Chicken and Bell Pepper Stir Fry

This chicken and pepper fry makes a great filling for sandwiches, or a delicious homemade version of your favorite takeout! Cook once and enjoy the meal twice — serve it with rice first, and then use leftovers for chicken pepper sandwiches on soft rolls with cheese for a second quick and tasty weeknight dinner.

It can be hard to find good Asian cuisine — or even authentic Asian ingredients — in our little rural community. As a result, it’s nice to have a handful of quick go-to recipes that I can turn to when a craving for Chinese food strikes. Meals like Moo Shu Pork, “Egg Roll in a Bowl,” and General Tso Chicken are simple, homemade versions of our restaurant favorites — and now we’re adding this easy chicken and pepper stir fry to the list as well!

The quick meal comes together in less time than it would take me to pickup Chinese takeout, it doesn’t require any unusual or hard-to-find ingredients, and it’s healthier than restaurant fare. The dish is also very versatile!

Serve the meat and veggies over rice, or use riced cauliflower for a lighter option. Stuff the chicken and bell peppers in hoagie rolls with melted cheese for delicious sandwiches that are Asian twists on classic chicken Philly cheesesteaks. Or, switch up the veggies to suit your family’s tastes (broccoli, sliced water chestnuts, or mushrooms are all great options). Anything goes when you’re cooking in your own kitchen.

How do you stir fry chicken without drying it out?

The best way to stir fry chicken is to let it sit in the flavorful marinade for a few minutes, and then cook it quickly in very hot oil. Do not overcrowd the pan, or you’ll end up steaming the meat rather than getting a nice sear on the outside. If your skillet isn’t big enough to comfortably cook the chicken in a single layer, you may need to work in batches and just cook half of it at a time.

How do you make stir fry chicken so it’s tender?

You can use either chicken breast or chicken thighs in this recipe; however, chicken thighs are less likely to become dry or tough, so they’re your best bet if you’re concerned about the juiciest, most tender meat in your dish. Also, remember to cook the chicken quickly over very high heat — not low and slow!

Should you Season chicken with salt and pepper?

Thanks to the soy sauce, the chicken will likely be salty enough, so I don’t recommended seasoning the meat with additional salt and pepper until you’ve had a chance to taste it at the end. You can always stir in some ground black pepper or crushed red pepper flakes if you’d like it a little bit spicy.

Serving Suggestions

You can’t beat the classic combination of chicken peppers and rice! Garnish each serving with your favorite toppings, like sliced green onions, toasted sesame seeds, red pepper flakes, chopped peanuts, or crunchy chow mein noodles.

The chicken and peppers are also delicious served in sandwich rolls with melted cheese — like an Asian-inspired chicken cheesesteak.

To round out the meal with additional side dishes, try pairing the chicken and bell pepper stir-fry with pasta, ramen noodles, sesame peanut noodles, ramen noodle coleslaw, sesame ginger snap pea salad, or baked store-bought egg rolls. Don’t forget fortune cookies for dessert, too!

Chicken Bell Pepper Stir Fry Recipe Variations

• Chicken and Broccoli Stir Fry: replace the bell peppers with an equal amount of broccoli.
• Thinly-sliced carrots or sliced fresh mushrooms would also be a nice addition to the stir-fry.
• For a sweeter sauce, add 1-2 more tablespoons of brown sugar. You can also stir about 1-2 tablespoons of hoisin sauce into the skillet towards the end for a richer, sweeter flavor.
• Swap out the chicken and use shrimp or thinly-sliced flank steak in this easy stir fry recipe.
• Make it spicy with the addition of crushed red pepper flakes or a splash of sriracha hot sauce.

Tips for the Best Chicken and Bell Pepper Stir Fry

• Store fresh ginger root in the freezer so that it’s always available when you need to grate off a little bit for a recipe! You can also substitute with dried ground ginger here.
• Make sure that your skillet is really hot when you add the chicken. You want the chicken to cook quickly over very high heat so that it stays juicy and tender, rather than cooking longer and becoming dry and tough.
• If your skillet or wok isn’t big enough to comfortably cook the chicken spread out in a single layer, then work in batches and cook half of the meat at a time. Otherwise you’ll steam the chicken instead of getting a nice, brown sear on the outside.
• For a thicker sauce, let it cook an extra minute or so, but remember — the sauce will continue to thicken slightly as it cools. If you find that the sauce gets too thick, you can always thin it out again by adding a splash of water or broth.
• Garnish the dish with extra toppings for even more flavor. We love toasted sesame seeds, sliced green onion, chopped peanuts, cashews, chow mein noodles, or crushed red pepper flakes.

