This keto chicken stir fry is made with lots of vegetables and prepared all in one pan. It's perfect for meal prep or as a quick and easy weeknight meal. The recipe has the most delicious sauce and is gluten free, dairy free, paleo, Whole30, keto, and just loaded with protein.
*If you are not following keto right now, be sure to pair this chicken stir fry with my Instant Pot jasmine rice... just fabulous!*
Why is this stir fry so delicious?
There are many reasons why this chicken stir fry has become a staple in our kitchen. My daughter was like, "Really? Another stir fry?" And as soon as the fork hit her lips, she shut right up.
Other than that though,
- It comes together in one pan. Less fuss and less cleanup!
- It's a great keto stir fry recipe - one of my favorite home made stir frys.
- The perfect addition to your meal prep. You can serve it alongside cauliflower rice or white rice.
- It's versatility: feel free to use your favorite veggies, but be sure to cook them appropriately until fork tender.
- It is gluten free, dairy free, paleo, low carb, keto, and Whole30.
In addition to just tasting good, it's soooo healthy!
- Low in cholesterol
- High in protein
- High in potassium
- Relatively low calorie (you're basically eating vegetables and lean protein) - great for any diet
What ingredients are needed to make this stir fry?
- Chicken thighs
- Avocado oil
- Garlic
- Ginger
- Coconut aminos (mostly to act as a gluten-free soy sauce replacement)
- Apple cider vinegar
- Red pepper flakes
- Sesame oil
- Broccoli
- Sugar snap peas
- Water chestnuts
- Red bell pepper (orange or yellow are fine too)
- Carrots
- Onion
- Green onions
How to make keto chicken stir fry
Prepare chicken: In a large bowl, mix together the chicken thighs with 1 tablespoon of oil. Add the rest of the ingredients and give everything a nice stir so it is evenly coated.
Cook chicken: Heat a very large sauté pan over medium high heat for 2 minutes. Add the other tablespoon of oil and heat for another minute. Add chicken in a single layer into the pan and be sure not to overcrowd.
Cook for approximately 3 minutes each side until golden brown and crisping up well. Remove from the heat with a slotted spoon and set aside.
Continue cooking: Add onions to the pan with a big pinch of kosher salt and cook over medium-high heat for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add bell peppers, broccoli, carrots, and sugar snap peas, and cook for another 5-7 minutes until fork tender.
I like to throw a lid over the top to make everything come together quicker, stirring every so often. About halfway through this cooking time, stir in the water chestnuts.
Prepare sauce: Meanwhile, mix together all of the ingredients for the sauce in a small bowl. Whisk well. Add to the stir fry and reduce the heat to medium low. Cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring often.
Finish cooking: Add the chicken back into the pan along with the sesame oil and red chili pepper flakes. Let the flavors all meld together for another 2 minutes or so and give everything a stir.
Serve: Taste for additional seasoning and serve alongside cauliflower or white rice. Garnish with scallions, green onions, and sesame seeds.
🙂
I can't wait to try my hand at a beef or pork version of this with different vegetables and a slight variance on the sauce. I think a thinly sliced sirloin steak or even a flank steak would be amazing in this dish!
I just love making stir fries because depending on how hungry I am, I can eat them as they are and keep everything low carb or pile it on top of a bowl of rice. Yum!
Recipe substitutions & questions
- You can absolutely use a different type of meat. Just be sure to cook it until it's done... here is a great guide for that!
- You can use soy sauce instead of coconut aminos. However, it is a bit more salty, so I'd keep that in mind when seasoning the dish. Taste, taste, taste. If you do use soy sauce, I recommend the low sodium variety.
- Feel free to mix up the veggies. You can use zucchini, mushrooms, and most any type of soft vegetables.
How long will it last, and how can I store it?
It will keep in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 5-7 days. It would do okay in the freezer in a pinch, though I personally don't like to freeze a dish like this only because the veggies can be a bit mushy upon thaw and reheat.
Can I make it in the Instant Pot?
I'm sure you could, but it's truly unnecessary. It's all done in just one skillet and takes very little time to cook.
Can I use dried ginger or garlic?
I do not recommend it, no. In almost all of my Asian-inspired recipes, I recommend using both fresh garlic and ginger. There is so much more flavor, and you really can taste the difference.
More keto and low carb recipes you'll love:
Keto Mozzarella Stuffed Meatballs
Keto Taco Salad with Ground Beef
Easy Buffalo Chicken Meatballs
Keto Chicken Stir Fry
Ingredients
Chicken
- 1 pound boneless & skinless chicken thighs cut into bite-size chunks & pat very dry
- 2 tablespoons avocado oil split in two
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon arrowroot flour
Stir Fry
- ½ medium yellow onion thinly sliced
- big pinch of kosher salt
- 2 bell peppers julienned
- 8 ounces broccoli florets
- 2 small carrots peeled and thinly sliced
- 4 ounces sugar snap peas
- 4 ounces water chestnuts drained thoroughly
- 3 Green onions thinly sliced - green parts separated from white and light green parts
- 1 teaspoon red chili pepper flakes
- 1 ½ tablespoons sesame oil
Sauce
- 6 garlic cloves minced
- ½ cup coconut aminos
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 ½ tablespoons minced ginger
Instructions
- In a large bowl, mix together the chicken thighs with 1 tablespoon of oil. Add the rest of the ingredients and give everything a nice stir so it is evenly coated.
