Looking for quick dinner ideas for tonight but only have 15 minutes to whip together a fresh but easy meal? Try our quick and easy 15-minute chicken stir-fry and ditch the grilled cheese.
Creating This Quick Dinner Recipe
I always thought that life was busy with kids and that it would slow down a little once they were in school and I was alone at home to get things done. I laugh out loud at my naive self. You don’t get more done with kids in school, you become a taxi, a tutor, a teacher, a maid, a lunch lady, a soccer mom, a shopper, an errand runner, a project planner, a nurse (because heaven knows once they start school they bring home every germ in the world) — and the list only goes on and on. But this Quick and Easy 15-Minute Chicken Stir Fry is totally attainable even with all of that work.
Between packing and unpacking lunches and backpacks and making sure everyone gets out the door on time with all homework finished, there isn’t a lot of time left for meal planning. And we know you’re in the same boat as us.
I thought I made quick and easy dinners before, but we’ve stepped up our game. Who’s got time for a 30-minute meal on a day when 3 kids have to be in 3 different places all over town between 4-4:30?!
Cade called to see if I needed anything from the store, and when I told him a super quick dinner idea I could make before the girls had dance he showed up with Yakisoba noodles he found in the produce department and that only require a quick rinse in warm water to eat, and all the veggies for a chicken stir-fry.
He rinsed the noodles and chopped the broccolini and peppers. I opened the matchstick carrots, the pre-sliced package of crimini mushrooms, and cut the baby bok choy open. 2 minutes was all it took, and I bet you could find a package of stir fry-veggies that would cut back on your prep time even more.
In a measuring cup, we threw together a little sauce for it all and opened up a package of already cubed chicken from the meat department (which does cost more, so next time we will just use our own. But hey, convenience on a night like that was important).
What’s in This Easy Stir-Fry Recipe?
For this quick and easy dinner recipe, you’ll need:
- Cubed chicken breasts
- Yakisoba noodles
- Cooking oil
- Your favorite stir-fry vegetables (I’ve shared ours in the recipe card below)
We opted to make a quick homemade stir-fry sauce as well, which uses:
- Soy sauce
- Vegetable stock
- Honey, brown sugar
- Ground ginger
- Garlic
- Cornstarch.
In the spirit of super easy recipes, feel free to adjust the sauce and chicken stir-fry ingredients as needed. We constantly change up our stir-fry vegetables depending on what’s in the fridge — you’ve gotta do what you’ve gotta do when the kids need to be out the door soon!
How to Make Chicken Stir-Fry Fast
This easy stir-fry recipe is the definition of a quick and easy recipe. You’ll first need to heat a skillet or cast iron pan over high heat and add a little oil. Throw in the chicken and season with salt and pepper. Turn the heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, until cooked through, about 4 minutes. Remove to a plate.
Next, saute the veggies in a little more oil until they’re crisp-tender. While the veggies cook, run the noodles under hot water to separate them, and whisk together the homemade stir-fry sauce.
Once the veggies are tender, add the chicken back to the pan along with the noodles and stir-fry sauce. Toss everything together to coat evenly in the sauce and cook until heated through. We like to garnish our chicken stir-fry with chopped scallions and sesame seeds, but it’s also delicious as is. Isn’t this such an easy dinner recipe?!
Can I Use Another Type of Noodle?
Yes, if you can’t find yakisoba noodles at your grocery store, you can also use another thin noodle. Angel hair pasta and spaghetti would work well in this chicken stir-fry. I know neither are authentic, but they cook quickly, which is what matters here! You could even use ramen noodles for this delicious dinner recipe.
Which Soy Sauce Should I Use?
Unfortunately, not all soy sauce brands are created equal. I recommend using a low-sodium soy sauce to make sure your chicken stir-fry doesn’t come out too salty. If you’re really sensitive to salt, you may want to use a salt-free stock or bouillon base as well. Remember: you can always make your stir-fry saltier by adding in more salt yourself!
What Pan Should I Use for Stir-Fries?
Use a Cast Iron pan so that the juices and food can caramelize at the bottom of the pan for the best flavor. If you haven’t bought one yet, do so now, this pan is our FAVORITE!
Okay, the truth is, this meal actually took us less than 15 minutes because we didn’t even have to chop the chicken but in case you do, 15 minutes from the start of cook time to finish!
Can I Use Another Type of Meat in This Easy Stir-Fry?
Of course! The great thing about quick dinners like this easy stir-fry recipe is that you can tailor them to suit whatever ingredients you have in your fridge. You’re welcome to skip the chicken and instead use ground meat (any kind), steak, pulled chicken, and more. And if you’re vegetarian, you can add cubed tofu to this simple dinner idea.
Can I Add Pre-Cooked Chicken to This Quick Stir-Fry?
