Fast and simple garlic-ginger chicken stir-fry recipe. It’s good for you, tasty, and just right for dinners during the week. You can make it in half an hour!
Garlic-Ginger Chicken Stir-Fry
This recipe’s author is Pamela J. Willis, and she designed this recipe to leave no hassle to plan the meals for the week. Pamela was also particular with the recipes she sought to make once she had given birth to her daughter; she ensured that they were easy to make through themselves while at the same time being delicious.
I modified a few things in this recipe by replacing the chicken thigh with chicken breast, lessening the portions of bok choy, and lowering the amount of oil in the dish. It turned out delicious! Pamela writes, “Every girl boy needs one good stir-fried recipe, and this right here is heaven sent for the stir-fried lovers; it’s lick the plate yummy, quick, gingery, garlicky, and perfect for an upgrade on plain white rice.”
Garlic-Ginger Chicken Stir-Fry Ingredients
Easy Making Garlic-Ginger Chicken Stir-Fry
Marinade: Combine fresh ginger, soy sauce, rice vinegar, garlic, sugar, sesame oil, cornstarch and chili paste in a bowl. Reserve 1/3 cup of the marinade mixture in bowl to use later as a basting sauce. Finally add the chicken to the rest and allow it to marinade for at least 30 minutes to as long as 4 hours.
Cooking Chicken: Place a large pan or wok on the stove on high heat and add a teaspoon of vegetable oil to it. Fry half of the marinated chicken for a few of minutes on each of the sides to effectively cook it. Remove the chicken and transfer onto a plate and do the same to the remaining chicken.
Onions: Take the pan off heat to clean up, add another teaspoon of oil, and fry the onions until slightly burnt, but crunchy.
Combine: Place the chicken back into the same skillet, pour the marinade which was set aside, and half a cup of water. Saute for a minute or two, add the bok choy, and stir until it begin to wilt.
Garnish: Remove the stir-fry from the pan to a plate then garnish it with crushed peanuts and fresh basil.
Benefits of Garlic-Ginger Chicken Stir-Fry:
Variations of Garlic-Ginger Chicken Stir-Fry:
- Shrimp Stir-Fry: Instead of chicken you can use shrimp to have seafood experience.
- Beef Stir-Fry: To add more substance try substituting the chicken with thin slices of beef.
- Tofu Stir-Fry: Replace the chicken with tofu if that make it vegetarian or preferably vegan.
- Cashew Chicken Stir-Fry: Optional you can add cashews for extra body and taste.
- Customizable: You can easily add or substitute vegetables to suit your taste or use what’s available in your kitchen
Garlic-Ginger Chicken Stir-Fry
Ingredients
- 1- inch piece of fresh ginger minced
- ⅓ cup reduced sodium soy sauce or gluten-free tamari
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 6 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar or a sugar substitute like monk fruit
- 2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
- 1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 to 3 teaspoons chili paste adjust to taste
- 1 1/2 pounds thinly sliced boneless chicken breast cut into thin strips
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 medium red onion cut into 1/2-inch pieces
- 15 ounces baby bok choy roughly chopped (about 6 cups)
- 1/3 cup dry-roasted peanuts crushed for garnish
- ½ cup fresh Thai or traditional basil torn
- Coconut jasmine rice or cauliflower rice optional for serving
Instructions
- In a bowl, mix ginger, soy sauce, vinegar, garlic, sugar, sesame oil, cornstarch, and chili paste. Stir it well. Keep ⅓ cup of this mix separate. Put the chicken in the rest of the marinade to soak for at least 15 minutes, but you can leave it for up to 4 hours.
- Get a big skillet with a lid hot over high heat. Add 1 teaspoon of vegetable oil and move it around to cover the bottom. Use a slotted spoon to put half the chicken in, and stir it with a wooden spoon, scraping the bottom. Cook the chicken for 2 to 3 minutes on each side until it’s golden brown. You might need to cover it for a bit to stop it from splattering. Then, take it out and put it on a plate.
- If the pan’s got stuck-on starch or burnt garlic, pour in a cup of water, scrub it clean, toss the water, and dry it off. Heat up another teaspoon of oil and do the same thing with the rest of the chicken.
- Clean the pan one more time and put in the last bit of oil. When it’s hot, cook the onions until they’re a bit charred but still crunchy, for about 2 minutes. Throw the chicken back in. Add the leftover marinade and 1/2 cup of water. Let it cook for another minute, then mix in the bok choy to wilt it.
- Put it all on a plate, sprinkle crushed peanuts and basil on top, and serve it with rice or cauliflower rice. Dig in! Enjoy your delicious and flavorful meal!
Notes
- Marinating the Chicken: To marinate the chicken, mix ginger, soy sauce, vinegar, garlic, sugar, sesame oil, cornstarch, and chili paste. Soak the chicken in this mix for at least 15 minutes, but you can leave it for up to 4 hours. This has an impact on the chicken, making it soak up all the yummy flavors.
- Vegetable Preparation: Pick fresh veggies like bok choy, red onions, broccoli, bell peppers, and mushrooms. Cut them into small chunks so they cook fast and are the same all over. To make it taste even better, throw in some chopped-up ginger and garlic while you’re stir-frying.
- Cooking Technique: To get that nice golden-brown color, cook the chicken in batches. This stops the pan from getting too full. Use a heavy-bottomed skillet or wok on high heat for the best outcome. Keep stirring and scraping the bottom of the pan so nothing sticks or burns.
- Sauce and Seasoning: Mix soy sauce, chicken broth, sugar, and cornstarch to make a sauce. Put this on top of the chicken and veggies, then cook until it gets thick and covers everything . Add salt, pepper, and maybe some chili flakes if you want it spicy, to make it taste just right.
- Serving Suggestions: Put the stir-fry on top of rice or cauliflower rice. To add some crunch and taste, sprinkle crushed peanuts and fresh basil on it. You can keep this dish in the fridge for 3–4 days, which makes it awesome to prepare meals ahead of time.
