Sweet & Tangy Chicken Vegetable Stir Fry

Up today we have a sweet & tangy chicken vegetable stir fry recipe! Stir fry is always a quick and easy weeknight dinner idea, and this colorful chicken + veggies variety uses just one pound of chicken, but makes a complete filling meal for four when served over rice or noodles. Give this easy 30 minute chicken veggie stir fry a try the next time you’re looking for a quick — yet balanced and flavorful — weeknight dinner option.

Easy shortcuts to make your stir fry POP

In this particular stir fry I decided that, instead of using honey to sweeten the sauce, I’d instead go with a little of the red pepper jelly I recently picked up at ALDI in order to add both sweetness and tang. (This is currently found in both the special buy section and condiment section of my store, so I’m not sure if it’s seasonal or a regular item.)

While I was at ALDI, I also grabbed this handy bag of “steamed broccoli stir fry” veggies. I don’t often use frozen veggies because I prefer the taste and texture of fresh, but stir fry is one exception to that rule. While I still always bulk up my stir fries with different fresh veggies, depending on what I have on hand (today: red onion, orange bell pepper, and green beans), a bag of frozen stir fry veggies lets you jump start your recipe, helps you incorporate stir fry staples that might be cost-prohibitive if purchased separately, and saves you chopping time. You’ll want to be sure to grab a bag that is not pre-seasoned, allowing you to season your stir fry to your own family’s tastes.

And then, because 12 oz of frozen veggies is just not enough, go ahead and add some fresh vegetables of your choice into your stir fry along with the frozen ones. I always include onion and garlic to add both texture and flavor, but on top of those two staples, anything from bell pepper to green beans to mushrooms to zucchini will work nicely.

Sweet & Tangy Chicken Vegetable Stir Fry

Ingredients

– for the chicken

1 Tbsp olive oil or canola oil
1 lb chicken tenderloin or breast, trimmed and cut into bite sized pieces
Sea salt, to taste
Black pepper, to taste

– for the sauce

2 Tbsp red pepper jelly
3 Tbsp soy sauce
2 tsp sesame oil
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
1/2 tsp ginger

– for the veggies

1.5 Tbsp canola oil, divided
1 medium red onion, cut in half and then sliced
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 red, orange, or yellow bell pepper, roughly chopped
4 oz fresh green beans, trimmed and halved
12 oz bag frozen stir fry veggies (unseasoned)

– to serve (recommended)

3 cups cooked rice
Chopped green onion

Directions

Trim chicken, cut it into bite-sized cubes, and season with sea salt & pepper. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering, then add the chicken and continue to cook over medium-high heat until cooked through, stirring occasionally (about 5-6 minutes). Remove chicken to a separate plate.

While chicken is cooking, stir together all of the sauce ingredients in a small bowl and reserve for later.

After you remove the chicken from the pan, add 1 Tbsp canola oil to the same hot skillet and heat briefly over medium-high heat. Add onion and saute for two minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in garlic and continue sauteing for another minute, then add bell pepper and green beans and cook for another two minutes, continuing to stir frequently.

Push vegetables to the edges of the pan to create a well in the center, then add 1/2 Tbsp canola oil to the center of the pan, followed by the frozen stir fry veggies. Continue sauteing over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, or until frozen vegetables are heated through (about five minutes).

Stir in the cooked chicken and sauce and continue sauteing over medium-high heat until sauce is heated through and coats the veggies nicely, about two minutes.

Serve your hot stir fry over cooked rice or noodles, and top with chopped green onions. (Rice and green onions are optional, but recommended.)

Note: If you start your rice at about the same time you start chopping and cooking, everything should be done at about the same time — or this stir fry also works well served over leftover cooked rice.

See, easy! Just chop and stir, chop and stir…

You can see here why the bag of frozen veggies comes in handy: Chopping fewer vegetables saves you time, and, by using pre-packaged, you get just enough special stir fry ingredients like water chestnuts and sugar snap peas. When these are mixed in with the rest of your colorful veggies, you get a well rounded stir fry that’s chock full of both chicken and vegetables.

And as for that sauce…! The red pepper jelly adds a sweet underlying tang to this easy 30 minute stir fry recipe, which complements the salty soy and the slight kick from the red pepper flakes and ginger. You can change the proportion of the ingredients to make your stir fry spicier or sweeter, too: It all depends on your own family’s tastes.

Sweet & Tangy Chicken Vegetable Stir Fry, printable recipe

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5 from 2 votes

Sweet & Tangy Chicken Vegetable Stir Fry

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Red pepper jelly adds a sweet underlying tang to your stir fry, which complements the salty soy and the slight kick from the red pepper flakes and ginger.

Course dinner

Total Time 30 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Author Rachel Singer

Ingredients

- for the chicken

• 1 Tbsp olive oil or canola oil
• 1 lb chicken tenderloin or breast, trimmed and cut into bite sized pieces
• Sea salt, to taste
• Black pepper, to taste

- for the sauce

• 2 Tbsp red pepper jelly
• 3 Tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tsp sesame oil
• 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
• 1/2 tsp ginger

- for the veggies

• 1.5 Tbsp canola oil, divided
• 1 medium red onion, cut in half and then sliced
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 red, orange, or yellow bell pepper, roughly chopped
• 4 oz fresh green beans, trimmed and halved
• 12 oz bag frozen stir fry veggies (unseasoned)

- to serve (recommended)

• 3 cups cooked rice
• Chopped green onion

Instructions

• Trim chicken, cut it into bite-sized cubes, and season with sea salt & pepper. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering, then add the chicken and continue to cook over medium-high heat until cooked through, stirring occasionally (about 5-6 minutes). Remove chicken to a separate plate.
• While chicken is cooking, stir together all of the sauce ingredients in a small bowl and reserve for later.
• After you remove the chicken from the pan, add 1 Tbsp canola oil to the same hot skillet and heat briefly over medium-high heat. Add onion and saute for two minutes, stirring frequently. 
• Stir in garlic and continue sauteing for another minute, then add bell pepper and green beans and cook for another two minutes, continuing to stir frequently.
• Push vegetables to the edges of the pan to create a well in the center, then add 1/2 Tbsp canola oil to the center of the pan, followed by the frozen stir fry veggies. Continue sauteing over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, or until frozen vegetables are heated through (about five minutes).
• Stir in the cooked chicken and sauce and continue sauteing over medium-high heat until sauce is heated through and coats the veggies nicely, about two minutes.
• Serve your hot stir fry over cooked rice or noodles, and top with chopped green onions. (Rice and green onions are optional, but recommended.)

Notes

If you start your rice at about the same time you start chopping and cooking, everything should be done at about the same time -- or this stir fry also works well served over leftover cooked rice.

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