That’s a great idea! If you have pre-cooked chicken breasts you need to use up, throw them into this easy stir-fry. You’ll want to cube the chicken and add it into the stir-fry at the very end, just to heat it through.
How to Reheat Leftover Chicken Stir-Fry
If you wind up with leftovers of this quick dinner idea, I recommend reheating it in a skillet with a little oil and a splash of stock or water. Avoid microwaving leftovers, as the stir-fry noodles become rubbery when reheated that way.
Tips for Making Chicken Stir-Fry
We used broccolini in this easy stir-fry recipe, but you can also use broccoli florets. Again, whatever you have in your fridge will work!
There’s one more thing I’ll note about the veggies, though. I say ditch the boring button mushrooms, and buy some sliced cremini mushrooms instead. Cremini are a little more meaty in flavor, and I find they’re not as rubbery as button mushrooms once they’re cooked.
I also recommend whisking together the stir-fry sauce before adding it to the veggie mixture, otherwise the sauce ingredients might not all dissolve (i.e. you’ll wind up with bits of partially dissolved cornstarch or brown sugar in the stir-fry).
More Asian Recipes:
- Classic Orange Chicken
- Korean Asian Braised Short Ribs
- One Pan Simple Asian Shrimp Noodles
- Teriyaki Chicken Casserole
- Thai Peanut Steak Salad
- Asian Chicken Skewers with Honey Garlic Sauce
- Pork Dumplings
- Quick and Easy Cashew Chicken
- Teriyaki Chicken Noodles
- Sweet and Spicy Orange Salmon
- Thai Peanut Sauce Noodles with Chicken
- …All of Our Asian Recipes!
Quick and Easy 15 Minute Chicken Stir Fry
Description
Ingredients
- 1 Package Yakisoba Noodles, found in the produce department and are precooked
- 3 Tablespoons Oil, canola or peanut
- 2 Chicken Breasts, cubed in 1" pieces
- Salt and Pepper , to taste
- 1 Cup Crimini Mushrooms
- 1 Bundle Broccolini Florets, stalks removed, or broccoli florets
- 1 Cup Matchstick Carrots
- 1 Cup Red Bell Peppers, chopped
- 2 Baby Bok Choy, end removed and quartered lengthwise
- 2 Green Onions, minced for garnish
- 1 Tablespoon Sesame Seeds , for garnish
For the Sauce
- 1/2 Cup Low Sodium Soy Sauce or Tamari
- 1/4 Cup Vegetable or Chicken Stock, (We prefer to use Better Than Bouillon Chicken Base)
- 1 Tablespoon Honey
- 1 Tablespoon Brown Sugar
- 1/4 Teaspoon Ground Ginger
- 1 Teaspoon Garlic, minced, about 1 clove
- 2 Tablespoons Cornstarch
Instructions
- Heat a season cast iron skillet over high heat. We prefer cast iron for the great flavor it lends to meals unlike nonstick which doesn't allow the juices to caramelize at the bottom of the pan.
- Add 1 Tablespoon of the oil and heat until shimmering.
- Add the chicken and season with a pinch of salt and pepper.
- Turn the heat down to medium and cook, stirring occasionally until the chicken is cooked through, about 4 minutes.
- Remove the chicken to a plate.
- Add the remaining oil to the pan and add the broccolini, carrots and peppers.
- Cook, stirring occasionally for 2 minutes.
- Add the mushrooms and bok choy and cook an additional 3 minutes.
- Meanwhile, run the precooked noodles through hot water to separate the noodles.
- Drain and set aside.
- Whisk together the soy sauce, stock, honey, brown sugar, ginger, garlic and cornstarch.
- As soon as the veggies are tender, add the chicken and noodles to the pan and pour in the sauce, toss for a minute or two and serve hot with a garnish of green onions and sesame seeds.
Equipment
Notes
Nutrition
Recommended Products
Brie
This was so salty that it was literally inedible. I was embarrassed to serve this to my family, but I already spent over an hour cooking the dish. None of us could finish it. I wish I read the comments first, I would have made my own szechuan sauce instead. I followed all directions (low sodium soy sauce, correct amount of bouillon base) and it was still the saltiest dish I think I’ve ever eaten. I give it two stars because I do think the vegetable list is a great combination, and I will try it again with my own sauce, but unfortunately this time the sauce ruined it.
Sweet Basil
Thank you for the feedback Brie!
Cassandra
My fiancé and I cannot get enough of this meal! It is so delicious!! I have shared it with my family and told them they have to try.
Thank you for this recipe 😊 its healthy, quick and easy. What more could a girl want
Sweet Basil
Yay! Love to hear this Cassandra! Thank you so much for the support!
