Chicken Stir Fry with Peppers and Kale
Golden nuggets of chicken, tossed with sweet bell peppers, onion, garlic, and vibrant kale. And the sauce? A quick-and-easy, flavorful blend of soy, sesame, wine, and honey. Equal parts salty and sweet, you’ll be licking the plate clean.
This sauce is absolutely incredible. It’s got the perfect balance of salty and sweet – flavors that dance on your tongue. And it’s made with pantry staples. Just add chicken, bell peppers, and kale – toss it all together – and dinner is ready in under 30 minutes.
How should you serve your chicken stir-fry? I suggested rice below, because (as you can see) I served our chicken and vegetables (and that satiny sauce) over fluffy white rice. I made long grain rice rice from scratch, but you can easily use the pre-cooked packets of jasmine, basmati, brown, and rice blends sold next to the raw rice. Just know – you’ll want something to soak up this delicious sauce.
What kind of chicken should you use for your chicken stir-fry? I used thin-cut, boneless skinless chicken breasts. Truth be told, this is my favorite “go-to” product because I can buy it frozen and thaw what I need. That means, I can pull 1, 2 or 4 chicken breast halves from the freezer as needed, and then cook or slice/chop (whatever the recipe calls for). In this recipe, I cut the thin-cut chicken breasts into bite-size pieces – and it’s a MUCH easier task when the chicken is sold thin-sliced.
Can you make this chicken stir-fry spicy? Absolutely. I didn’t add any heat to this stir-fry, and served hot sauce on the side. If you want to add some fire-on-the-tongue, use hot chili powder, and/or add 1 to 3 teaspoons of your favorite hot sauce to the soy sauce mixture. And, always serve hot sauce on the side for the fiery folks!
Here’s how to make this chicken stir-fry
- Sauté chicken in a pan.
- Sauté onion, bell pepper, kale, and garlic in the same pan.
- Return the chicken to the pan.
- Add a flavorful blend of chicken broth, soy sauce, honey, Asian cooking wine, and sesame oil.
- Simmer.
- Serve over rice (or your favorite noodle/grain).
Chicken Stir-Fry with Peppers and Kale
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup chicken broth
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon Shaoxing or mirin, Chinese or Japanese cooking wine
- 1 tablespoon honey or brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 2 bell peppers, any color, seeded and chopped
- 2 cups baby kale leaves or chopped kale
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Cooked rice for serving
- Chopped green onions for serving, optional
Equipment
Instructions
- In a small bowl, whisk together the broth, soy sauce, Shaoxing or mirin, honey or brown sugar, and sesame oil. Whisk in the cornstarch until blended. Set aside.
- Heat 1 tablespoon of the vegetable oil in a wok or large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook until golden brown on all sides. Transfer the chicken to a plate.
- Heat the remaining vegetable oil in the same pan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and bell peppers and cook for 3 to 5 minutes, until soft. Add the kale and garlic and cook for 2 minutes, until the kale softens. Return the chicken to the pan with any accumulated juices from the plate.
- Stir the soy sauce mixture again and add it to the pan. Bring to a simmer and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until the sauce thickens. Season to taste with salt and black pepper.
- Serve the chicken and vegetables (and sauce) over rice and top with green onions, if using.