This Chinese chicken stir fry recipe makes life easier on a busy night. With just a few ingredients and only one pan, this healthy dinner can be on the table in half an hour. Although I try my best to meal plan, it’s always good to have a meal like this up your sleeve for those nights that just don’t go the way you think!
I love Asian flavors, and in my opinion this recipe beats takeout any night!
How to Make Chinese Chicken Stir-Fry
You can use regular cabbage in this recipe, but my favorite kind of cabbage to use (when in season) is Napa cabbage, which is softer and has thinner leaves. Napa cabbage makes for a more delicate texture. Homemade Five-Spice mix is also great on this recipe.
In place of the usual soy sauce, this recipe uses coconut aminos. Made from the sap of coconut trees, coconut aminos boasts a number of health benefits and avoids the soy, wheat, and MSG found in most commercially produced soy sauce.
The slight sweetness of the honey and coconut aminos pairs well with the tang of the apple cider vinegar and the nuttiness of the sesame seeds for a complex but simple flavor. It’s got all the flavors of comfort food with the freshness of healthy ingredients!
Yum!
Stir-Fry: The Perfect Go-To Meal for Wellness Mamas
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again … stir fry is my go-to! Whatever the flavors and ingredients used, stir fry is always quick, easy, and makes it easy to incorporate lots of seasonal veggies. In fact, I bet you’ll find more variations of stir fry in my recipes than almost any other. Sausage squash stir fry, beef and cabbage stir fry, apple chicken stir fry… you name it, I’ve put it together, trying to use up the ingredients in my fridge.
Practice makes perfect, and after a while we’ve settled on our family favorites. (All of which I include in my Wellness Mama Cookbook, of course!)
Check out some of my other favorite stir-fry recipes in my recipe index.
Chinese Chicken Stir Fry Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 chicken breasts
- ½ tsp each of ground ginger garlic powder, salt, and pepper, or 1 TBSP of five spice
- 3 TBSP apple cider vinegar
- 3 TBSP butter or coconut oil divided
- 1 large head of cabbage
- 1 red bell pepper optional
- 1 medium onion
- 2 TBSP sesame seeds optional
- ¼ cup coconut aminos
- ¼ cup honey optional
- ½ tsp sesame oil
Instructions
- Thinly slice the chicken.
- Season with ginger, garlic, salt, and pepper and sprinkle with apple cider vinegar.
- Let sit 5 minutes to marinate.
- Heat 1-2 TBSP of butter or coconut oil in large skillet or wok.
- Sauté the chicken, removing when cooked and slightly brown.
- While the chicken is cooking, thinly slice the cabbage, bell pepper if using, and onion.
- Sauté in the remaining butter or coconut oil in the same pan until soft.
- While the vegetables are cooking, toast the sesame seeds if using by tossing in a small skillet on the stove until lightly browned and fragrant.
- Add the chicken back into the skillet/wok and add the coconut aminos and honey, if using.
- Drizzle sparingly with sesame oil.
- Add more seasoning to taste, if desired.
- Portion out individual servings and garnish with sesame seeds if using.
Nutrition
Other Chicken Stir-Fry Recipes to Try
- Vegetable Chicken Stir Fry – Chicken stir fry without any of the Asian flavors. Features zucchini and broccoli instead of cabbage.
- Beef and Zucchini Stir Fry – This one uses a spiralizer to make zucchini noodles for a different texture.
- Moroccan Chicken Stir Fry – Bold flavors of cumin, cinnamon, and turmeric break out of the usual stir-fry mode. Add raisins or olives for a sweet or salty twist.
- Curried Shrimp and Vegetable Stir Fry – Curry can’t be beat for flavor or its anti-inflammatory benefits.
- Pizza Stir Fry – Yes… pizza! This recipe replicates all the flavors of pizza with pepperoni, Italian sausage, and marinara sauce over veggies. Add cheese if you’re not dairy free!
What meal do you count on for busy nights? Do you have a favorite chicken stir fry recipe (or other kind of stir fry)? Please share!
I just tried this recipe, I thank you Katie, ive been following you this is the first recipe ive tried of yours.. And my picky autistic little boy has tried cabbage for the first time THanks .
This has so much flavor. I made this on meal prep Sunday, tastes just as good reheated. My husband and 2 year old loved it!
Mmmmm, this looks soo tasty! Easy stir fry recipes are a go-to here in my house, because they are so easy and quick to whip up! I can’t wait to give this one a try – thanks for sharing!! <3
In the pic, I see asparagus and yellow peppers added and no cabbage. Is there a pic for the cabbage recipe here?
The top pic is the basic cabbage recipe. The bottom pic has green beans and peppers as variations. I prefer the basic one in the top picture.
looks delicious!
We made this for dinner tonight. Loved it!! I added sesame seed oil but no seeds. Also no viniger or corn starch. Came out really good though.
I stumbled upon your website by searching for a Napa Cabbage Stir Fry Recipe. This recipe turned out to be fabulous. I have been all over your site and am so thrilled to have found you. Thank you.
Super mid week recipe! Easy, quick, healthy and delicious!
I did add chinese 5 spices, and did everything else as prescribed. Will come back to this!
I made this last night – it is delicious!!
This is SO delicious!!! I didn’t have any apple cidar vinegar or sesame seeds, but it was amazing. I also added carrots and orange peppers to it.