More Chinese Chicken Recipes

Baked Sweet and Sour Chicken

40 minutes mins

Chicken Lo Mein Recipe (“Chinese Noodles”)

30 minutes mins

Baked General Tso Chicken Recipe

40 minutes mins

Chicken and Bell Pepper Stir Fry

5 from 2 votes

Prep: 15 minutes minutes

Cook: 13 minutes minutes

Total: 28 minutes minutes

Servings 4 people

Calories 300 kcal

You can't beat the convenience of a quick chicken and bell pepper stir fry that's ready in less than 30 minutes!

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Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• ½ cup less-sodium soy sauce, plus more for serving
• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon minced or grated fresh ginger (or about 1 teaspoon ground ginger)
• 1 garlic clove, minced or grated
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 2 sweet bell peppers (any color), seeded and cut into bite-size pieces
• 1 ½ lb. skinless, boneless chicken thighs or chicken breasts, trimmed of fat and cut into ¾-inch pieces
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• ½ cup water or low-sodium chicken broth
• Kosher salt, to taste
• Cooked white rice, for serving
• Optional garnish: additional soy sauce sliced green onion, toasted sesame seeds, chopped peanuts, cashews, chow mein noodles, or crushed red pepper flakes

Instructions

• In a large mason jar or in a small bowl, shake or whisk together the soy sauce, rice vinegar, brown sugar, sesame oil, ginger, garlic and cornstarch until the cornstarch is completely dissolved. Set aside.
  
• Place chicken in a large bowl. Add about ¼ cup of the soy sauce mixture to the chicken and toss to coat. Set aside, reserving the remaining sauce to use later.
  
• Heat 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil in a large cast iron skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Add the bell peppers and stir-fry until crisp-tender, about 4 minutes. Remove to a plate and set aside.
  
• Wipe the pan clean, add the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil, and heat the oil over high heat. Once the skillet is very hot, add the chicken mixture, leaving most of the marinade in the bowl (discard this marinade). Spread out the chicken in the pan, and then let it sit, undisturbed, for about 1-2 minutes so that the chicken can get nice and brown. Flip the chicken and cook through, tossing occasionally, for about 5 to 6 minutes.
  
• Add water or chicken broth, reserved soy sauce mixture, and peppers to the skillet. Bring to a simmer and cook over high heat, stirring, for 30 seconds – 1 minute; then turn off the heat. The sauce will continue to thicken as it sits. Taste and season with salt if necessary.
  
• Serve over rice and garnish with optional toppings.
  

Notes

• Store fresh ginger root in the freezer so that it’s always available when you need to grate off a little bit for a recipe! You can also substitute with dried ground ginger here.
• Make sure that your skillet is really hot when you add the chicken. You want the chicken to cook quickly over very high heat so that it stays juicy and tender, rather than cooking longer and becoming dry and tough.
• If your skillet or wok isn’t big enough to comfortably cook the chicken spread out in a single layer, then work in batches and cook half of the meat at a time. Otherwise you’ll steam the chicken instead of getting a nice, brown sear on the outside.
• For a thicker sauce, let it cook an extra minute or so, but remember — the sauce will continue to thicken slightly as it cools. If you find that the sauce gets too thick, you can always thin it out again by adding a splash of water or broth.
• Garnish the dish with extra toppings for even more flavor. We love toasted sesame seeds, sliced green onion, chopped peanuts, cashews, chow mein noodles, or crushed red pepper flakes.

Nutrition

Serving: 1/4 of the recipeCalories: 300kcalCarbohydrates: 15gProtein: 40gFat: 8gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0.02gCholesterol: 109mgSodium: 1350mgPotassium: 886mgFiber: 2gSugar: 9gVitamin A: 1914IUVitamin C: 79mgCalcium: 29mgIron: 1mg

Keyword: chicken and bell pepper stir fry, chicken and pepper stir fry, chicken pepper fry, chicken peppers and rice

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: Asian

Author: Blair Lonergan

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