Healthy Recipes

Tamari Ginger Chicken & Veggie Stir Fry

Better than takeout and way better for you.

Image by Chau Le of C&C Coaching

Stir fry! There are a lot of reasons to love it:

1. It’s a complete meal: loaded with protein, veggies, and healthy carbs.
2. It’s customizable: pretty much any protein will work, and you can throw in your fave veggies while vetoing your not-so-faves.
3. It magically transforms plain old chicken and veg into a crave-worthy-flavor-party.
4. It’s easy to make, especially if you incorporate some pre-cut or frozen veggies.

But not all stir fries are created equal. A stir fry can fall flat if you don’t know the right techniques. If you’re like me, you’re aiming to avoid these common dilemmas:

1. Limp, soggy veggies whose crunch disappeared sometime in the eighties.
2. Overcooked, rubbery meat.
3. The chopping. God, the eternal chopping.

But fear not! This recipe will solve all your stir fry problems, and some of your life problems too. It will become one of your go-to dinners, wowing family, roommates, guests, and even picky eaters.

We tested and tweaked this recipe over the years until we finally nailed it. Want to know our secret to cooking a large batch of delicious, healthy stir fry?

The secret is…

… cooking the meat and veggies separately! This keeps the chicken juicy and tender while avoiding the sad scenario of overcooked, lifeless veggies.

Down with limp broccoli!

Don’t get overwhelmed by the ingredients list. Once you’ve prepped your veggies, this recipe is super easy, comprised of only three main steps:

1. Marinate the chicken.
2. Stir fry the chicken.
3. Stir fry the veggies.

That’s all there is to it! Let the chopping begin.

Image by Chau Le of C&C Coaching

Tamari Ginger Chicken & Veggie Stir Fry

Number of servings: 6–8

Prep time: 30 minutes

Cook time: 25 minutes

Macros / calories per serving: 59g protein, 21g fat, 42g carbs. 552 calories. (Assumes 8 oz. of chicken. Does not include rice. Data from MyFitnessPal.)

Use whatever’s in the fridge.

Stir fries are the perfect way to use up random vegetables in your fridge. Have some wilted chard or green beans that are past their prime? Toss ’em in in the wok!

Reduce prep time with pre-cut and frozen veggies.

Like any stir fry, there’s some chopping involved. But you knew that.

If you want to keep your chopping to a minimum, use a combination of pre-cut and frozen veggies. Broccoli, carrots, and Asian veggie mix form a solid base. Throw in a bag of fresh snow peas, pre-sliced mushrooms, and canned bamboo shoots, and bam! Dinner, solved.

While fresh veggie flavor always wins over frozen, I’ve used frozen broccoli on many occasions to ensure dinner comes together in a snap (pea).

Shoutout to my garlic and ginger lovers.

Garlic and ginger are key in this dish! Not only do they provide loads of aromatic flavor, but they’re also bursting with nutrients, antioxidants, and medicinal properties.

A small food processor will transform your mincing experience from laborious to light speed. I highly recommend our Cuisinart 4-cup chopper/grinder for all your mincing needs.

It’s a wok in the park.

“I’ll stir fry you in my wok.”

- Beastie Boys

A large wok (12–14" diameter) is ideal for this recipe. However, if you don’t have one, a large sauté pan works great too.

Image by Chau Le of C&C Coaching

Ingredients

Marinade

• 1/3 cup of tamari or soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons of toasted sesame oil
• 2 tablespoons of mirin rice wine. If you don’t have mirin rice wine, you can substitute it with 2 tablespoons of rice vinegar plus 1 teaspoon of honey.
• 1 tablespoon of garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon of ginger, minced
• 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper

Stir Fry

• 4–5 lbs of chicken breast cutlets, sliced into half-inch pieces. Any cut of chicken breast will work: chicken cutlets, tenders, or whole chicken breast. I use cutlets because they’re pre-sliced, which makes it easier to slice them into thin, bite-sized pieces.
• 2 tablespoons of coconut oil
• 2 tablespoons of garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons of ginger, minced
• 2 red onions, thinly sliced
• 6–10 carrots, sliced
• 1 bunch of broccolini or broccoli, cut into florets
• 4–6 zucchinis, sliced
• 10–15 mushrooms, sliced
• 2 red bell peppers, cut into strips
• 1 8 oz. can of sliced bamboo shoots
• 1 6 oz. bag of snow peas

Toppings (Optional)

• Green onions, chopped.
• Bragg’s Liquid Aminos. On second thought, this one’s not optional because it’s so freakin’ good.
• Sriracha, for a little heat.

Image by Chau Le of C&C Coaching

Instructions

Marinate the chicken

1. Slice the chicken cutlets into ½-inch thick pieces and set aside in a sealable container.
2. Combine the marinade ingredients in a bowl and mix well.
3. Pour the marinade over the chicken and mix, making sure the chicken is thoroughly coated. Cover and let the chicken marinate in the fridge for at least 30 minutes and up to 24 hours.

Stir fry the chicken and onion

1. Heat 1 tablespoon of coconut oil in the wok on high heat.
2. Add 1 tablespoon of ginger and 1 tablespoon of garlic and stir fry until fragrant — about 30 seconds. Reserve the remaining ginger and garlic for later, when you stir fry the veggies.
3. Add the marinated chicken and sliced onions.
4. Stir fry on high heat, actively stirring and scraping the wok with a spatula until the chicken is browned but not fully cooked — about 5 minutes.
5. Reduce the heat to medium-high and continue stir-frying until the chicken is cooked through — about 5 minutes.
6. Remove the cooked chicken and onions from the wok and set aside.

Stir fry the veggies

1. Heat another tablespoon of coconut oil in the wok on high heat.
2. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of ginger and 1 tablespoon of garlic and stir fry until fragrant — about 30 seconds.
3. Add the carrots and continue to actively stir fry as you add the remaining veggies.
4. Add the zucchini and broccolini.
5. Add the mushrooms and peppers.
6. Add the bamboo shoots and snow peas. Continue stir frying until the snow peas turn bright green, but are still crisp.

Serve over jasmine rice, brown rice, noodles, or cauliflower rice, or just enjoy it as-is! Top with green onions, Bragg’s Liquid Aminos, and Sriracha.

Image by Chau Le of C&C Coaching

You just read another post from In Fitness And In Health: a health and fitness community dedicated to sharing knowledge, lessons, and suggestions to living happier, healthier lives.

If you’d like to join our newsletter and receive more stories like this one, tap here.