Chicken Cabbage Stir-Fry (Printable)

Juicy chicken and crisp cabbage in a savory umami sauce, ready in 30 minutes for a quick weeknight dinner.

# What You'll Need:

→ Protein

01 - 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast or thighs, thinly sliced

→ Vegetables

02 - 1 small head green cabbage (approximately 1.3 lbs), cored and thinly sliced
03 - 1 medium carrot, julienned
04 - 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
05 - 3 green onions, sliced

→ Sauce

06 - 3 tablespoons soy sauce or tamari for gluten-free
07 - 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
08 - 1 tablespoon hoisin sauce
09 - 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
10 - 2 teaspoons sesame oil
11 - 2 teaspoons cornstarch
12 - 2 tablespoons water
13 - 1 teaspoon sugar

→ Aromatics and Cooking

14 - 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
15 - 3 cloves garlic, minced
16 - 1 inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and grated

# How to make it:

01 - In a small bowl, whisk together soy sauce, oyster sauce, hoisin sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, cornstarch, water, and sugar until well combined. Set aside.
02 - Heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook for 4 to 5 minutes until cooked through and golden. Remove chicken from the pan and set aside.
03 - Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil to the pan. Sauté garlic and ginger for 30 seconds until fragrant.
04 - Add cabbage, carrot, and bell pepper. Stir-fry for 3 to 4 minutes until vegetables are crisp-tender.
05 - Return the cooked chicken to the pan. Pour in the prepared sauce and toss everything together. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes until the sauce thickens and evenly coats the chicken and vegetables.
06 - Stir in green onions. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed. Serve hot, optionally with steamed rice or noodles.

# Recipe Expert Tips:

01 -
  • It's genuinely faster than ordering takeout, and tastes better than most places nearby.
  • The sauce coats everything with this silky, umami-rich glaze that makes you feel like you're actually good at cooking.
  • Cabbage becomes this crispy, slightly sweet thing when you stir-fry it right, which sounds boring but absolutely isn't.
02 -
  • Don't crowd the pan with chicken or it steams instead of browning, and that one extra minute of high heat makes a real difference in flavor.
  • The vegetables will keep cooking after you add the sauce, so stopping them while they still have crunch prevents them from turning into mush.
03 -
  • Make the sauce the night before and it'll taste even deeper the next day when all the flavors have gotten to know each other.
  • If you find yourself with leftover sauce, it's brilliant on roasted vegetables or drizzled over rice bowls the next day.
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