A RecipeGirl household favorite for our whole family for many, many years now, this Garlic Chicken Stir Fry recipe is an easy recipe to make, and it’s delicious too!

bowl of chicken stir fry with chopsticks

I have a funny story about this recipe. When I was growing up in San Jose, Bruce Jenner lived there and was training for the 1976 Olympics. There was an article published in the food section of the newspaper for “Bruce Jenner’s Garlic Chicken Stir Fry.” My Mom cut it out, and we’ve been making it ever since! That’s how this recipe came to be.

Of all the stir fry recipes we make at my house, this easy chicken stir fry recipe tends to be the favorite. It’s an easy meal to make, and there’s not much work involved at all in the meal prep.

ingredients displayed for making garlic chicken stir fry

Ingredients needed:

  • canola or vegetable oil
  • boneless chicken breast (can sub skinless, boneless chicken thighs)
  • garlic cloves
  • red or green bell peppers
  • fresh snow peas
  • cashews
  • green onions
  • soy sauce 
  • low sodium chicken broth
  • cornstarch
  • ground ginger
  • cooked white rice for serving, if desired

four photos showing how to make garlic chicken stir fry

How to make Garlic Chicken Stir Fry:

The complete, printable recipe is at the end of this post.

In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of oil over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and garlic. Stir fry 3 minutes or until the chicken turns white. Add the remaining oil, pepper, snow peas, cashews, and green onion. Stir fry for 1 minute.

In a small bowl, stir the chicken broth, soy sauce, cornstarch and ginger until smooth. Stir into the chicken mixture. Bring to a boil over medium heat while stirring. Boil 1 minute, or until the mixture thickens a bit.

garlic chicken stir fry in a bowl

A note about the stir-fry sauce:

A lot of people consider the best part of a stir fry to be the flavorful sauce. This chicken stir-fry recipe has a delicious sauce, but it’s very light. It’s okay to double the ingredients in the sauce to make more sauce, if you prefer. There are a few suggestions below for ingredients to add or substitute too.

spooning garlic chicken stir fry onto bowl of rice

Serve this easy stir-fry recipe over white rice, brown rice or cauliflower rice. This is a healthy chicken stir-fry and a quick meal to make. So, if you happen to be following the Weight Watchers WW plan, you’ll find a link to the WW Points on the recipe card at the end of this post.

I really appreciate and easy dinner recipe. I think even picky eaters will like this one if you choose the fresh vegetables for stir-frying that they like best. Enjoy!

overhead shot of chicken stir fry in a bowl

Great options for substitutions and additions:

  • use sesame oil in place of the canola/vegetable oil
  • chicken strips can be used instead of boneless, skinless chicken breasts
  • use green beans instead of snow peas
  • water chestnuts are a delicious addition to a stir fry too
  • use snap peas instead of snow peas
  • use broccoli florets instead of snow peas
  • grate a little fresh ginger into the sauce instead of using ground ginger
  • add red pepper flakes, if you want things a little spicy
  • add a little brown sugar, if you want the sauce to be sweeter
  • sprinkle toasted sesame seeds on top

garlic chicken stir fry in a bowl with chopsticks

The Best Asian Chicken Recipes:

bowl of chicken stir fry with chopsticks
5 from 1 vote

Garlic Chicken Stir Fry

This simple stir fry includes garlic, chicken, vegetables and cashews. It's been a family favorite for many years.
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 10 minutes
Total: 25 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
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Ingredients

Instructions 

  • In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of oil over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and garlic. Stir fry for 3 minutes or until the chicken turns white. Add the remaining oil, pepper, snow peas, cashews, and green onion. Stir fry 1 minute.
  • In a small bowl, whisk together the chicken broth, soy sauce, cornstarch and ginger until smooth. Stir into the chicken mixture. Bring to a boil over medium heat while stirring. Boil 1 minute, or until the mixture thickens a bit.
  • Serve over hot cooked rice, if desired.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving, Calories: 316kcal, Carbohydrates: 11g, Protein: 29g, Fat: 17g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g, Monounsaturated Fat: 10g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 73mg, Sodium: 649mg, Potassium: 693mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 4g, Vitamin A: 1689IU, Vitamin C: 73mg, Calcium: 37mg, Iron: 2mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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bowl of chicken stir fry on top of rice

5 from 1 vote (1 rating without comment)

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3 Comments

  1. Candi Warner says:

    Looks Delish,cant wait to make this!!!
    by the way i LOVE youre web site <3

  2. Kari says:

    This has become my go-to stir fry recipe – thanks! We don’t like snow peas so I usually make it with broccoli, mushrooms, and/or zucchini. I double the ginger and add another garlic clove for more punch. We have to leave out the cashews b/c of a nut allergy in our house, but I bet that would be delicious.

    Thank you!

  3. Malynda says:

    My boyfriend and I made this for dinner tonight and it was so yummy! Easy to make too. This will go into our recipe box for future dinners 🙂