Easy Chicken Stir Fry with Frozen Vegetables (30 Minutes)
This easy chicken stir fry with frozen vegetables is packed with protein, fiber, and plenty of flavor. My particular take on this recipe is to use one bag of frozen stir fry vegetables to save you time on a delicious weeknight dinner. Plus, we’ll show you how to double the batch and freeze a meal kit for later.
About This Recipe
I took a poll in our Freezer Foodies group and on Instagram of recipes you wanted us to create and an easy chicken stir fry consistently rose to the top! You asked, we delivered. 🙂 Here’s what to expect with this one:
- Easy & Quick: Ready in 30 minutes. I purposefully chose to use a 20-ounce package of frozen veggies for this recipe to make it a fast weeknight recipe. Chop up chicken, whip up a quick sauce, saute everything in one pan, and serve over rice–easy peasy! Buy pre-cooked rice for an even simpler meal.
- Wholesome Family Dinner: Chicken provides lean protein, all the veggies add fiber and nutrients, while the rice balances it out with the carbs you need. If you want more fiber, use Instant Pot brown rice or for lower carbs use cauliflower rice.
- Double and Freeze: Like our Meatball Subs recipe or Southwest Chicken and Bacon Wraps, I wanted this to be a meal you could “double and freeze”–meaning cook one for dinner and prep another batch at the same time as a freezer meal kit. Your future self will thank you!
Check out our best freezer-friendly recipes for more ideas.
Ingredients
Simple, wholesome ingredients combine for maximum flavor and texture. Here’s what you’ll need…
Ingredient Notes
- Protein – I used boneless, skinless chicken breasts because they are lean and popular, but you can substitute boneless skinless chicken thighs instead. Or you could use shrimp instead.
- Frozen stir fry vegetables – Like our Asian Turkey Meatballs recipe, I intentionally wrote this recipe to use a bag of frozen, pre-chopped veggies to save us precious chopping time and also so this works as a freezer meal. But if you’d like to use fresh veggies instead, here’s what you’ll need to replace one 20 ounce bag: slice 1 small onion, slice 1 red bell pepper, chop ¾ lb broccoli, and julienne 2 medium carrots.
- Ginger – I love fresh ginger in this sauce! It adds notes of lemony freshness and a different kind of heat. You can’t get that from the powdered version, but ginger paste is a great shortcut from the store. Or always keep a knob of fresh, peeled ginger in the freezer to have on hand. I find it’s easier to grate from frozen.
- Rice – A shortcut is to buy pre-cooked rice in the frozen food or pre-packaged food aisles. You can also use Instant Pot brown rice for extra fiber or cauliflower rice for more veggies and fewer carbs.
- Soy Sauce – I used regular soy sauce and it was the right amount of sodium for our testing team, but feel free to use low sodium soy sauce or gluten free Tamari or coconut aminos instead. Taste and add salt at the end as needed.
Easy Stir Fry Sauce
As with any stir fry, the sauce is what brings the flavor and the thickening power. I tried to use pantry staples like soy sauce (hello, umami!), brown sugar for sweetness, sesame oil for toasty notes, Sriracha for a little heat, and rice vinegar for acid. Then fresh garlic and ginger add freshness and pungency to round it all out.
Testing Notes from Our Kitchens
As our team tested this one, we learned a few things along the way that you may find helpful:
- Use a very large pan for this recipe. A saute pan with high sides or a wok pan work best.
- If your oil overheats and begins to splatter, turn the heat down to medium-low and pull it off the burner for a minute or two.
- The chicken may turn pale instead of golden brown depending on the size of your pan (if the chicken is too close, it steams rather than browns). That’s ok as long as there is no more pink inside or registers 165°F internally.
- Our resident chef-trained recipe tester, Rachel Walters, said, “Thanks to my mom brain, I accidentally bought regular frozen mixed veggies instead of stir fry veggies 🤦 but they work in a pinch!” Good to know!
- You could also serve this over soba noodles instead of rice. It could also be delicious served over Instant Pot Coconut Rice.
How to Make Easy Chicken Stir Fry
You can find the full printable recipe at the bottom of this post, but here’s a quick visual overview.
Important Tips Before Beginning:
- Read through recipe and prep ingredients so this goes fast.
- Start cooking your rice according to package directions.
- Mince garlic, grate ginger, and slice green onions on one cutting board.
- Dice chicken on another cutting board to prevent cross contamination.
What to Serve with Chicken Stir Fry
While this meal really does cover all the nutritional basics, here are some favorite sides you could pair it with:
- Asian Slaw
- Egg Fried Rice
- Instant Pot Coconut Rice – Delicious, rich flavor!
- Cake Mix Cookies – The 3-ingredient version of this cookie gives off fortune cookie flavor vibes with a soft texture. These are my husband’s favorite cookie on Thriving Home!
How to Meal Prep with This Recipe
This recipe is great for meal prepping individual lunches for the week ahead.
