Four Simple Stir Fry Recipes

I absolutely LOVE stir fry. One, it's healthy- packed with protein, veggies, and usually low in fat. Two, it's easy! Cooking your meat, veggies, and making your sauce all in one pan is quick and an easy clean up. Three, it's so versatile. Whatever veggies you have on hand will do, and you can make a sauce from pretty much anything. You can vary the sauce really easily- make it spicier or sweeter depending on your mood, AND, you can serve it over quinoa, rice, noodles, rice noodles (ha!), or just by itself. Fourth, it makes excellent leftovers for lunch the next day. What's not to love?

When I stir fry I don't follow a recipe most of the time, I just throw ingredients together and sample the sauce to reach the desired taste.

Here's some stir fry ideas that we love!

clockwise from top left: Spicy Beef Stir Fry, Asian Broccoli Salad with Peanut Sauce and Baked Chicken, Orange Chicken, Sweet and Sour Chicken. 

Orange Chicken:

Cut uncooked chicken into bite sized pieces, cook in frying pan with oil over medium-high heat. When chicken is just under fully cooked, add sauce ingredients: soy sauce, sweet chili sauce, a little honey, orange juice, ginger, roasted red pepper flakes, garlic, and orange zest. Push chicken to outside of pan, bring sauce to a simmer. It should thicken slightly, if not, add a bit of flour or corn starch. When sauce has thickened, add chopped veggies. Veggies that go great with this flavor are red and orange bell peppers, green beans, snap peas, onions, and broccoli. Stir fry veggies for about 5 minutes or until they reach desired crispness.

Sweet and Sour Chicken:

I followed a recipe from skinnymom.com for this sweet and sour chicken. Breading can be intimidating, but it's super easy when you throw your chicken and all the breading ingredients in a ziploc bag and shake it! Also, easy clean up- you just throw away the bag. I didn't use pineapple in my batch because I didn't have any at the time, but I'm sure that would make this dish even yummier.


Spicy Beef:

Cut uncooked beef into small strips, cook in frying pan with oil over medium-high heat. When beef is about half cooked, add sauce ingredients: soy sauce, sriracha, a little wine or rice vinegar, ginger, garlic salt, red pepper flakes, and pepper. Bring to a simmer, add a bit of corn starch to thicken sauce, stir. Add chopped vegetables and stir fry until vegetables are just tender. Really any veggies are excellent with this sauce.

Asian Broccoli Salad with Peanut Sauce and Baked Chicken:

Okay so this one isn't exactly stir fry but it fits in with what I love about stir fry!

Marinade chicken in garlic, balsamic vinegar, and ginger for at least 30 minutes in the fridge. Place in baking dish, pouring all remaining marinade into the dish. Cook chicken for 15-20 minutes in oven set at 425 degrees, or until no longer pink.

I followed a recipe from gimmesomeoven.com for the Broccoli salad. Oh my goodness it is yummy. It's the kind of thing you want to just keep eating, and you totally can because it's oh so healthy. Broccoli, edamame, peanuts, green onions, and some sauce ingredients unite for a crunchy, full flavor. You've gotta try it!

Stir fry is my quick dinner go-to. What do you make when you're in a hurry but want a healthy and flavorful meal?

Have a lovely week!

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