- Heat a very large sauté pan over medium high heat for 2 minutes. Add the other tablespoon of oil and heat for another minute. Add chicken in a single layer into the pan and be sure not to overcrowd. Cook for approximately 3 minutes each side until golden brown and crisping up well. Remove from the heat with a slotted spoon and set aside.
- Add onions to the pan with a big pinch of kosher salt and cook over medium-high heat for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add bell peppers, broccoli, carrots, and sugar snap peas, white parts of the green onions, and cook for another 5-7 minutes until fork tender. I like to throw a lid over the top to make everything come together quicker, stirring every so often. About halfway through this cooking time, stir in the water chestnuts.
- Meanwhile, mix together all of the ingredients for the sauce in a small bowl. Add to the stir fry and reduce the heat to medium low. Cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring often.
- Add the chicken back into the pan along with the sesame oil and red chili pepper flakes. Let the flavors all meld together for another 2 minutes or so and give everything a stir.
- Taste for additional seasoning and serve alongside cauliflower or white rice. Garnish with scallions, green parts of the green onions, and sesame seeds.
Notes
- Feel free to swap out certain veggies for others you like more. Just be sure to cook everything appropriately.
- You can absolutely use a different type of meat. Just be sure to cook it until it's done... here is a great guide for that!
- You can use soy sauce instead of coconut aminos. However, it is a bit more salty, so I'd keep that in mind when seasoning the dish. Taste, taste, taste.
Mac says
Didn’t really measure. Cooked chicken first in one large pan with oils and vinegar, used another pan for veggies with the oils and vinegar then combined the chicken with the vegetables. Used a whole bulb of garlic and onion. Poured the sauce near the end. It was amazing!
Our new favorite stir-fry! says
Both my husband and I thoroughly enjoyed this recipe and we've added it to our "favorites" rotation. I served it with Green Giant's Asian Stir-Fry Riced Cauliflower. I did add about 1/2 lb more of the chicken thighs but, overall, followed the recipe. Next time, I plan on upping the amount of broccoli to about 12oz and the sugar snap peas to 8oz. Naturally, that will increase the net carbs but, it's worth it. Overall, it's a truly delicious meal!
patti gutman says
What a great whole30 meal! We have made this stir fry several times: recently I made it for my brother when he was visiting (he eats in high end restaurants but watches his carb intake) and he was super impressed!
Thanks so much!
Patti G
patti gutman says
What a great whole30 meal!
Melinda says
Hey Monica, just to follow up on ‘why’ this recipe is not keto, specifically the volume of coconut aminos used, please see this more fully. It explains it more fully & throughly than I did… thank you!
https://sureketo.com/is-it-keto/coconut-aminos
Melinda says
Correction to my last comment - 48 grams of Sugar!!!! This recipe has 1/2 cup of amino acids (1 tsp = 2 grams of sugar (carbs). There are 24 tsp per 1/2 cup = 48 grams of sugar / carbs. This is NOT a keto recipe.
Hi there... not sure what you mean. There is 1 gram of sugar per 1 tsp of coconut aminos actually. So, that means the entire dish has 24 grams of sugar. There are 6 servings, so that's 4 grams of sugar... I'm not really understanding your math here.
Melinda says
The Braggs Organic Coconut Aminos I purchased at Whole Foods is 2g sugar per teaspoon. That doubles the sugar content to 48 grams. The one you have linked to the page as an Amazon Affiliate may be different. I could not pull up the nutritional content on their page. Coconut Aminos are like all sauces and condiments - you really have to watch for the sugar content & amount you are using. I stay below 20 grams of carbs per day. This recipe's sauce was surprisingly sweet, as I have not used coconut aminos before, so I did the calculations. I would not eat 8 grams of sugar in one sitting as it would create an insulin response. I stopped eating it and chose something else for dinner.
Melinda says
This recipe cannot be keto friendly with a 1/2 cup of coconut amino acids. 1 tsp has 2 grams of sugar (carbs) a 1/2 cup is equal to 24 grans of sugar (carbs), that will blow most people’s diet and create an insulin response. I would suggest reducing the coconut amino acids significantly. My swwet boyfriend made this for us and it was overwhelmingly sweet to the taste. So reducing the aminos would also allow the veggies to shine.
Kelly says
Made this tonight and it’s Delicious!! I am thinking about adding riced cauliflower to it tomorrow night, just to make it a little more filling
Beryl says
Made this tonight and it’s Delicious!! I am thinking about adding riced cauliflower to it tomorrow night, just to make it a little more filling (doing whole30)
Jimmy says
Wow.. look colorful! for a long time I do not make it, Thank for your recommendation, I will try it again tomorrow!
Yay!!!!!