Can you freeze chicken stir fry?

You can, but the broccoli and bell pepper turn soft and watery on thawing. The chicken in sauce freezes well on its own for up to 3 months if you want to cook fresh vegetables later.

Can I use chicken breast instead of thighs?

Yes, cut it into 1 inch pieces and sear it just until it reaches 165°F (74°C), about 4 minutes. Breast dries out fast at stir fry heat, so get it out of the pan the moment it is done.

What can replace the potato starch?

Cornstarch in the same amount works identically. All-purpose flour will thicken too, but the sauce turns cloudy and tastes a little pasty.

Can I make it gluten free?

Use tamari or a gluten free soy sauce and the rest of the recipe is already gluten free, since the sauce is thickened with potato starch.

Which vegetables can I swap in?

Carrot, snow peas, green beans, cabbage and mushrooms all work. Add the hard ones with the broccoli and the quick ones in the last two minutes.

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Chicken Stir Fry with Vegetables

Name: Chicken Stir Fry with Vegetables
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 35 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Chinese
Ingredients: 0.3 cup soy sauce; 0.5 cup water; 1 tbsp rice vinegar, or red wine vinegar; 1 tbsp sugar; 1 tbsp potato starch; 1 tsp sesame oil (optional), optional, stirred in at the end; 1.5 cup jasmine rice, for serving; 1.5 lb boneless skinless chicken thigh, about 680 g, cut into 1 inch pieces; salt, to taste; black pepper, to taste; 3 tbsp vegetable oil, divided; 1 lb broccoli, cut into small florets; 2 pieces bell pepper, seeded and sliced; 1 pieces onion, cut into wedges; 4 clove garlic, finely chopped; 1 tbsp ginger, peeled and finely grated; 1 pieces chili (optional), thinly sliced; 3 pieces scallion, sliced, for serving; 2 tbsp sunflower seeds (optional), toasted, for serving

By MiddagsarkivetOctober 3, 2026

Time: 35 min
Difficulty: Easy
Servings: 4 servings

Stir fry arrived in Nordic kitchens by way of the wok boom of the 1980s, when every other household got a carbon steel wok as a wedding present and then used it mainly for this. It is not Chinese cooking in any strict sense, it is what a Danish or Swedish family makes on a Wednesday when the alternative is ordering in: chicken, whatever peppers are in the drawer, soy sauce, garlic, rice.

The two things that separate a good version from a soggy one are heat and patience. Everything gets cut before anything hits the pan, and the chicken goes in without crowding. A large skillet works as well as a wok on an American stove, since home burners rarely put out enough heat to make a round-bottomed wok worth the trouble.

Chicken thighs are the Nordic default here, cheaper than breast and far more forgiving when the pan runs hot. Breast works if that is what you have, just pull it off the heat the moment it is done.

Chicken stir fry with broccoli and bell peppers in a glossy soy sauce, served over jasmine rice in a wide bowl — AI generated image. The dish has not been photographed.

How to make it

1
Start the rice
Rinse the jasmine rice until the water runs clear, then cook it with 2 1/4 cups water and a pinch of salt according to the package directions. Keep it covered off the heat until serving.
20 min
2
Mix the sauce
Whisk together the soy sauce, water, rice vinegar, sugar and potato starch in a small bowl until no lumps remain. Set it next to the stove.
3
Prep everything
Cut the chicken into 1 inch pieces and season with salt and black pepper. Cut the broccoli into small florets, slice the bell pepper, cut the onion into wedges, chop the garlic, grate the ginger and slice the chili and scallion. Stir frying leaves no time to chop.
10 min
4
Sear the chicken
Heat 2 tablespoons vegetable oil in a large skillet or wok over high heat until it shimmers. Add the chicken in a single layer and let it sit undisturbed for 2 minutes, then stir and cook until browned and cooked through to an internal temperature of 165°F (74°C), about 5 minutes total. Transfer to a plate.
7 min
5
Cook the vegetables
Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil to the pan. Add the broccoli, bell pepper and onion and stir fry over high heat until the broccoli is bright green and still crisp at the center, 4 to 5 minutes. Add a splash of water if the pan goes dry and the vegetables start to scorch.
5 min
6
Add the aromatics
Push the vegetables to the side, add the garlic, ginger and chili to the center of the pan and stir for 30 seconds, until fragrant but not browned.
1 min
7
Finish
Return the chicken to the pan, whisk the sauce once more and pour it in. Toss over high heat until the sauce thickens and coats everything, about 1 minute. Stir in the sesame oil and taste for salt.
2 min
8
Serve
Spoon the stir fry over the rice and scatter the scallion and toasted sunflower seeds on top.

A couple of tips

Cut the broccoli florets smaller than looks right. Large florets stay raw inside while the outside overcooks.

Work in two batches if your skillet is smaller than 12 inches. Crowded chicken steams instead of searing, and the sauce turns watery.

Whisk the sauce again right before it goes in the pan. The potato starch settles to the bottom within a minute.

What you need

a 12 inch skillet or wok
an instant-read thermometer

Serving

Serve over jasmine rice with extra soy sauce and sliced chili on the table. A cucumber salad with rice vinegar on the side cuts the salt.

Storing it

Keeps 3 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Reheat in a hot skillet rather than the microwave so the vegetables do not go limp; store the rice separately.

Nutrition per serving

Calories	680 kcal
Fat	21 g
of which saturated	5 g
Carbohydrates	79 g
of which sugars	10 g
Fiber	6 g
Protein	44 g
Salt	4 g

Guideline values, worked out from the ingredients.

Questions and answers

Can you freeze chicken stir fry?: You can, but the broccoli and bell pepper turn soft and watery on thawing. The chicken in sauce freezes well on its own for up to 3 months if you want to cook fresh vegetables later.
Can I use chicken breast instead of thighs?: Yes, cut it into 1 inch pieces and sear it just until it reaches 165°F (74°C), about 4 minutes. Breast dries out fast at stir fry heat, so get it out of the pan the moment it is done.
What can replace the potato starch?: Cornstarch in the same amount works identically. All-purpose flour will thicken too, but the sauce turns cloudy and tastes a little pasty.
Can I make it gluten free?: Use tamari or a gluten free soy sauce and the rest of the recipe is already gluten free, since the sauce is thickened with potato starch.
Which vegetables can I swap in?: Carrot, snow peas, green beans, cabbage and mushrooms all work. Add the hard ones with the broccoli and the quick ones in the last two minutes.

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How it was made

This recipe was written by a language model. Below is what it cost, how long it took and when each step ran, so you can see how the archive comes about.

Cost: $0.249
Time: 1 min 29 sec
Model calls: 5
Safety check: Passed

Date	Step	Model	Usage	Time	Cost
Oct 3, 2026	Wrote the recipe	anthropic/claude-opus-5	7,485 in · 3,491 out tokens	38.4 sec	$0.125
Oct 3, 2026	Checked food safety	anthropic/claude-sonnet-5	2,569 in · 19 out tokens	1.3 sec	$0.005
Oct 3, 2026	Made the picture	bfl/flux-2-max	1 image	25.7 sec	$0.070
Oct 3, 2026	Worked out the nutrition	anthropic/claude-opus-5	1,703 in · 1,480 out tokens	17.8 sec	$0.046
Oct 3, 2026	Set the collections	anthropic/claude-sonnet-5	1,478 in · 39 out tokens	1.4 sec	$0.003

Chicken Stir Fry with Vegetables

How to make it

Start the rice

Mix the sauce

Prep everything

Sear the chicken

Cook the vegetables

Add the aromatics

Finish

Serve