American Chinese Stir Fry Recipe
Velveting the chicken in cornstarch and soy sauce before cooking keeps it tender and juicy through high heat, while cooking the vegetables and protein in separate batches means everything gets real browning instead of steaming in its own liquid, which is what makes takeout-style stir fry taste different from a home stir fry dumped in all at once.
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 12 min
- Total
- 32 min
- Servings
- 4
Ingredients
- 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs, sliced thin
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch, divided
- 5 tablespoons soy sauce, divided
- 3 cups broccoli florets
- 1 cup carrots, sliced thin on the diagonal
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced
- 3/4 cup chicken broth
- 2 tablespoons oyster sauce
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 4 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- 2 whole green onions, sliced
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 401
- Protein
- 29g
- Carbs
- 19g
- Fat
- 24g
Based on the recipe as written, one serving. Recalculates if you swap an ingredient above. An estimate only, exact values depend on the specific ingredients used.
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Instructions
- 1In a bowl, toss the sliced chicken with 1 tablespoon cornstarch and 2 tablespoons soy sauce. Let it sit at room temperature for 15 minutes while you prep the vegetables and sauce.
- 2In a small bowl, whisk together the chicken broth, remaining 3 tablespoons soy sauce, oyster sauce, brown sugar, and remaining 2 tablespoons cornstarch until no lumps remain. Set the sauce aside.
- 3Heat 2 tablespoons vegetable oil in a wok or large skillet over high heat until it shimmers and just starts to smoke.
- 4Add the chicken in a single layer and let it sear undisturbed for 1 minute, then stir-fry for 2-3 minutes more until browned and just cooked through. Transfer to a plate.
- 5Add the remaining 2 tablespoons oil to the wok. Add the broccoli and carrots and stir-fry for 3-4 minutes, until the broccoli is bright green and crisp-tender.
- 6Push the vegetables to the side, add the garlic and ginger to the cleared center, and stir-fry for 30 seconds until fragrant.
- 7Return the chicken to the wok. Pour in the sauce and stir constantly for 1-2 minutes as it bubbles and thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon.
- 8Drizzle in the sesame oil, toss to coat, and remove from the heat. Top with sliced green onions and serve immediately over rice.
Tips & variations
- Swap the chicken thighs for flank steak sliced against the grain, shrimp, or firm tofu; adjust cook time down for shrimp (about 90 seconds per side) and tofu (until golden on two sides).
- Slice all vegetables to a similar thickness so they finish cooking at roughly the same time; thick carrot coins next to thin broccoli florets means one or the other is over- or under-done.
- For a spicier version, stir 1-2 teaspoons chili garlic sauce or a pinch of red pepper flakes into the sauce mixture before adding it to the wok.
- If the wok isn't hot enough before the chicken goes in, it will stick and release liquid instead of searing; a properly heated wok should make the oil ripple and just start to shimmer.
Storage & reheating
Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 4 days. Reheat in a hot skillet or wok for 2-3 minutes to re-crisp the vegetables; microwaving works but softens the broccoli further. This dish doesn't freeze well since the vegetables turn mushy on thawing.
Tips from the Tulo kitchen
- Cutting the chicken into thin, even strips against the grain makes it noticeably more tender than thicker chunks, since stir-frying is too fast to break down tough muscle fibers.
- Prepping and measuring the sauce ingredients before turning on the heat matters more here than in slower recipes; once the wok is hot, everything moves in a matter of seconds.
FAQ
What makes this taste like restaurant stir fry instead of home stir fry?
Cooking in batches over very high heat, rather than crowding everything into the pan at once, is the biggest factor. A crowded pan traps steam and prevents the browning that gives takeout-style dishes their flavor.
Can I use frozen broccoli and carrots?
Yes, but thaw and pat them dry first. Frozen vegetables release extra water as they cook, which can dilute the sauce and stop it from thickening properly.
My sauce came out thin. What went wrong?
The sauce needs to actively bubble for a minute or two after it's added for the cornstarch to activate and thicken it. If it still looks thin, mix an extra 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch with a splash of cold water and stir it in.
Is this dish very salty?
Standard soy sauce and oyster sauce both carry a lot of sodium, so using low-sodium soy sauce cuts the salt noticeably without changing the texture or thickening of the sauce.