- Divide the rice and chicken/veggie mixture into four individual meal prep containers.
- Cover tightly with a lid and refrigerate until ready to use (up to 5 days).
- Microwave in 30 second increments until heated through.
Freezer Meal Instructions
If you’re making this for dinner, a smart use of your time is to double and freeze one (uncooked) batch for later. Of course, we tested this and found this method to be the best way:
Freeze for Later: Mix up the sauce and place in a small freezer bag. Chop chicken into bite-sized pieces and place in a freezer bag. Freeze both of these along with the frozen veggies to create a kit. It’s best to use within 3 months.
Prepare from Frozen: Thaw the chicken and sauce overnight. Do not thaw the veggies. Follow steps 2-5.
FAQs
You can substitute boneless skinless chicken thighs, thin steak strips, or shrimp instead.
For an even healthier chicken stir fry, try some of these swaps:
– Use low-sodium soy sauce for less sodium.
– Reduce the brown sugar for less sugar.
– Serve over brown rice for more fiber.
– Serve over cauliflower rice for lower carbs and more veggies.
To stir fry 1-inch diced chicken breasts, our tests showed that it takes 2 1/2 – 3 minutes in a skillet over medium high heat.
We chose to dice up chicken breasts into 1 inch pieces that are bite-sized. But you could also cut it into thin slices. This is easier to do with partially frozen chicken.
No! Just stir fry them directly from frozen for best results. Thawing results in soggier vegetables.
Yes, swap out soy sauce for gluten free Tamari soy sauce or coconut aminos. Everything else is naturally gluten free in this recipe, but always check labels on sauces and frozen veggies.
For thicker sauce, simmer it just a little longer so it reduces, or add in more cornstarch slurry, which is equal parts water and cornstarch (I’d start with 1 teaspoon). For thinner sauce, just add a little water. Taste and adjust salt as needed.
How to Video
Easy Chicken Stir Fry with Frozen Vegetables
Ingredients
Sauce
- ⅓ cup soy sauce (sub: tamari sauce or coconut aminos for gluten-free)
- ⅓ cup water
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar (sub: Honey, coconut sugar, or maple syrup)
- 1½ tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
- 2 cloves garlic (minced)
- 2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger (sub: ginger paste)
- 1 teaspoon Sriracha sauce (plus more for serving)
- 1 teaspoon rice vinegar (unseasoned; sub: Apple cider vinegar or white wine vinegar)
Stir Fry
- 3 tablespoons avocado oil (divided; sub: olive oil)
- 1 ½ pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts (diced into 1-inch pieces)
- 1 20-ounce bag frozen stir fry vegetables (see Ingredient Notes for subs)
- 2 green onions (sliced)
- Sesame seeds (optional garnish)
- 3 cups cooked rice
Instructions
- Make the Sauce: In a small bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, water, brown sugar, cornstarch, toasted sesame oil, garlic, ginger, Sriracha, and rice vinegar. Set aside.
- Cook Chicken: Heat 2 tablespoons of the cooking oil in a large skillet (or wok) over medium-high heat until shimmery. Add the chicken and cook until there's no more pink inside or it is 165°F internally, about 2 ½-3 minutes (do not overcook). Once the chicken is done, remove from the skillet onto a separate plate and set aside. Drain off or wipe out any excess liquid left in the pan.
- Cook Veggies: In the same skillet, add the remaining 1 tablespoon of cooking oil and heat until shimmery. Add the frozen stir fry veggies. Stir fry according to package directions, about 5-7 minutes or until crisp-tender.
- Add Chicken & Sauce: Add the cooked chicken back to the skillet. Whisk the stir fry sauce and then pour over the chicken and vegetables. Give everything a stir and allow the sauce to come up to a simmer, at which point it will start to thicken and turn glossy. Continue to cook for 2-3 more minutes or until it has reached your desired consistency.
- Serve: Remove it from the heat, top with green onions, sesame seeds (optional), and more Sriracha, to taste. Serve warm over rice.
Freezer Instructions
Notes/Tips
-
Important Tips Before Beginning:
- Read through recipe and prep ingredients so this goes fast.
- Start cooking your rice according to package directions.
- Mince garlic, grate ginger, and slice green onions on one cutting board.
- Dice chicken on another cutting board to prevent cross contamination.
- For fresh veggies instead of a 20-ounce bag of frozen: slice 1 small onion, slice 1 red bell pepper, chop ¾ lb broccoli, and julienne 2 medium carrots.
- Generic frozen mixed vegetables work for frozen stir fry vegetables in a pinch.
- Use a very large pan for this recipe. A saute pan with high sides or a wok pan work best.
- If your oil overheats and begins to splatter, turn the heat down to medium-low.
- This recipe is great for meal prepping for the week ahead. Divide into four individual meal prep containers, cover, and refrigerate until ready to use. Store for up to 5 days in the fridge. To reheat: Microwave in 30 second increments until heated through.
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