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Stir frys are one of my favorite dinners. They’re fast and easy to make, pack a punch of flavor, and contain a hefty serving of vegetables. I frequently use leftover, already-cooked meat for the protein in my stir frys, which makes preparation even quicker.
And if there’s a bit of stir fry leftover, I like to mix it into scrambled eggs in the morning for a hearty and healthy breakfast. Two meals in one is definitely a win!
Chicken Apple Stir-Fry With Fennel
I like making this stir fry in the fall when apples are in season. The apples give it a nice burst of sweet/sharpness and the fennel gives it a mild little spice. I usually use leftover chicken that’s already cooked, and grilled is my favorite.
If it’s a busy night and we’re eating in a rush, this stir fry converts easily into a cold chicken salad. Since apples and fennel are both delicious raw, I just chop all the ingredients and mix them together with some mayo and the spices.
What Do I Need to Know About Fennel?
Fresh fennel is a common enough ingredient that it’s usually not too difficult to find in grocery stores. It’s got a white bulb on the bottom about the size of a medium-large onion. Green stalks shoot up from the bulb and are topped with feathery greens that look a bit like dill.
To use fresh fennel, slice or chop the bulb and saute or eat fresh. The stalks are a bit tough, so I don’t usually use them, but I know they can be chopped up and used in soups and salads. The greens are so pretty and delicate looking and are very tasty in salads.
Fennel tastes a bit like anise, but is light and fresh and not too strong. It can be used in almost any application that calls for celery. Here are some ideas on how to use it.
Love Stir-Fry As Much As I Do?
If you love stir-fry as much as I do, you may be interested in some more ideas. Here are some of our favorites:
- Beef and Broccoli Stir Fry – this one’s got some Chinese flair to it and it’s delicious
- Beef and Cabbage Stir Fry
- Chicken Vegetable Stir Fry
- Chinese Chicken Stir Fry
- Garlic Butter Calamari Stir Fry
- Greek Stir Fry
- Moroccan Chicken Stir Fry
- Pizza Stir Fry – it really tastes like pizza in a bowl!
- Sausage Squash Stir Fry
- Spicy Shrimp Stir Fry
- Taco Scramble
- Zucchini and Beef Stir Fry – with zucchini noodles!
Chicken Apple Stir-Fry
Ingredients
- 3 chicken breasts (or the meat from 1 whole roasted chicken)
- 2 TBSP butter (or coconut oil)
- 2 medium apples
- 1 medium onion
- 1 bulb fennel
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp pepper
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp basil
Instructions
- There are two ways to make this recipe; oven or stove top.
Stove top:
- Cut the chicken into bite sized pieces.
- If chicken is raw, dice it and heat the butter or coconut oil in large skillet or wok until melted and cook chicken on medium-high heat until cooked through. (If chicken is pre-cooked, cook the vegetables in the butter first, then add the cooked, diced, chicken)
- While the chicken is cooking, dice the apples and onion and thinly slice the fennel bulb into thin slivers.
- Add the apples, onion, and fennel to the skillet or wok.
- Add the spices, and saute over medium heat until all are cooked through and fragrant, approximately 10-12 minutes.
- If using pre-cooked chicken, add the chicken, cook until warmed, and enjoy!
Oven:
- Preheat oven to 375°F.
- Grease a large baking sheet with butter or coconut oil.
- Dice the chicken into bite size pieces and place on baking sheet.
- Dice the apples and onions into bite sized pieces and sprinkle on top of chicken.
- Thinly slice the fennel bulb and sprinkle on top of onion/apple mix.
- Sprinkle with spices and place in the oven.
- Bake for 30-40 minutes, stirring halfway through, until chicken is completely cooked through.
- Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
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Ever cooked with fennel? What do you use it for? Tell me below!
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Question: what type of apples did you use for this? It sounds yummy and I’d love to give it a try.
I made this last night & it was so easy & delicious. I cooked the chicken in the crock pot all day so I just had to chop that up after frying up the veggies. Thanks for a great recipe & all your generous work to help us get healthier!
This recipe is one of my stand-bys! It’s so simple and quick to prepare, even on the stove with raw chicken. Very easy on a weeknight. 🙂 I’ve also never tried fennel (other than the seed) before making this recipe and it really is a winner! I’ll be looking for more uses for fennel for sure!
Great recipe! I didn’t have fennel but it was so delicious! Loved the sweetness from the apples and the mix of spices. I used three crushed garlic cloves and 1 tsp of onion powder. Another keeper in my recipe book 🙂
I slice the fennel with a mandolin slicer, add some quartered artichoke hearts (drained), toss it with a dressing made of minced garlic, lemon juice, mustard and olive oil, then top with shaved parmesan cheese. Love it.
I use fennel with peas and onions. Just slice fennel, and onions, saute’ until onion is almost translucent, then add 1 pkg. frozen peas and put the lid on. Steam just until peas are bright green. Thanks for the new recipe to try.
Made this tonight with the fennel from the farmers market…fennel (at least this fennel) was different than I thought it would be. The middle stalk was very tough and so I peeled the ‘leaves’ off and thinly sliced them. I really liked this dish. It was easy and I got to use a new ingredient that I have never tried. I added some fresh basil from my garden on top to finish it and served with slices tomatoes from my garden. We had a great dinner, thanks for the great recipe! Will make again.
Oh, this sounds good! I will buy some fennel at the farmers market tomorrow morning and give this a try! Thanks for the great idea!
Yum! I’ve never cooked with fennel before…I’ll have to try it! I make something similar with pork chops, sweet potato, and apples. :> Plus cinnamon.
I’d love that recipe!
I use fennel in place of celery. I can’t stand celery, but it’s used in tons of recipes, especially soups. I read somewhere to use fennel instead, because it has a similar crunchiness. Fennel makes soup especially amazing, giving it a different depth of flavor. I love it in everything – it obviously has a completely different taste from celery, but if you like it, try it.