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20-Minute Chicken and Vegetable Stir Fry

Yield: 6 servings
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients

Chicken + Veggies:

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 to 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, cubed or cut into thin strips
  • Salt and pepper
  • 8 ounces (227 g) baby bella or white button mushrooms, stems removed and quartered
  • 1 to 2 red bell peppers, cored, seeded and cut into strips or bite-size pieces
  • 1 medium yellow or red onion, halved and cut into thin half moon slices
  • 3 cups fresh broccoli florets
  • 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
  • 2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger (see note)

Sauce:

  • ½ cup BBQ sauce (see note)
  • ⅓ cup low-sodium soy sauce
  • 2 to 3 tablespoons pure maple syrup
  • ¼ cup chicken broth, veggie broth or water
  • Hot cooked rice or quinoa, for serving

Instructions 

  • In a large, nonstick skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat until hot and rippling. Season the chicken lightly with salt and pepper. Add it to the skillet in a single layer, and let it cook without stirring for 30 seconds so it browns nicely. Flip the chicken pieces, and stir until cooked through, 4-5 minutes (less if the chicken is in really thin strips or small cubes).
  • Remove the chicken to a plate, keeping any excess oil or juices in the skillet.
  • Add the mushrooms, peppers, onions, and broccoli to the hot skillet; add another teaspoon or so of oil if the skillet is dry. Cook for 1-2 minutes and then add the garlic and ginger. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are crisp-tender, 5-7 minutes (longer if you like the vegetables softer).
  • Add the chicken back into the skillet.
  • Whisk together the sauce ingredients and pour over the chicken/veggies. Cook, stirring, until well coated, hot and bubbly. Serve over hot, cooked white or brown rice.

Notes

BBQ Sauce: here is my favorite homemade version. 
Ginger: for the ginger, my favorite tip is to cut large knobs of fresh ginger into 1-inch pieces, toss them in a freezer ziploc bag and pop them in the freezer. When you need fresh ginger for a recipe, take out a piece of ginger and grate it, frozen, on the small holes of a box grater or on a rasp grater. Works like a dream! Also, ginger paste, if you can find it, works great in this recipe, too.
Soy Sauce: I highly recommend low-sodium soy sauce in this recipe; regular soy sauce might make the overall dish too salty, especially with certain brands of BBQ sauce.
Sauce: if you want your sauce a little thicker, try stirring in a couple teaspoons of cornstarch before adding it to the stir fry.
Vegetables: also, it goes without saying that this recipe is easily adaptable to vegetables of your preference or what you have on hand.
Meat: you could also change up the chicken for beef, shrimp, or leave it meatless.