, turn the heat up super high! You want the pan almost smoking. Obviously, this is not the moment to have little ones near by—super-hot oil is serious business, so work carefully. Add a little more oil to the pan, and once it’s hot, carefully add the green beans. Move them around the high heat for a couple of minutes just until they start to blister—watch the pan closely to ensure that the green beans blister, not burn.
- Toss it all together! Once the green beans are done, toss the chicken back into the pan along with the simple, homemade stir-fry sauce, quickly toss everything together and dinner is done!
How Do You Cook Crispy Chicken?
Cornstarch and high heat mean super-crispy chicken every time. Before cooking, toss the chicken in cornstarch until completely coated. When the cornstarch hits the hot oil, something magic happens and your chicken with gorgeously golden, crispy edges.
What Goes into This Easy Stir-Fry Recipe?
Any great stir-fry is composed of three elements: protein, veggies and sauce! Here are our favorite stir-fry ingredients.
- Protein: We use chicken (specifically chicken breast) for this recipe, but you can use virtually any protein you want. Steak and tofu both are great options!
- Vegetables: Blistered green beans are pretty high on our favorites list, but cabbage, asparagus or red bell pepper make great alternatives.
- Sauce: as simple as a pour of soy sauce and sesame oil, or as complex as a ten-ingredient swirl of aromatics, oils and acids. Sweet and sticky, or rich and tangy. The sky’s the limit with this starry sauce! Here, we opted for a simple, classic mix of garlic, ginger, soy sauce (or tamari) and chili paste. It’s tangy, vibrant, and we’re in love.
What Can I Serve With This Stir-Fry?
The beauty of this stir-fried chicken and vegetables is that it is a stand-alone dish. A little prep, a quick sauté and you’re done. Enjoy this chicken and green bean stir-fry on its own, or serve it over a bowl of steamed brown or white rice.
Tools You'll Need:
- A sharp knife.
- Mixing bowl.
- A large skillet (or wok).
- Wooden spoon.
More Easy Stir-Fry Dinners You'll Love!
- Garlic Shrimp Stir Fry: Juicy shrimp, sautéed with a gorgeous rainbow of vegetables!
- Garlic Butter Steak Stir-Fry: This steak stir-fry with a savory garlic-and-butter sauce feels indulgent, and is so easy to make.
- Pineapple Pork Stir-Fry with Peppers: This deeply flavorful pork stir-fry is a healthy way to bring a taste of the tropics to your weeknight table.
Show us Your Dinner!
If you made this delicious chicken dinner, and you think it's the best stir fry recipe ever, we want to hear about it! Feel free to leave a comment below and don't forget to tag us on Instagram using @themodernproper or #themodernproper. Happy eating.
