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Stir Fried Chicken With Mixed Vegetables

This stir-fried chicken with mixed vegetables is a fantastic supper for the week that only takes 30 minutes to make.

This dish is simple, easy, and delicious. It has juicy, delicate chicken breast and vegetables all mixed together in a brown sauce. Add some egg fried rice or shrimp lo mein to this to make it a full dinner.

Preparation Times & Servings

Time to get ready: 15 minutes
Time to cook: 10 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes
Serves: 3

What you need

For the chicken that has been marinated:

20 ounces of skinless, boneless chicken breast cut into 1/4-inch pieces (approximately 2 chicken breasts)
3 teaspoons of water
1 tablespoon of Shaoxing rice wine (optional)
¼ teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon kosher salt (fine salt is excellent too), and 2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon of oil; any neutral oil will do.

For the sauce for the stir fry:

¾ cup of water
2½ teaspoons of normal soy sauce
1½ teaspoons of granulated sugar
1 teaspoon of chicken bouillon powder is optional. ¼ teaspoon of dark soy sauce is also optional for color.
1 teaspoon of toasted sesame oil and 2 tablespoons of cornstarch

For the rest of the meal:

1 pound of mixed vegetables of your choosing, cut to the size you want (We used broccoli, carrots, bell pepper, zucchini, mushrooms, and snow peas.)
1 tablespoon of minced garlic (approximately 2–3 cloves)
1 tablespoon of ginger, peeled and chopped (approximately 1 inch in size)
Oil for cooking (any neutral oil) as needed

Notes about the ingredients

To marinate the chicken:

Chicken breast: We normally use dark meat chicken, like thighs, because they are the juiciest and most flavorful. For basic stir-fry recipes like this chicken with mixed vegetables, though, it’s recommended to use boneless, skinless chicken breast because it tastes better.

Water: This keeps the chicken hydrated and makes sure the meat stays as juicy as possible.

Shaoxing cooking wine is a must-have in every Chinese kitchen. Shaoxing rice wine in the marinade gets rid of any bad taste in the chicken.

Salt is used to flavor the chicken.

Baking soda makes the chicken a little softer. Baking soda also makes the chicken breast hold on to more water, which keeps it very juicy.

Cornstarch is an important part in velveting the chicken breast pieces because it holds the batter together. Velveting is a way to prepare and cook meat that keeps it moist and soft.

Any neutral oil will work. The oil helps you pull the chicken apart more easily.

To make the sauce for the stir fry:

Soy sauce: After getting some input, we looked closely at several soy sauces and took a break from making our own. We learned that light sodium soy sauce can make your sauce taste overly “salty” since it is more acidic, even though it is less salty. This is especially true for Japanese low-sodium soy sauce, like Kikkoman. Instead, we suggest using ordinary soy sauce.

Water: To thin out the soy sauce and make the sauce taste better. Instead, you may also use chicken stock that hasn’t been salted.

Sugar: Regular granulated sugar works. It’s to make the stir fry sauce a little sweeter, which makes it taste better and more complete. You may use honey instead, but it will taste a little different.

Dark soy sauce with chicken bouillon powder: You don’t have to do either of these. The black soy sauce makes the sauce darker, and the chicken bouillon powder provides another layer of flavor.

Cornstarch is used to make the sauce thicker.

Toasted sesame oil is a must-have in every Asian kitchen. Sesame oil gives chicken and mixed veggie stir fry a nutty, toasted flavor.

The rest of the dish:

Mixed vegetables: You can use any vegetables you choose. We used mushrooms, snow peas, broccoli, carrots, red bell pepper, and zucchini. Cut them into pieces that are easy to eat or that you like.

Garlic and ginger are strong-smelling spices that will make the stir fry sauce taste great.

Oil: For cooking. Any oil that isn’t too strong is fine.

To soak the chicken in marinade

Put the cut chicken breast, water, Shaoxing rice wine, salt, and baking soda in a mixing dish. Stir until the chicken has taken in most of the liquid.

Mix in the cornstarch until the chicken is completely covered. Add the oil to the marinade to finish it. Combine well. Put aside to soak for 10 to 15 minutes while you get the other ingredients ready. If you have time, let the chicken soak in the marinade in the fridge overnight.

First, cut and marinade your chicken breasts. While the chicken is marinating, you can get the rest of your ingredients ready to save time.

