Honey Ginger Chicken Stir-Fry
Published Oct 10, 2021•Updated Mar 06, 2023
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Looking for a healthier takeout fake-out dinner that can be made in under 30 minutes? Honey Ginger Chicken Stir-Fry is IT. Tender chicken, coated in sweet, savory, ginger sauce. Serve it with rice and a steamed broccoli for a meal that’s worthy of the regular dinner rotation.
The key to a great homemade takeout fake-out dinner is in the details. Fresh ginger and garlic make all the difference in transforming a simple from-scratch sauce into something special (like this noodle-based takeout fake-out, Hoisin Ginger Rice Noodles).
I’m hungry just thinking about it. Let’s make Honey Ginger Chicken!
How to Make Honey Ginger Chicken
- Make sauce. Combine all ingredients for the sauce.
- Toss chicken with cornstarch. This recipe uses a good amount of cornstarch to insure that the sauce thickens. It may not all stick to the chicken, but give it a good stir to coat it as much as possible.
- Sear chicken. Sear chicken until golden brown.
- Add first part of sauce. Add 3 Tbsp of sauce until chicken is sticky and coated.
- Add second part of sauce. Add all remaining sauce and simmer for a few minutes until chicken is fully cooked.
- Finish and serve. Stir in green onions and serve!
Ingredients
- Chicken Breast – Use cubed chicken breast here. It also works with chicken thighs, shrimp, or extra-firm tofu.
- Cornstarch – Tossing the chicken with cornstarch before cooking not only helps it to brown nicely in the pan, but it thickens the sauce.
- Ginger and Garlic – The recipe will work without these, but they add so much flavor that I strongly encourage you to put in the couple of extra minutes it takes to prepare them. Be sure the ginger is very finely diced or grated before using it. And if you can’t get enough of these flavors, be sure to also check out my Ginger Chicken Stir-fry.
- Toasted Sesame Oil – Look for this in the Asian / international aisle at the grocery store. It should be dark in color.
- White Sesame Seeds – Stir these into the sauce to give it some texture. Feel free to sprinkle some on top of the finished stir-fry as well for some color.
- Honey, Soy Sauce, Ketchup – Pantry staples you’ll need to make the sauce.
- Green Onions – These add fresh flavor and color when stirred into the dish at the end of cooking.
Add Sauce in Two Parts
When I was testing this recipe, my goal was to find a balance between chicken that is really coated in a sticky glaze of sauce and still has plenty of liquid sauce remaining in the pan to spoon over rice. The key is to add the sauce in two additions. The first small portion of sauce reduces down and completely coats the chicken. The second larger portion cooks for just a couple of minutes so it doesn’t get quite as thick. The result mimics the sticky, saucy consistency of a great takeout stir-fry.
Possible Variations
- Make it vegetarian – Use cubed extra-firm tofu instead of chicken.
- Add vegetables – Stir some steamed broccoli, diced bell peppers, or chopped steamed green beans into the dish.
- Make it gluten-free – Use gluten-free Tamari in place of the soy sauce to easily make this recipe gluten-free.
More Chicken Stir-Fry Recipes
- 20-Minute Chicken Ramen Stir-Fry
- Honey Garlic Chicken Fried Rice
- Sesame Garlic Ramen Stir-Fry
- Tofu Stir-Fry with Asparagus and Cashews
- Beef and Broccoli Ramen Stir-Fry
Favorite Tools
- Anchor 3-Piece Glass Mixing Bowls
- Whisk
- 6-inch Global Knife
- Cutting Board
- Joyce Chen Carbon Steel Wok
- Wok Spatula
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Honey Ginger Chicken Stir-Fry Recipe
Equipment
- Mixing Bowl
- Wok or Large Skillet
Ingredients
For the Sesame Sauce:
- 1 Tablespoon Fresh Ginger, very finely diced (see note)
- 2 cloves Garlic, minced
- 1/4 cup Honey
- 1/3 cup Low-Sodium Soy Sauce (sub Tamari for a gluten-free version)
- 3 Tablespoons Ketchup
- 2 teaspoons Toasted Sesame Oil
- 1 teaspoon White Sesame Seeds, plus more for topping
For the Stir-Fry:
- 1 1/2 pounds Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breast
- 2 Tablespoons Cornstarch
- 3 Tablespoons Cooking Oil
- 2 stalks Green Onions, chopped, plus more for topping
Instructions
- Make sauce by whisking together garlic, ginger, honey, soy sauce, ketchup, sesame oil, and sesame seeds. Set aside.
- Toss chicken with cornstarch until evenly coated.
- In a wok or large skillet, heat cooking oil over medium-high heat. Add chicken and let cook for a moment without stirring until browned on the bottom, 3 to 5 minutes.
- Give the chicken a stir and pour in about 3 Tbsp of sauce (it doesn’t have to be super precise, so you can just estimate it by tipping in about a quarter of the sauce). Cook chicken in sauce, stirring frequently until chicken is well coated and looks sticky with sauce.
- Pour in the remaining sauce and bring to a simmer. Simmer until the sauce reduces slightly and chicken is cooked, 4 to 5 minutes more.
- Stir in the 2 stalks of green onions.
- Serve chicken over rice with some more sesame seeds and green onions on top.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This was absolutely delicious! The only thing I did differently was to use barbecue sauce versus ketchup. It was so easy to make too! I will definitely be making this one again.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Better than take out. Thank you!
Yay! I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
This sounds so good! I have some garlic fermented honey – do you think that’d sub across the same as the honey & garlic in this recipe? I made the fermented honey to preserve some garlic but have been nervous to use it on anything. 😂🥴
I think this might be the perfect place to try it! You’ll get that savory+sweet flavor!
Awesome! Finally trying it tonight! 🙂
Tried it and it was tasty! I used the fermented honey in place of plain honey and did one clove of garlic instead of two in case the honey had a strong garlic flavor. I’d like to try again with plain honey just to see if there’s much of a difference but this was very good! 🙂 The 4 year old even liked it. 🙂
This looks delicious! Can I use ground ginger if I can’t get fresh ginger?
Absolutely! It won’t have quite the same flavor as fresh, but it will definitely work.
Amazing recipe. Whole family enjoyed it including the kids. Will be saving this. Thank you.
So glad you liked it! Thank you for your review!
This recipe is delicious and so easy to make! It will definitely be a staple in our household now.
That’s great to hear! So glad you enjoyed it!
I had all the ingredients on hand, this was so simple to make and delicious! Thank you!
Thanks Liz! So glad you enjoyed it!
I printed the recipe to try it tonight. I’ve read through it several times and in the ingredients, it calls for 3 T cooking oil, “divided”. I’m unclear why divided because it says nothing about the other half of divided oil? I’m always nervous trying a new recipe so want to be sure I understand the divided part and when do you use the other half?🤷🏼♀️
Patti – you are absolutely right! That is an error on our part, and we have updated the recipe. The oil does not need to be divided. You will use it all at one time to fry the chicken. Thank you for catching that and sending us a note.
my husband and i love this recipe! so quick and easy but flavorful and feels healthy.
I’m so glad you like it as much as we do!