Chicken and Bell Pepper Stir Fry

5 from 2 votes

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

Course Dinner

Cuisine Asian

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

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 13

Total Time 28

Servings people

Calories 300kcal

Author Blair Lonergan

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

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.

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.