Five fast stir-fry recipes to get delicious dinners on the table—quick!
Stir frying is my go-to weeknight quick cook strategy. There’s a lot you can do with chopped veggies, a couple of cups of brown rice, and an egg! Bonus, these dishes work well packed in a lunchbox. Double duty dinners. Love it.
I like to make my stir-fries in a wok—it’s shape helps cook the food quickly, which is key. But you can just as easily use a sauté pan or Dutch oven. It’s also best to use oil with a high smoke point—like peanut or grapeseed oil. If you add ginger or garlic, be quick! Just 30 seconds in the pan, or these flavors can turn bitter.
Stir up some delicious fun at the next class in our 52 New Foods Junior Chef series at Williams-Sonoma! Together we’ll make Stir-Fried Chicken with Bok Choy. It’s a fantastic dinner you can cook with your family—then claim the leftovers and pack in your lunch box to enjoy the next day. Suitable for ages 9–13. Call your local Williams-Sonoma store to reserve your space (classes are free!). Spaces fill fast!
Stir Fry Tips
Tip #1: Prep Ahead. Chop your veggies in advance. Check out my post on easy meal prep ideas for tips on how to turn 15 minutes into a week’s worth of meals.
Tip #2: Heat First. Heat the pan first, then add the oil. Do it the other way around and your oil will burn.
Tip # 3: Stems Then Leaves. The stems of your veggies—stalks of bok choy and broccoli for example—will take longer to cook than the leaves. Add them to the pan first. That way you won’t end up with soggy veggies and unhappy kids.
Tip #4: Add a New Food. Stir-fries are an easy way to get your kids to try (a little of) something new! Bok choy, Asian-broccoli, and pea shoots are a few of our faves. Have fun mixing it up with sauces too!
Tip #5: Cook Together! Beginners can wash and tear the greens (the beauty of a stir-fry is it doesn’t need to be perfect to be tasty). Experts can chop, dice, and sauté. Let kids use the same tools you use, with supervision.
Stir-Fried Chicken with Bok Choy from The 52 New Foods Challenge
This simple stir-fry recipe is an easy version of one of my favorite Asian comfort foods: clay-pot chicken. It delivers a big, cozy umami flavor with very little effort. One of my go-to weeknight recipes, it’s easy to prepare, tastes delicious, and can make an encore appearance in your lunchbox the next day.
Prep time: 10 minutes
Wait time: 60 minutes (optional)
Cook time: 30 to 40 minutes
Serves 4
Ingredients for Stir-Fried Chicken with Bok Choy:
4 bunches baby bok choy, chopped into 1-inch sections
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon mirin (optional)
¼ cup tamari or soy sauce
¼ teaspoon Chinese five-spice
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon grapeseed oil
1 pound boneless chicken thigh, trimmed and diced into ½-inch pieces
4 cups long-grain brown rice, cooked
Directions for Stir-Fried Chicken with Bok Choy:
1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the garlic, mirin, tamari, five-spice, and honey. Add the chicken and stir to coat.
2. Heat a wok or large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the oil, then the marinated chicken and sauté, stirring occasionally, for 7 minutes, or until the chicken is crispy on the edges and bounces back gently when pressed with a fork.
3. Just before the chicken is finished, add the stalks of the bok choy leaves to the wok. Cover and let cook for 3 minutes. Add the remaining bok choy leaves, cover, and cook for 2 minutes more, or until the leaves are bright green.
4. Add the rice and gently mix to combine.
5. Serve warm in a large bowl, family-style.
Tip: For better flavor, cover and marinate the chicken for an hour before cooking.
Four More Fast Stir-Fry Recipes
Power Lunch Veggie Stir Fry from The 52 New Foods Challenge
This easy stir-fry can be made with any leftover veggies you have in your fridge. It’s one of my favorite lunchbox foundation dishes. Swap black beans for the edamame, tomato sauce for the tamari, add cilantro, and you’ve got a Southwestern-inspired dish.
Pork Stir Fry with Green’s from Mark Bittman
Stir-Fried Chicken in Lettuce Cups from Weelicious
Chicken and Asparagus Stir Fry from SkinnyTaste
Pin It! Stir-Fried Chicken with Bok Choy from The 52 New Foods Challenge.
- 4 bunches baby bok choy, chopped into 1-inch sections
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon mirin (optional)
- ¼ cup tamari or soy sauce
- ¼ teaspoon Chinese five-spice
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 tablespoon grapeseed oil
- 1 pound boneless chicken thigh, trimmed and diced into ½-inch pieces
- 4 cups long-grain brown rice, cooked
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the garlic, mirin, tamari, five-spice, and honey. Add the chicken and stir to coat.
- Heat a wok or large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the oil, then the marinated chicken and sauté, stirring occasionally, for 7 minutes, or until the chicken is crispy on the edges and bounces back gently when pressed with a fork.
- Just before the chicken is finished, add the stalks of the bok choy leaves to the wok. Cover and let cook for 3 minutes. Add the remaining bok choy leaves, cover, and cook for 2 minutes more, or until the leaves are bright green.
- Add the rice and gently mix to combine. Serve warm in a large bowl, family-style.
