CHICKEN STIR FRY easy, healthy 30-minute dinner recipe!

I love a good chicken stir-fry because it ticks all of the boxes for an ideal weeknight dinner. It delivers in flavor, simplicity, and a healthy balance of protein and veggies. You've got juicy chicken pieces mixed with sauteed broccoli, carrots, bell pepper, and onion, and then all of that's coated in a savory sweet garlic ginger soy sauce. This easy 30-minute meal is jam-packed with flavor and it's perfect for meal prep if you manage to have any leftovers. So let me show you how to make it. You'll start by making the stir-fry sauce first, and that's a simple mix of a quarter cup of chicken broth, a quarter cup of gluten-free tamari soy sauce, and you can use coconut aminos for a soy-free option as well, one tablespoon of honey for a natural sweetener, one teaspoon of sesame oil, one teaspoon of rice vinegar, and then a special ingredient that's optional but a great flavor enhancer if you have it, and that's one tablespoon of dry sherry. Shaoxing wine is traditionally used in Chinese stir-fry recipes, but it's not gluten-free, and dry sherry is a great substitute. Just make sure you add sherry cooking wine and not sherry vinegar. To that, you'll add one tablespoon of arrowroot powder, which I prefer over cornstarch, and it will help to thicken the sauce once it cooks on the stove. And that's your quick and easy stir-fry sauce, so whisk it all together and then set it to the side. I love stir-fry recipes as they're loaded with veggies and just really flexible with ingredients, but today I'll start with one red bell pepper, and you can just cut the top and bottom off the bell pepper, then run your knife along the inside to remove the seeds and membrane. Once you've got the bell pepper all nice and flat, you can easily slice it into thin strips. And a little tip, it's much easier to slice through the bell pepper with the inside facing up rather than the outside facing up. Once that's all sliced up, just add it to a bowl and set it aside. Next up is one small to medium sized carrot. You can julienne the carrot into thin strips or just cut it into thin slices, which is what I'm doing. And I'm also cutting it on a slight diagonal just to be fancy, but you can slice it straight. For healthy greens in the stir-fry, you can't go wrong with some broccoli. You'll need about two cups of broccoli florets, and once you've removed them from the stem, cut them into smaller bite-sized pieces. They're just easier to eat that way than big chunks of broccoli. And if you have leftover broccoli as I do today, you can quickly saute it and add it to breakfast scrambles throughout the week. Next, slice up one small onion. This is about as small as they come here in the land of giant vegetables, but that's okay because as you know, I love onion in my recipes. Once you've removed the skin, cut it in half, slice it into thin pieces, and add it to the bowl. To amp up the aromatics in this recipe and of course boost the flavor, add one tablespoon of finely grated ginger. I'm using a microplane grater, which gives it a very fine, almost minced texture, but you could use the small holes on a box grater as well. I do prefer fresh ginger in this recipe rather than dried ginger, but if you're unable to find fresh ginger, you can substitute about one teaspoon of dried ginger for one tablespoon of fresh ginger. Lastly, mince four garlic cloves. You can always add more or less to suit your taste. I think four is perfect for me, and just add it on top of the ginger as you'll be adding both of those items at the same time to the stir fry. The final ingredient is the chicken, and you'll need one pound of boneless, skinless chicken breast, though you could also use boneless, skinless chicken thighs if you prefer those. One pound of chicken is usually two medium chicken breasts, but if yours are a little bigger, that's fine. The great thing about stir fries is that they can accommodate a little bit more or a little bit less of any ingredient. So slice and dice the chicken into cubes about one inch big. Keeping all of the pieces a similar size means that the chicken will cook more evenly. And once you're done with that, add it to another bowl. Now, because I know I'm going to want to serve the chicken stir fry on a bed of rice, I'll start cooking some rice before the stir fry so that they're done at about the same time. I have a separate recipe that walks you through how to cook rice perfectly, so I'll leave a link to that in the description box below. While the rice is cooking, you can quickly make the stir fry. Add a splash of oil, and I'm using avocado oil, to a pan on medium-high heat. Give that a quick swirl to coat the bottom and then add the cubed chicken. Try to get it in a single flat layer and then season it with salt and pepper. Once the chicken has become lightly browned on the bottom, it should release easily from the pan if you're using a stainless steel pan like I am. If it sticks, just let it cook a little bit longer and then it should release on its own. Stir the chicken for four to five minutes until all sides are cooked and lightly browned and it's almost cooked all the way through. Then, transfer it to a plate. Leave any juices in the pan, and if you need a little bit more oil, just add another splash. Then add the bell pepper, carrot, broccoli, and onion, and you can just dump that entire bowl in all at once. Cook and stir the vegetables until they're crisp tender, which is about three to four minutes. Add the chicken back to the pan with the minced ginger and garlic. Stir it for 30 seconds just to combine everything, then pour the sauce in. If your sauce has been sitting on the counter for a bit, just give it another quick stir before pouring it in to make sure that the arrowroot powder hasn't accumulated on the bottom of the bowl. The sauce will thicken naturally after you've stirred it with the chicken and vegetables for about a minute or so, and make sure to scrape up any of those delicious browned bits from the bottom of the pan, which is just added flavor. Your chicken stir fry is now done. You've got juicy chicken pieces and tender veggies all coated in a super flavorful sauce, and the last thing to do is serve it up. At this point, I'll fluff up my white rice from the stove and then add a portion to a plate. If you want a low-carb option, you could use cauliflower rice or even zucchini noodles as the base for a serving as well. Then add some generous spoonfuls of the chicken stir fry, and for garnish, I like to sprinkle some sesame seeds and add a small handful of thinly sliced green onion. I hope you guys love this recipe as much as I do, and if you plan on making it, hit that like button, share it with your family and friends, and don't forget to tag me on social media when you post a photo, as I always love to see.