Healthy Chicken Stir Fry

Healthy Chicken Stir Fry uses a limited amount of oil to cook a fresh, flavorful and colorful mixture of chicken, pea pods, almonds and green onion.

this Recipe

Growing up, my mom frequently made some version of stir-fried chicken for the family on busy weeknights. The stir-fry method fit mom’s style of cooking to a T – readily available ingredients (usually in her pantry and/or frig!), quick to prepare, delicious, and pretty on the plate.

This Healthy Chicken Stir Fry recipe originated with my Aunt Ellene in Kentucky. Whenever I would go to Kentucky with mom to visit her relatives, we always spent a few nights at Aunt Ellene and Uncle Rex’s beautiful home. Aunt Ellene was an excellent cook, and one evening she deviated from the usual southern fare, and prepared this delicious stir-fry recipe.

I was super happy when I found the recipe in mom’s recipe box! Cubed chicken is cooked with an uber flavorful mixture of soy sauce, sherry, orange marmalade, fresh ginger and red pepper flakes. It’s then served with stir-fried pea pods, almonds and green onions – all atop fragrant Basmati rice, and garnished with sliced oranges. I like to serve this beautiful dish in a flat bowl, each ingredient as a wedge on top of the rice (see photo). Mom and Aunt Ellene arranged it on a large platter (see details in instructions below). Either way, it’s beautiful and scrumptious!

Note: my favorite purchased orange marmalade comes from my good friends Denise and Stan Hitchock’s company, Classic Country. It works perfectly in this recipe!

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Healthy Chicken Stir Fry

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Healthy Chicken Stir Fry uses a limited amount of oil to cook a fresh, flavorful and colorful mixture of chicken, pea pods, almonds and green onion.

• Yield: 4 to 6 servings 1x
• Diet: Gluten Free

Ingredients

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(See gluten-free adaptations in the Notes section at the bottom of the recipe.)

• 1 1/4 cups uncooked Basmati rice (can also use Jasmine or brown rice)
• 1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce, plus more for serving – see Note
• 2 tablespoons dry sherry
• 2 tablespoons orange marmalade
• 2 teaspoons chopped or grated fresh ginger (or  1/2 teaspoon dried ginger)
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes, or more to taste
• 1 1/2 pounds boneless and skinless chicken breasts (around 3 breast halves) or chicken tenderloins, cut into chunks
• 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 12 ounces Chinese pea pods (also known as snow peas)
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 cup slivered almonds
• 2 bunches green onions (around 10), chopped
• Fresh ground pepper, to taste
• 1 navel orange, sliced and slices cut in half
• Cilantro, for garnish
• Toasted sesame seeds, for garnish
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Instructions

1. Prepare rice per package instructions (or in your Instant Pot/rice cooker!). Set aside and keep warm.
2. Preheat oven to 200 degrees.
3. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, sherry, marmalade, ginger, cornstarch and red pepper flakes. Add chicken and stir to mix. Set aside.
4. In a wok, medium sauté pan or skillet, heat 2 teaspoons of olive oil over medium high heat. When hot, add the pea pods and salt and cook, stirring constantly, just until peas are beginning to soften. Remove and place in oven to keep warm. Don’t clean out the pan!
5. In the same pan, heat 2 teaspoons of olive oil over medium high heat. When hot, add the almonds and cook, stirring constantly, until brown. Remove and place in oven to keep warm. Still don’t clean out the pan!
6. In the same pan, heat remaining 2 teaspoons of olive oil over medium high heat. When hot, add the green onion and cook, stirring constantly, until soft. Remove and place in oven to keep warm. Still don’t clean out the pan!
7. Add chicken mixture to pan and cook, stirring constantly, until chicken is cooked through, around 5 to 7 minutes.
8. To serve in individual bowls: place 1 cup cooked rice in the bottom of each of 4 bowls (I like to use pasta bowls, that are a bit flatter on the bottom). Arrange each ingredient in sections on top of the rice – chicken, pea pods, almonds, green onion (see photo). Garnish with the sliced orange, cilantro and sesame seeds.
9. Can also be served on one large platter: Place chicken in center of platter. Top with green onion, then almonds. Arrange pea pods and orange slices around the edge. Garnish with cilantro and sesame seeds. Serve soy sauce on the side.

Notes

Gluten free: Use gluten-free soy sauce.

• Author: Lee Clayton Roper
• Category: quick and easy, main dish
• Method: Stir fry
• Cuisine: Healthy, Asian

Nutrition

• Serving Size:
• Calories: 438
• Sugar: 9.7 g
• Sodium: 636.8 mg
• Fat: 20 g
• Saturated Fat: 2.5 g
• Carbohydrates: 31.4 g
• Fiber: 5.5 g
• Protein: 34.3 g
• Cholesterol: 82.7 mg