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Spicy Chicken Stir Fry

This mouth-watering spicy chicken stir fry made with tender chicken and fresh vegetables. Try our easy-to-make recipe for a satisfying meal in minutes any night of the week.

spicy chicken stir fry in a skillet

 

Chicken dinners can sometimes get old and boring. But this spicy chicken stir fry will take your chicken dinner to a whole new level. Perfect for any night of the week, this dish combines juicy chunks of chicken with your favorite veggies and a spicy kick that will leave you feeling fully satisfied. With its quick and easy preparation, you’ll have a delicious meal on the table in no time. Plus, you can easily customize the recipe to suit your preferences by swapping out veggies or adjusting the heat level to your liking. So why not spice up your dinner routine and give this mouthwatering chicken stir fry a try tonight?

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

  • Fast – you can have dinner on the table in about 20 minutes, and it is anything but boring and loaded with flavor.
  • Control the spice – Chile garlic sauce is what adds the spice and you can add as much or as little as you like for your family. Start small and add more if you like it hotter.
  • Get in your veggies – if you struggle to get your family to eat their veggies, and stir fry is a great way. Once you cover them and sauce and mix them with chicken, they tend to get eaten. Use whatever your family likes here, you don’t have to use what I listed.
spicy chicken stir fry ingredients

What You’ll Need

Be sure to scroll to the bottom of the post for the FULL PRINTABLE recipe card.

  • Chicken Breasts – you can use chicken thighs as well
  • Soy Sauce – if you want to lower the sodium, use low sodium
  • Brown Sugar
  • Rice Vinegar
  • Fish Sauce
  • Chile Garlic Sauce
  • Sesame Oil
  • Salt & Pepper
  • Cornstarch
  • Onion
  • Bell Pepper
  • Snap Peas
  • Garlic
  • Oil – you can use any oil you like to cook the chicken and veggies. Olive oil, avocado oil, canola oil or even more sesame oil all work.
stir fry veggies in a pan

How To Make Spicy Chicken Stir Fry

  • Make The Sauce. In a liquid measuring cup or small bowl whisk together soy sauce, brown sugar, rice vinegar, fish sauce, chile garlic sauce and sesame oil until nice and smooth.
  • Season Chicken. Season the chicken with salt and pepper and toss together with cornstarch until it is evenly coated.
  • Brown Chicken. Heat a large skillet over high heat, add some oil and then add the chicken. Brown for about 5-6 minutes, until it is browned on the outside, but not necessarily fully cooked through. Remove from the pan and cover to keep it warm.
  • Cook Veggies. In the same skillet, reduce the heat to medium high, add some more oil and then add the bell peppers, onions, and snap peas. Let them cook for 4-5 minutes, until the onions are soft. Add in the garlic and cook for another 2 minutes.
  • Finish. Add the chicken back to the pan and then pour in the sauce. Stir and let it cook for 1-2 minutes until it comes together and the sauce thickens slightly.
  • Serve. Once the chicken is fully cooked and the sauce is thick it is ready to serve. Serve over rice topped with green onions and chopped peanuts.
adding sauce to chicken stir fry in a skillet

Recipe Tips & Suggestions

  • Prep Ahead. When you are making a stir fry it is best to have everything chopped and measured before you start cooking. You are cooking at a high heat that things move quickly. So measure the sauce ahead of time, have the veggies all chopped. Don’t try to multitask while the chicken is cooking, or you will have overdone chicken.
  • Spice Level. If you don’t like things spicy, start small with the chile garlic sauce. Start with 1 Tablespoon for the whole dish, and go from there. If you like it hot, you will probably want to use closer to 3 Tablespoons, it really is up to you how much you use.
  • Change Protein. This is a very versatile dish that you can swap the protein for whatever you like. What to make it vegetarian, use tofu. You could use pork, beef, or even shrimp. Whatever you like is going to pair well with the sauce.
  • Use The Cornstarch. Don’t skip the step of tossing the chicken in cornstarch before cooking. This serves a purpose! Not only does it give the chicken some texture as it crisps up a little when cooking, it keeps the chicken tender and juicy. It helps lock in the juices as it forms the crust on the chicken, so you end up with juicy pieces of chicken that are very tender and not tough.
spicy chicken stir fry over white rice

What Other Vegetables Go In Stir Fry

You really can use whatever veggies that your family likes in a chicken stir fry. Obviously I used onions, bell peppers, and snap peas for this version, but there are all sorts of other vegetables that work.

