Healthy stir fry made with chicken, vibrant green beans, asparagus and eggplant, tossed with an easy stir fry sauce. This easy stir fry takes under 30 minutes and is packed with vegetables and protein. Enjoy as is or over rice, cauliflower rice or quinoa.
If you want a quick delicious meal then you need to try this chicken stir fry recipe. On a busy weeknight, there’s nothing easier than pulling together a stir-fry (except ordering take out but this is MUCH healthier). If you do weekly meal prepping, you can even make the sauce in advance to make this dish come together even quicker.
I especially love this meal because you can easily swap out the protein and vegetables as well. More details in the article below!
What Kind of Sauce is Used in A Stir Fry?
The sauce used for this chicken stir fry is similar to a typical stir fry sauce. This sauce includes coconut aminos or low-sodium tamari, sesame oil, rice vinegar, honey, and lots of garlic and ginger. This sauce also contains a thickening agent such as cornstarch or arrowroot starch.
You can get my healthy stir fry sauce recipe on the blog here.
Ingredients in this Chicken Green Bean Stir Fry
The ingredients used in this recipe couldn’t be simpler.
- Chicken: here I am using all white meat organic chicken breasts which have been cut into bite size pieces. You’ll season generously with salt and some pepper before cooking.
- String beans, eggplant and asparagus: A beautiful green and purple medley of string beans, eggplant and asparagus provides fiber and phytonutrients.
- Garlic and ginger: Although garlic and ginger are included in the stir fry sauce, I like to add more aromatics to the stir fry for more flavor.
- Garlic ginger stir fry sauce: Get the recipe here.
Substitute the Proteins
Don’t have chicken handy or don’t like chicken? Here are some alternatives which you can use:
- Shrimp
- Cubed or crumbled tofu
- Tempeh
- Ground turkey
Substitute the Vegetables
What’s great about this recipe is you can also substitute vegetables for others if you don’t have a specific ingredient on hand. Swap out cup for cup with one of these alternative options.
- Broccoli
- Snowpeas
- Mushrooms
- Bell peppers
How to Make a Chicken Stir Fry and Cooking Tips
Step 1: Make the stir fry sauce. Find my easy garlic ginger stir fry sauce recipe here.
Step 2: Prep the chicken and vegetables. Cube the chicken into small pieces (1 inch max) and slice the vegetables.
Step 3: Cook the chicken halfway through. Use a wok or a skillet that is large and can stand high heat. I suggest using an oil with a higher smoke point such as avocado oil. After about 3 minutes the chicken will be removed from the pan. The reason we don’t cook the chicken fully is because they will continue to cook after you remove them from the heat and you’ll add them back to the pan with the sauce.
Step 4: Cook the vegetables. You’ll cook the string beans first because these take the longest. If you do not like crispy green beans, you could consider blanching the green beans first (see cooking tips). After a few minutes, you’ll add the eggplant and some chicken stock. You’ll add the asparagus last because asparagus takes the least time to cook. Remember to stir frequently!
Step 5: Add the garlic and the ginger. Sauté them for a minute.
Step 6: Combine the stir fry. Add the chicken back to the pan with the vegetables and a 1/4 cup of the sauce. Cook for about 1-2 minutes until the sauce thickens and then serve!
Cooking Tips for Chicken Stir Fry with Green Beans
- Don’t overcook the protein. Be sure to just partially cook them for 3-4 minutes and remove.
- Cut the chicken (or other protein) into evenly sized pieces. This ensures it cooks evenly.
- Make the sauce ahead of time. The dish comes together quickly once you start cooking.
- Use broth to prevent food from sticking. If the pan starts to dry up, I periodically add a tablespoon of chicken stock instead of oil to keep this dish light and healthy.
- Prep the vegetables ahead of time. As noted, the dish comes together quickly once you start cooking so its best if everything is prepared ahead of time.
- Blanch the string beans. This step is not required, but you can blanch the string beans if you prefer less crunchy string beans. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Boil the beans for 1 minute. Drain and submerge into a bowl of cold water with ice to stop the cooking. Drain and pat dry before adding to the stir fry.
Storage
Store any leftover green bean chicken stir fry in an airtight glass container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can serve this recipe by itself or I recommend that it be served over:
– White or brown rice
– Quinoa
– Cauliflower rice
– Soba (buckwheat noodles)
A stir fry can be healthy if you use minimal oil, lean protein and lots of vegetables. This recipe utilizes the technique of adding small amounts of chicken broth instead of oil to prevent sticking.
First, you’ll want to cook your chicken and vegetable separately and then combine them together. Also, do not add the sauce until the very end once the meat and vegetable components have been cooked.
Blanching can help the beans to retain their color and will make them cook quicker. If you are okay with crispier beans, you can sauté green beans without blanching.
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PrintChicken Stir Fry with Green Beans and Eggplant
Healthy stir fry made with chicken, vibrant green beans, asparagus and eggplant, tossed with an easy stir fry sauce. This easy stir fry takes under 30 minutes and is packed with vegetables and protein.
Ingredients
- 1 lb of all white meat chicken breast
- 1 1/2 tablespoons avocado oil, divided
- 2 cups string beans (see note about blanching)
- 2 cups eggplant, sliced into half moons
- 1 cup asparagus stalks, woody ends removed and cut into thirds.
- 2 teaspoons ginger, grated
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 3/4 cup garlic ginger stir fry sauce
- 1/2 cup low sodium chicken or vegetable broth
Instructions
1. Make the stir fry sauce. Find an easy stir fry sauce recipe here.
2. Slice the vegetables and set aside.
3. Pat chicken dry. Cube the chicken into small pieces (1 inch max) and sprinkle with salt and pepper, if desired. The sauce will be salty but adding a small amount of salt and pepper will give the chicken flavor.
4. In a wok or large saute pan, heat 2 teaspoons avocado oil over medium high heat. Add chicken and cook for 3-4 minutes (chicken should still be cooked about 3/4 way through (if you were to cut a piece open, it would still be slightly pink inside). Remove from pan and set aside.
5. Add another 2 teaspoons of avocado oil to the pan. Cook the string beans first because these take the longest (see note about blanching). We won’t cook them all the way through – you are just giving them a head start.
6. After a few minutes, you’ll add the eggplant and 2 tablespoons chicken stock. Stir frequently for 2 minutes.
7. Add the asparagus and cook for another 2 minutes until asparagus is bright green, eggplant is cooked through. The string beans should still be bright green. If you feel the vegetables are sticking, add another 1-2 tablespoons of chicken stock.
8. Add the chicken back to the stir fry along with 1/4 cup of the sauce. Cook for an additional 2 minutes until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce starts to thicken.
9. Serve over rice, cauliflower rice, quinoa or on its own.
Notes
This step is not required, but you can blanch the string beans if you prefer less crunchy string beans. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Boil the beans for 1 minute. Drain and submerge into a bowl of cold water with ice to stop the cooking. Drain and pat dry before adding to the stir fry.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/4 of recipe
- Calories: 253
- Sugar: 10 g
- Sodium: 325 mg
- Fat: 8 g
- Saturated Fat: 1.2 g
- Carbohydrates: 17.5 g
- Fiber: 4 g
- Protein: 28 g