Amy L
I haven’t tried this yet, but I wonder if the problem people are having with the saltiness is the extra Better Than Boullion that the printable recipe calls for. It says 1/4 cup of stock and then another teaspoon of Better Than Boullion. It doesn’t mention the extra Boullion in the instructions. Might be something to check.
Sweet Basil
Hi Amy! You are totally right! I’ve removed the extra Better Than Bouillon mentioned. Thank you so much for bringing this to my attention!
Jillian
Definitely took longer than 15 minutes, and even with low sodium soy sauce, it was way to salty for us. Diluted it down with some water and added some extra brown sugar and it made it better. Also used ramen noodles since I couldn’t find yakisoba noodles. Overall it was delicious though and will make it again with some adjustments!
Sweet Basil
Thank you so much for the feedback Jillian!
Angela McCoy
We made this tonight with rotisserie chicken, noodles, and a few extra veggies. It was such a good suggestion for a quick, healthy, and tasty meal! Thank you so much for sharing 🙂
Sweet Basil
Yay! Thank you so much Angela! So glad you enjoyed this recipe!
Lara
I made this tonight, and honestly, I want to eat it every day now! So flavorful!
Sweet Basil
Right?! It’s soooooo yummy! I’m so glad you enjoyed it and thank you for taking time to leave a comment!
Danielle
This took a lot longer to prep than 2 minutes. I think you should update that part of this recipe – very misleading
Sweet Basil
Hi Danielle! I bumped the prep time up to 5 minutes. It’s really only the cube the chicken. The rest of the chopping and prep can be done while the chicken is cooking. I hope this helps!
Kati
Really?!?!? You’re cooking dinner, not launching a spaceship!
lisa
Made this tonight with butternut squash but didn’t have feta or the herbs for the dressing. Still, was a nice combination of flavors. I added shitake mushrooms with the kale.rluy
Sweet Basil
I’m so glad you liked it!!
lisa
Love this recipe it was so simple!! I used my stand mixer and the recipe worked great I made this recipe for my daughters headstart class.rluy
Sweet Basil
I’m so glad!!! Yay!!
Tracy
This has become a family favorite! Quick weeknight meal! Thank you!
Sweet Basil
Thank you so much Tracy! I’m so glad your family enjoys this as much as we do!
Jaime
This may be a silly question…. do i make the bouillon as it says on the box.. and then just use 1/4 of that broth??? Also i accidently bought huge bok choy should i just chop it up or go back and get baby??
Sweet Basil
I would chop up the bok choy a little bit, but it should be fine. Yes, make the broth like it says on the package, but I would half or fourth it so you don’t have a bunch extra.
Lindsey
This recipe was great! The prep time was much longer than 2 minutes. All together, it took me about 45 minutes to complete this but it came out great. I added stir fry beef and some Cajun seasoning to the dish. Would definitely cook this again!
JOSEPH
It was very awesome. Thank you very much
Sweet Basil
Thanks for the feedback, Joseph!
David
I personally found it waay too salty (with that amount of soy sauce). Also it would have been helpful to know the package weight for the noodles. Thanks for the recipe though!
Sweet Basil
Did you use low sodium soy sauce? That helps a ton! Or you can always decrease the soy sauce next time.
Ashley White
I’m having a hard time finding the noodles, is their any other brand or type of noodle you can recommend.
Sweet Basil
Angel hair pasta or any type of noodle works great!
Audriane
This was way better than restaurant stir fry. The sauce was a breeze to make and the dish turned out great. Thanks for this recipe.
Sweet Basil
Wow! Thanks Audriane! We sure think its tasty!
Leandra
Loved this recipe. Definitely took longer than 15 minutes, but totally worth it. I was nervous that it might be too salty but I used low-sodium soy sauce and didn’t add any salt and it was perfecto. I will definitely be adding this to the rotation. Thanks! ❤️
Sweet Basil
Thank you for the feedback Leandra!
Ivy
Great recipe though it does much longer to make between the ingredients and cooking time. Only change I made was use dry Asian ramen noodles that I cooked prior for adding to the rest of the meal.
Sweet Basil
Ramen noodles is a great idea!!
Ben
15 minutes? Try 1.5 hours. Bullion recommendation makes dish way too salty. Mushrooms are undercooked if cooked with all other veggies, need to be cooked separately. Size of soba noodle package would be nice to know as well, my asian market does not sell precooked soba noodles so had to guess on how much would be a good ratio.
Underwhelming overall. I’d probably like the dish more, but I’m biased from all the little annoying mis steps.
Sweet Basil
Hi Ben! Sounds like you had some issues. Chopped chicken would be very over cooked if it took that long. Happy to help you troubleshoot, feel free to email anytime.
April
I made tonight.
Was way to salty. I didn’t have low sodium soya sauce which is what I think the issue was.
Sweet Basil
That will do it! Sorry it was too salty for you! Using no sodium broth would also help.
