How to Make the Best Healthy Chicken Teriyaki Stir Fry
The secret to making healthy Chicken Teriyaki Stir Fry tasty: it starts with the sauce.
The best teriyaki sauce is the one that you make yourself.
Forget using store-bought bottled sauce. Homemade teriyaki sauce is super simple. It tastes better than store-bought sauce because it is fresh.
Further, making your own teriyaki sauce from scratch allows you to make the chicken teriyaki healthy. Since you are in control of the ingredients, you can avoid the excess refined sugars, sodium, and preservatives found in most store-bought sauces.
It’s easy too! You can find all the ingredients you need to make this recipe right in your pantry or with a quick trip to your neighborhood grocery store, no specialty ingredients required.
Ingredients
FOR THE STIR FRY:
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil — divided
- 1 ¼ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts — cut into bite-size pieces
- 1 red bell pepper — cut into strips
- 3 cups chopped mixed vegetables of choice — such as asparagus, broccoli, or snap peas
- 1 (8-ounce) can sliced water chestnuts — drained
- 2 medium green onions — finely chopped, divided
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds — optional
- Low-sodium soy sauce — for serving
- Prepared brown rice, quinoa, noodles, or cauliflower rice — for serving
FOR THE SAUCE:
-
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/3 cup low-sodium soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon minced ginger
- ¼–½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch — mix with 2 tablespoons water to create a slurry
Instructions
- First prepare the sauce: In a small pot, place the water, soy sauce, honey, rice vinegar, garlic, ginger, and red pepper flakes. Heat over medium high, stirring until smoothly combined. Bring to a boil. Add the cornstarch slurry. Whisk constantly until the sauce is thickened, about 1 to 2 minutes or until sauce has thickened.
- In a large, deep sauté pan or wok, heat ½ tablespoon oil over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot but not smoking, add the chicken and a few dashes of soy sauce. Cook until the chicken is golden on all sides and fully cooked through, about 4 to 6 minutes. With a large spoon, remove to a plate and set aside.
- Heat the remaining ½ tablespoon oil. Add the bell pepper and asparagus. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes, or until softened and lightly browned.
- When the vegetables are ready, add the water chestnuts and return the chicken to the pan. Pour in the sauce and toss to coat. Let simmer 1 to 2 minutes to warm the chicken through. Stir in about half of the green onions. Sprinkle the sesame seeds and remaining green onions over the top. Serve warm, with additional red pepper flakes and/or soy sauce as desired.