Healthy Chicken and Veg Stir Fry

Strips of chicken and a rainbow of crunchy vegetables tossed in a light soy, garlic and ginger sauce. It's fast, healthy and endlessly flexible — a brilliant way to pack in the veg on a busy night.

A stir fry is one of the healthiest, fastest dinners going — lean chicken, a pile of crunchy veg, and a simple sauce, all done in one pan in about 20 minutes. The key is a hot pan and cooking the chicken and veg in stages so nothing overcooks. Use it as a template and clear out the veg drawer; almost anything works.

Ingredients

• 3 chicken breasts — sliced into strips
• 2 tbsp oil
• 1 broccoli — small, cut into florets
• 1 pepper — sliced
• 1 carrot — cut into matchsticks
• 100g mangetout or sugar snap peas
• 2 cloves garlic — crushed
• 1 thumb ginger — grated
• 3 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp honey
• 1 tsp cornflour — mixed with 2 tbsp cold water

Method

1. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a wok or large pan over a high heat. Stir-fry the chicken strips for 5–6 minutes until golden and cooked through (75°C, no pink). Lift out.
2. Add the rest of the oil and stir-fry the broccoli, pepper and carrot for 3–4 minutes until just tender but still crisp.
3. Add the mangetout, garlic and ginger and stir-fry for 1 minute.
4. Return the chicken, then pour in the soy, honey and cornflour paste. Toss for a minute until the sauce thickens and coats everything.
5. Serve straight away over rice or noodles.

Serve it with

• Steamed rice or egg fried rice
• Noodles
• A scattering of sesame seeds
• A wedge of lime

Why this works

Cooking the chicken first and setting it aside means the veg can be stir-fried over a high heat without overcooking the meat, so everything stays at its best — juicy chicken and crunchy veg. The cornflour gives the sauce just enough body to glaze rather than pool.

Common swaps

• Use any veg you like — baby corn, mushrooms, pak choi or green beans.
• Swap chicken for prawns, beef strips or tofu.
• Add a squirt of sriracha or a pinch of chilli flakes for heat.

Common mistakes to avoid

• A pan that isn't hot enough, so the food steams and goes soggy.
• Overcrowding — cook in a large, hot pan so everything sears.
• Overcooking the veg; it should stay bright and crunchy.

Storage, freezing & reheating

Storage: Keep covered in the fridge for up to 2 days.

Freezing: Best eaten fresh, as the veg softens on freezing.

Reheating: Reheat quickly in a hot pan until piping hot, keeping the veg from going soft.

Allergen notes: contains soya, gluten. Always check individual product labels.

Estimated nutrition

Per serving, estimated from typical ingredient values — not a substitute for precise dietary calculation.