Restaurant quality stir fry in the comfort of your own home and without a wait. How does that sound?
Anytime I think of stir fry, I think back to my my college dining hall days — Jeff Dining Hall for all of my Ohio Bobcats. There was a stir fry option where you could pick out all of your meats, veggies, and sauces and they would cook it for you right there. We always went early to avoid the line. My older brother would sweet talk my friends to swiping him into the dining halls for a free meal all the time. He was always a fan of their stir fry. Ohhh the good ole dining hall days!
When people hear stir fry, many get overwhelmed with the number of ingredients, but I’m sharing a short cut in this recipe will help shorten your shopping list. 😉
Disclaimer: This blog post contains affiliate links. This means I may earn a small commission should you make a purchase using my link. It’s okay – I love all of these products and ingredients anyways, and you will too!
The Ingredients:
I like to break this recipe up into two ingredient groupings. The sauce ingredients and the stir fry ingredients. You likely already have a lot of the sauce ingredients at home, while the stir fry ingredients are all fresh!
The Sauce:
- cornstarch
- water
- low sodium soy sauce
- agave nectar instead of corn syrup
- crushed red pepper
The Stir Fry:
- avocado oil
- boneless skinless chicken breasts
- minced garlic
- **Trader Joe’s Asian Stir Fry Mix**
- extra red peppers sliced
- extra mushrooms sliced
- Extra broccoli florets
**The Trader Joes mix is only $4.79 and comes with all of the base vegetables you will need; peppers, broccoli, mushrooms, carrots, peas, baby corn, onion, but I usually add extra. This is truly one of the best short cuts because you get all of the vegetable varieties without having to keep all the leftovers in your fridge. Pick a couple of the vegetables you like the most and add extra of those to help stretch this recipe.
Also, I’m very curious what you think of baby corn? I personally love it, but it freaks so many people out. I’m always intrigued to hear what people think!
What equipment do I need to make this stir fry?
I highly recommend using a wok to make this meal. This is the wok I have!
What is it that makes a wok so special? Woks are a flat bottomed pan, meaning the bottom of the pan is directly over the heat, while the sides raise up and are further removed. They are commonly used in Asian countries for stir fry or pad thai.
Woks are also used for deep frying or can be used to make homemade popcorn.
Cooking this recipe is easy. Start with the chicken. Remove from the wok and add give the veggies their time in the wok. Add the chicken back in and stir in the sauce.
Come on! Look at this finished stir fry with all of those vibrant colored vegetables.
How to serve this Stir Fry?
I always serve this stir fry with some rice and extra red pepper flakes!
I have this basic rice cooker and love it. It is perfect for making white or brown rice and can also steam vegetables on top while the rice is cooking. You could also use your instant pot to cook rice OR just use the regular stove top method. Do whatever works best for you. Rice cookers certainly are not mandatory, but they do come in handy when you’re making a lot of rice at once.
This recipe is also good for meal prepping. Add them to lunch containers and you’re all set for the week!
Equipment
- wok
Ingredients
Sauce Ingredients
- 1 ½ tbsp cornstarch
- 1 ¼ cups cups water
- ⅓ cup low sodium soy sauce
- ⅓ cup agave nectar
- ¼ tsp crushed red pepper
Stir Fry Ingredients
- 3-4 tbsp avocado oil
- 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into 1" strips
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 package Trader Joe’s Asian Stir Fry Mix
- ½ cup red peppers sliced
- ½ cup Mushrooms sliced
- ½ cup broccoli florets
Instructions
- In a bowl, mix cornstarch and water until smooth. Stir in soy sauce, agave, and red pepper. Set aside.
- In a wok or large nonstick skillet, heat 2 tbsp avocado oil over med-high heat. Add chicken and garlic. Stir fry for 5 minutes or until the meat is tender. Remove chicken from skillet.
- Heat remaining avocado oil and add vegetables. Stir fry for 3 minutes until vegetables are crisp tender.
- Return meat to the skillet and pour the stir fry sauce into the wok. Bring to a boil over medium heat and boil 1 minute until the sauce reduces.
- Serve stir fry over rice. Add more red pepper flakes for serving!
I’d love to hear from you once you get the chance to make this recipe. Leave a comment below with your review or any modifications you made! And don’t forget to tag @rightbackspatula on Instagram if you take any pictures!
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