Stir fry dishes are one of my favorite meals for active families, and this easy chicken stir fry is no exception. As a dietitian, I like that it balances lean protein, colorful veggies, and fitness-fueling carbohydrates. Plus it’s pretty easy to make and can be on the table in less than 40 minutes. You can also customize this based on what you have on hand; feel free to get creative with the veggies!
Please note that this is not an authentic Chinese stir fry recipe, as some of the ingredients and techniques are different. For authentic recipes, I highly recommend this black pepper chicken stir fry from Red House Spice or this popular stir fry recipe from Made with Lau.
Note: This recipe was originally published in 2015 and has been updated in 2026.
Ingredients
Here’s a photo of all the ingredients you’ll need, along with selected ingredient notes:
- Sesame oil – This helps enhance the flavor of the food by adding a slight nuttiness. Feel free to use another oil (like olive oil) if you don’t have sesame oil on hand.
- Tomato paste – It may sound a little strange in stir fry, but it helps add extra umami savoriness to this dish. You can skip it if you don’t have any on hand though.
Instructions
You’ll find the full recipe amounts and instructions in the recipe card below, but here’s a helpful overview with photos and tips.
Start by getting everything prepped. Make your instant rice, chop up all your veggies, get out all your sauce ingredients, etc. Starting with an organized prep will help the rest of the recipe come together quickly and easily!
Combine all the ingredients for the sauce – soy sauce, honey, rice vinegar, tomato paste, and garlic – and set that aside for now.
Next, combine the ingredients for the egg dredge – the egg, water, corn starch, salt, and pepper. Toss the chicken in that mixture. This is a bit different than the traditional ‘velveting’ technique in stir fry, where the chicken is tossed with corn starch directly, to get tender meat. I like the texture with the egg dredge; it’s simply a different way to cook it.
Heat the oil in a skillet. Use a slotted spoon to remove the chicken letting the excess mixture drip off, and add that to the pan with the oil. Cook the chicken for around 6-9 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it’s cooked throughout and reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees F. Remove it from a pan and set aside on a plate.
Add the remaining oil to the skillet, let it heat up, then add the broccoli, bell pepper, and white parts of the green onions. Cook those for around 5-6 minutes, until crisp tender. Then add the chicken back to the pan, along with the rice and the sauce.
Give everything a good stir, cook for another minute or two, then garnish with the green onions and sesame seeds. YUM!
Recipe Tips and Dietary Modifications
Storage: Store leftovers in the fridge for up to 3-4 days. Reheat in the microwave.
Mixing Up the Veggies: This recipe is very flexible. While I used broccoli and bell pepper, you can easily sub in the veggies that you have on hand. For example, shredded brussels sprouts, zucchini, snap peas, mushrooms, bok choy, and cabbage are all great options. Just note that cooking time may vary based on what vegetables you decide to use.
To Make Vegetarian: You can use tofu instead of chicken breast. To do this, you’ll skip the entire egg mixture. Instead, press the tofu and season it with salt and pepper. Then cook in the hot oil for about 4-6 minutes on the first side, add a little extra oil, and cook for about 4-6 minutes on the second side. Remove and set aside on a plate and continue with the rest of the recipe as written.
To Reduce the Sodium: Use a lower sodium soy sauce and skip the salt in the egg dredge mixture.
To Make Lower Carb: Substitute cooked cauliflower rice for some or all of the white rice.
To Make Gluten-Free: Use a gluten-free tamari or coconut aminos in place of the regular soy sauce.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Easy to make
- Balanced macronutrients
- Provides 35 grams of protein per serving
- Great for meal prep
- Provides lots of vitamins and minerals
- Kid-friendly
- Easily customizable
More Healthy Chicken Breast Recipes
If you’re looking for more recipes using chicken to add to your repertoire, be sure to give one of these a try:
- Chicken vegetable soup
- Cajun seasoned chicken over creamy zoodles
- Lemon ginger chicken soup (soooo good in winter!)
- Slow cooker butternut squash, beet, and chicken soup
I hope you enjoy this easy chicken stir fry! If you get a chance to try it, feel free to leave a recipe rating or comment below.
Easy Chicken, Vegetable, and Rice Stir Fry
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups dry instant rice, cooked according to package directions (white or brown)
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 large egg
- 2 tablespoons water
- 2 tablespoons corn starch
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- 2 tablespoons sesame oil, divided
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 3 cups broccoli florets, cut into bite-sized pieces (about 1 head of broccoli)
- 1 large bell pepper, diced
- 3 green onions, thinly sliced, whites and greens separated
- 1 ½ tbsp sesame seeds
Instructions
- Cook the rice according to package directions and set aside for now.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, honey, rice vinegar, tomato paste, and garlic. Set aside for now.
- In another medium bowl, whisk together the egg, water, corn starch, salt, and pepper.
- Heat 1 tablespoon of the sesame oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Dredge the chicken in the egg mixture, then use a slotted spoon to drain off excess egg mixture and add the chicken to the hot skillet. Cook for approximately 6-9 minutes, until the chicken is cooked throughout and reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees F. Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside on a plate.
- Add the remaining tablespoon of sesame oil to the skillet. Add the broccoli, bell pepper, and white parts of the green onions. Cook for about 5-6 minutes, until the vegetables start getting tender (I generally like them “crisp tender” for this recipe).
- Add the chicken back to the pan, along with the rice and the sauce. Stir everything well and cook for 1-2 minutes, warming everything thoroughly.
- Remove from heat. Garnish with the sesame seeds and reserved green parts of the green onions. Enjoy!
Notes
- If the vegetables start sticking to the pan before getting tender, add few tablespoons of water to help release them and steam them a bit.
- This recipe is a bit high in sodium. If you prefer a lower-sodium meal, use a lower-sodium soy sauce and skip the salt when dredging the chicken.
Nutrition
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I make stir fry on occasion at home. I think I will try this recipe tonight !
I hope you like it!
That looks delicious. I love anything chicken!
Me too – we eat a lot of chicken at our house 🙂
YUM!! That looks good and easy to make, two of my favorite things!! 🙂 Pinning it!
Awesome – and yes, I am all about anything that is easy, quick, and healthy! 🙂
Yummy! That looks really good!
Hope you enjoy it when you get a chance to make it Amy!
Omg, so yummy! I’m pinning now. I also think I have all the ingredients in my pantry right now except the rice wine vinegar. Do you know if there’s another type that would serve as a substitute? Looks so good, thanks for sharing!
Great question. I think you could either use apple cider vinegar (especially with honey in the sauce, I’m thinking this would work) – or even just leave it out completely.
YUM!! Thank you for sharing. We eat a lot of chicken so I am always looking for new recipes to try.
Yum! This looks SO delicious. i love me some stir-fry.
this sounds delicious! I would sub out the chicken for tofu but I think flavors would still be super yummy!! Thanks for sharing.