Arpi
I tried this recipe for the first time yesterday and unfortunately I had to throw it away though I can see how tasty it would have been if it weren’t for the better than bouillon chicken base. I figured that would be a better option but honestly I had never worked with this ingredient before and didn’t think to try it first.. it was INSANELY salty. I tried my best to save it by adding more sugar or some water but to no avail. I felt like I was just eating an entire container of salt. Bummer.
Julie
We did this same. It had so much potential to be great, but it was incredibly salty. We’ll try it again and change some things.
Lacey C.
How much chicken base did you use? It only calls for a 1/4 cup of chicken broth which would equal 1/4 of a tsp. Of chicken base to 1/4 cup of water. You shouldn’t have even been able to taste it.
Margie
Mine was also way too salty. Very good but I’m not sure what it is. I used soba noodles because I also couldn’t find the ones you used. My soy sauce was not low-sodium, and I did use a quarter teaspoon to a quarter cup for the better than bouillon… 🤔🤔🤔🤔 The kid loves it but I’m not sure how to make it less salty?
Sweet Basil
I would definitely try the low sodium soy sauce. Soy sauce can make dishes so salty. You could also try using a more diluted ratio for the bouillon. Salt is one of those things that everyone tastes a little differently, but I would start there and see if it helps.
Devin
This dish was very delicious and the family loved it!
Sweet Basil
That is what we love to hear! Thanks for sharing Devin!
Frank
Tasted great!!!!
Sweet Basil
Thanks Frank!
Nusaibah akilu idris
Wow i love this recipes .
Sweet Basil
Thank you!
Miranda
Are the noodles hard to find? I cannot find them .. are they different than la chow mein noodles?
Sweet Basil
They are usually found in the produce section and all of our stores carry them, but you could always just use angel hair pasta.
Niki at Toot’s Mom is Tired
Omg that looks so good. If I can’t find those kinds of noodles would ramen noodles work okay?
Sweet Basil
Absolutely!
Tasha
Tried this tonight for dinner, easy to follow recipe it was delicious. I had to use fettuccini noodles that’s all I could find but they worked great.
Sweet Basil
MMMM, We’ve had to do that before too!
Micaela
Looks delicious! Question: how can it have 695 calories, though? That seems like a lot! Thanks 🙂
Sweet Basil
Hmmm it seems to be pulling wrong. Just fixed it
pictaram
It looks so good~ Can’t wait to try this recipe. Thank you so much!
Sweet Basil
We hope that you try it soon!
Sarah
You say 1/4 c stock, but the video looks like you pour the base in without water. Is it just4 tbsp of the base then?
Lacey C.
I think she means if you use the base instead of stock you would just mix it all together which would be 1/4 tsp. Of base and 1/4 cup of water.
Sweet Basil
Yes, this is correct! With the base, a little goes a long way!
Stefani
Trying it for dinner tonight and I’m already sure it will be a hit (my husband has gone the extra mile to make sure our kids like “Chinese” food). I’m not really tech savvy, so I’m wondering if there is any way to print the recipe with smaller margins so it uses only 1 piece of paper? Also, with our Echobee and Alexa app we have found we can easily search AllRecipes and have them read to us as we cook/bake. Is there any way to import your recipes into the AllRecipes app so I can easily organize and search them for a personalized, virtual recipe book? (‘Cuz I’ve honestly loved every, single, one I’ve tried.) Thanks for your great work!!
Sweet Basil
We definitely need to figure out how to do that!
Jaimee
I am having a hard time finding these noodles at walmart – do you have a more specific brand etc.? Or alternatives?
Sweet Basil
You can use ramen noodles. If you go down the international food aisle at the grocery store there are Asian noodles. 🙂
Emily
We love this recipe! The only thing I change arethe veggies. I usually have a bag of frozen stir fry veggies from Sam’s so those are usually my go to. They make it so much easier! Such a yummy meal! Thanks!
Sweet Basil
Oh I love using those too!
KT
I found it to be a bit salty and I used low sodium soy sauce and I didn’t salt the chicken. I did add more plain noodles after than the recipe called to kind of stretch the sauce out and that helped with the saltiness. It was well liked by everyone, but we may need to drink a lot of water over the next 24hrs!
Sweet Basil
Hi KT, sadly not all soy sauces are created equal, and maybe it’s just me but I feel like some go farther than others in the salty department, am I right?! So salty!!! Have you tried using San-J Tamari that’s low sodium? It’s gluten free but we love it for how much less salty it tastes.
Jessyka
do you know how many calories would be in this? Just approximately?!
Jen
This recipe looks amazing. I’ll have to add it to our dinner rotation for next week. I can always use a quick and easy go-to recipe that’s flavorful and has yummy veggies. Thank you!
Sweet Basil
So sweet of you! Thanks Jen!