Description
A vibrant and colorful Rainbow Chicken Stir Fry packed with a variety of fresh vegetables and tender chicken thighs tossed in a light, glossy Asian-inspired sauce. This healthy and visually stunning dish combines crunchy bell peppers, red cabbage, baby bok choy, sugar snap peas, edamame, and cashews for texture and flavor, finished with a fragrant sesame oil drizzle for a hint of nuttiness.
Ingredients
Scale
Vegetables
- ½ red capsicum (bell pepper), sliced
- ½ yellow capsicum (bell pepper), sliced
- ½ cup red cabbage, thinly sliced
- 2 small baby bok choy, leaves separated from stems and chopped
- ½ cup sugar snap peas
- ½ cup frozen shelled edamame, thawed
- 2 green onions (spring onions), sliced
Protein
- 300g boneless chicken thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces
Sauce
- 2 tablespoons light soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
- 1 tablespoon Chinese cooking wine (Shaoxing wine)
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil (toasted)
- 1 teaspoon cornflour (cornstarch)
- ¼ teaspoon white pepper
Other
- ¼ cup roasted, unsalted cashews
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil (for stir frying)
Instructions
- Prepare the vegetables: Wash and slice all the vegetables as described, separating the baby bok choy leaves from stems to ensure even cooking. Thaw the frozen shelled edamame if frozen.
- Prepare the chicken: Cut the boneless chicken thighs into bite-sized pieces. If using chicken breast or tenderloin, tenderize the meat for best results.
- Make the sauce: In a small bowl, combine light soy sauce, oyster sauce, Chinese cooking wine, cornflour, and white pepper. Mix well until the cornflour dissolves completely to create a smooth, light-colored sauce.
- Cook the chicken: Heat vegetable oil in a large wok or skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken pieces and stir-fry until they turn golden brown and are cooked through, about 5-6 minutes. Remove chicken from wok and set aside.
- Cook the vegetables: Add a little more oil if needed. First, stir fry the chopped bok choy stems, sugar snap peas, and edamame for 2-3 minutes until slightly tender but still crisp. Then add the sliced red and yellow capsicum, red cabbage, and green onions, stir frying for an additional 2 minutes to retain vibrant colors and fresh crunch.
- Combine and add sauce: Return the cooked chicken to the wok with the vegetables. Pour the sauce over the mixture and toss everything quickly over the heat until the sauce thickens and coats all the ingredients evenly, about 1-2 minutes.
- Finish with sesame oil and cashews: Remove from heat and drizzle toasted sesame oil over the stir fry for a fragrant finish. Toss in the roasted, unsalted cashews and stir to combine.
- Serve: Serve the Rainbow Chicken Stir Fry immediately with steamed rice or your preferred side.
Notes
- You can substitute red cabbage with green cabbage, kale, or spinach depending on availability.
- If you don’t have baby bok choy, use regular bok choy or other leafy greens like choy sum.
- For a vegetarian or vegan version, substitute the chicken with firm tofu and use vegetarian oyster sauce.
- Raw cashews can be toasted in a dry pan before use if you don’t have pre-roasted ones.
- Use light soy sauce to maintain the bright color of the stir fry; dark soy sauce will darken the dish.
- Chinese cooking wine is essential for authentic flavor but can be replaced with mirin or dry sherry; for non-alcoholic, use low sodium chicken broth or water.
- Do not use sweet soy sauce or kecap manis as it will overpower the light flavors.
- Tenderize chicken breasts if substituting to keep the meat tender in stir frying.