  • Zucchini
  • Broccoli
  • Mushrooms
  • Cauliflower
  • Edamame

How To Serve Spicy Chicken Stir Fry

I like to serve this over white rice, but you could use brown rice or even cauliflower rice if you wanted to cut the carbs some. You could also serve in lettuce cups, similar to this Chicken Lettuce Wraps.

Top with green onions, and chopped peanuts for a little bit of texture and more flavor.

close up spicy chicken stir fry in a skillet

Storage & Leftovers

If you have leftovers, you can store in an airtight container for up to 4 days in the fridge. You can reheat in the microwave until it warm.

More Easy Chicken Dinners

Yield: 4

Sweet & Spicy Chicken Stir Fry

white bowl with spicy chicken stir fry over white rice

This mouth-watering sweet and spicy chicken stir fry made with tender chicken and fresh vegetables. Try our easy-to-make recipe for a satisfying meal in minutes any night of the week.

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes

Ingredients

Sauce

  • 3 Tablespoons soy sauce
  • 2 Tablespoons light brown sugar
  • 1 Tablespoon rice vinegar
  • 1 Tablespoon fish sauce
  • 1-3 Tablespoons chile garlic sauce
  • 1 teaspoon sesame oil

Stir Fry

  • 1 pound chicken breasts, cut into cubes
  • Salt & Pepper
  • 2 Tablespoons cornstarch
  • 2 Tablespoons oil, divided
  • 1/2 onion, thinly sliced
  • 1 bell pepper, chopped
  • 8 oz sugar snap peas
  • 3 cloves garlic
  • 2 green onions, thinly sliced
  • 2 Tablespoons chopped peanuts
  • 2 cups cooked white rice

Instructions

  1. In a liquid measuring cup or small bowl whisk together soy sauce, brown sugar, rice vinegar, fish sauce, chile garlic sauce and sesame oil until nice and smooth.
  2. Season the chicken with salt and pepper and toss together with cornstarch until it is evenly coated.adding cornstarch salt and pepper over chicken
  3. Heat a large skillet over high heat, add 1 Tablespoons oil, once hot add the chicken. Brown for about 5-6 minutes, until it is browned on the outside, but not necessarily fully cooked through. Remove from the pan and cover to keep it warm.
  4. In the same skillet, reduce the heat to medium high, add remaining 1 Tablespoon oil and then add the bell peppers, onions, and snap peas. Let them cook for 4-5 minutes, until the onions are soft. Add in the garlic and cook for another 2 minutes.stir fry veggies in a pan
  5. Add the chicken back to the pan and then pour in the sauce. Stir and let it cook for 1-2 minutes until it comes together and the sauce thickens slightly. adding sauce to chicken stir fry in a skillet
  6. Once the chicken is fully cooked and the sauce is thick it is ready to serve. Serve over rice topped with green onions and chopped peanuts.

Notes

Adapted from Cooking Light

Nutrition Information

Yield

4

Serving Size

1

Amount Per Serving Calories 484Total Fat 15gSaturated Fat 2gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 12gCholesterol 96mgSodium 1264mgCarbohydrates 43gFiber 3gSugar 10gProtein 42g

Nutrition Disclaimer: All information presented on this site is intended for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and any nutritional information shared on dinnersdishesanddesserts.com should only be used as a general guideline.

Did you make this recipe?

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Donna Weber

Saturday 15th of July 2023

I have never been able to cook Asian food but decided to give this a try. I had to make quite a few substitutions for what I had. It turned out amazing! Will be making it a lot. Thanks for the great recipe!

Laura

Thursday 13th of July 2023

Can’t find the chili garlic sauce. Can get the fish sauce and would love to try this recipe. Sound so good. Thanks

Erin S

Thursday 13th of July 2023

The Chili Garlic Sauce has multiple brands you can use, plus there are lots of recipes to make your own. It is readily available at most grocery stores in the US Sambal Oelek is the most common https://www.huyfong.com/ Lee Kum Kee has one as well https://usa.lkk.com/en/products/chili-garlic-sauce

Sandra

Monday 10th of July 2023

This quickly became a favorite at my house! Everyone enjoyed how flavorful it is! Thanks for the recipe!

Beth

Friday 7th of July 2023

I made this last night, and it was absolutely delicious! I set aside some for the kids, and then I added a fairly heft amount of chili garlic sauce for me and my husband. We like our food to hurt just a little bit. LOL. A++!

Erin @ Texanerin Baking

Tuesday 11th of September 2012

This looks nice and simple! I wouldn't eat it, picky me, but my husband would love it. I'll bookmark it for when he deserves something special for himself. :) Oh and I'm happy that you finally had a relaxing weekend!

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