Make the sauce

Mix the water, soy sauce, sugar, chicken bouillon powder, dark soy sauce, cornstarch, and sesame oil in a bowl or measuring cup. Whisk until there are no more lumps of cornstarch. Put aside until you need it.

If you want a thinner sauce, add 1 to 2 teaspoons less cornstarch. If you want your stir fry sauce to be thicker, add 1 to 2 extra teaspoons.

Blanch the vegetables

Boil some water in a pot. Put the vegetables in the boiling water based on how tough they are, and cook them until they are soft. After cooking, rinse the vegetables and put them aside.

Broccoli and carrots are heartier vegetables that can be cooked for a little longer. Snow peas, on the other hand, are much more soft and only need to be added at the end of cooking. You could even prepare each vegetable on its own if you want.

For instance, broccoli and carrots are tougher veggies that can be cooked for a little longer. On the other hand, snow peas are much more delicate and only need to be put at the end of cooking. You could even prepare each veggie on its own if you want to.

Mix the veggies and chicken together

Put enough oil in a wok or sauté pan over medium-high heat to cover the bottom of the pan/wok well. When the oil is hot, add the marinated chicken and cook it on both sides until it is done. To make sure that each piece of chicken cooks equally, make sure to separate them. If you need to, cook in little amounts. Take it out of the wok or pan and put it aside.

Don’t put too much food in the wok or skillet! If you need to, cook the chicken in smaller batches and make sure that each piece is cooked evenly by separating them. You don’t have to color the chicken, but if you want to, you can sear each piece of chicken until it turns golden.

The chicken doesn’t have to be colored, but you can sear it until it’s golden brown if you want.

Turn the heat down to medium and leave about 2 tablespoons of oil in the pan. If you need to, get rid of extra oil. Add the garlic and ginger that you mined and stir-fry them for 15 to 30 seconds, or until they smell good.
Mix the stir fry sauce well and then pour it into the pan with the ginger and garlic. Let the sauce become hot enough that it starts to simmer and appears thick and shiny. Stir the sauce often to keep it from burning on the bottom and to help it thicken evenly. If you need to, turn the heat down to medium low.
Turn the heat down to low and add the chicken after the sauce is thick and shiny all over. Mix until the chicken is fully covered. Next, add the blanched mixed vegetables and toss them around until the sauce covers them well.

Serve hot with rice or lo mein and enjoy!

Advice for recipes

Don’t boil the mixed vegetables too long! Put the vegetables in the boiling water based on how strong they are. This will keep your vegetables from getting too soft. Carrots and broccoli, for example, are significantly heartier than snow peas. So put the broccoli and carrots in first. Then, add the snow peas around 5 to 10 seconds before the end of cooking.

First, mix the chicken with the stir fry sauce. First, it’s easy to coat the chicken with sauce. Next, add the veggies. The vegetables are bigger, which will make it difficult to mix and toss. This strategy also stops veggies like broccoli florets from soaking up all the sauce.

How to store and reheat

You may keep leftover chicken and mixed vegetables in the fridge for up to four days if you put them in an airtight container. Before putting the leftovers in the fridge, let them cool all the way down.

You can use the microwave or a pan on the stove to reheat the chicken and mixed veggie stir fry. When you reheat in the microwave, be sure you choose a container that is appropriate for the microwave and cover the chicken with mixed veggies.

Please keep in mind that the stir fry sauce will be thinner and the vegetables won’t be as crunchy on the second day as they were when they were first produced.

FAQ

What may I use instead of Shaoxing rice wine?

You can use dry sherry instead of Shaoxing rice wine if you can’t find it. Just mix half water with the sherry and use it like you would Shaoxing rice wine. You can just use water or stock instead of alcohol if you like.

Is it okay if I don’t use the baking soda?

We strongly suggest adding baking soda because it is the main ingredient that makes the chicken soft and keeps it juicy after cooking.

What can I use in place of cornstarch?

You can use potato starch instead of cornstarch. Use the same amount.

Put the chicken in the freezer so it’s simpler to cut. If you freeze the chicken breast halfway, it will be easier to cut. But before you start marinating the chicken, ensure sure it is completely thawed and drained.

If you’re using frozen vegetables, make sure you boil them and then drain them. You may also heat it up in the microwave. Make sure to get rid of most of the water.

Soy sauce: After getting a lot of comments that the sauce was too salty, we tried the recipe again with several soy sauces. We found that light sodium Kikkoman soy sauce is less salty but more acidic, which can make the sauce seem “salty.” So we changed the recipe to include standard soy sauce, but less of it.