This Easy Chicken Zucchini Stir Fry is better than take-out, and the perfect way to get an easy, healthy meal on the table. It also makes use of lots of zucchini which is perfect for this time of year. But you can also use a mix of whatever veggies you have on hand. It’s made with real food ingredients with no added sugar! It’s the perfect dish to make when you’re craving takeout flavors, but want to keep it healthy.
My whole idea behind this recipe was to use up lots and lots of zucchini! I usually love to add a mix of veggies to stir fries. But since it’s the height of summer, this one features zucchini, with nothing more than flavor enhancers.
Ginger, garlic, and onion make up the aromatics in this stir fry. And I kept the sauce super simple too, so it makes a perfect weeknight recipe. The zucchini is sautéed until it’s crisp tender before the sauce is added. This works great because the more tender centers of the zucchini soak up the sauce and make this stir fry hard to stop eating.
So if you’re swimming in zucchini, this recipe is for you. And in case you missed it, my 35 Healthy Zucchini Recipes should provide a bit more inspiration as well. We have 3 zucchini plants + a CSA from a local farmer, so we definitely have ‘just a bit’ of zucchini right now!
Now let’s talk about ingredients for a quick second:
- Garlic Cloves & Ginger – Fresh is definitely best here in this super simple stir fry. But in a pinch you can use the tube ginger.
- Onion – I used red onion and love the flavor, but I’ve also used green onion which was really good too. Just slice up the green and white parts separately and add the green parts right at the end of the cooking time. Really any onion will work perfectly here.
- Chicken – you can also use pork, ground beef, sliced steak, or shrimp here because the flavors go well with pretty much anything, including vegetarian options as well.
- Coconut Aminos or Soy Sauce – we love using coconut aminos here to keep things soy free, but soy sauce works perfectly too. If you use coconut aminos, you may need to add salt to tasty.
And now let’s jump in, and make this Easy Chicken Zucchini Stir Fry!
Step 1: First up you want to prep all of your ingredients before you start cooking. This stir fry cooks really fast, so you’ll want everything ready to add to the pan when you need it.
Step 2: Next up, brown the chicken before removing it from the large skillet. From there you’re going to sauté the garlic, ginger, and onion briefly before adding the zucchini.
Step 3: When the zucchini is barely tender, add the sauce and chicken to the pan and cook stirring constantly until the sauce is mostly absorbed.
Tip: Cook everything over high heat for the best seared flavor. Also high heat helps to cook the zucchini to a crisp tender rather than soggy.
FAQ’s
Try cutting up the chicken slightly frozen, this makes the process much easier. Also I cut my chicken thighs into strips, then cut across the grain which makes the chicken more tender.
Don’t overcook it! Zucchini cooks quickly, so you want to stir fry until just tender.
Yes but be careful not to overcook them. Chicken breast meat dries out more easily than thighs in a stir fry. Use boneless skinless chicken breasts so they’re easy to cut up.
Yes but be mindful of cooking times. Veggies like sliced mushrooms cook at the same rate as zucchini. But veggies like carrots and broccoli need more time to stir fry.
Serving suggestions:
- Steamed jasmine or sticky rice
- Cauliflower rice
- On it’s own, we’ve been eating this one straight up without any kind of rice at all!
More Stir Fry Inspiration:
- Sweet Chili Chicken Stir Fry
- Ethiopian Berbere Chicken Stir Fry
- Whole30 Thai Basil Chicken Stir Fry
- Cashew Chicken and Veggie Stir Fry
- Rainbow Orange Chicken and Veggie Stir Fry
- Whole30 Sweet and Sour Stir Fry
To Store: Leftovers can be placed in a sealed container and refrigerated for 4 days.
Reheat: Gently warm the stir fry over medium heat stirring constantly until heated through, or microwave.
So I sure hope you’ll enjoy this one! And if you do get a chance to make it, I hope you’ll leave me a comment/rating below. I always love hearing from you here in the comments. And also over on Instagram where you can tag me at #getinspiredeveryday with your photos of what you make.
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Easy Chicken Zucchini Stir Fry
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
This stir fry is simple to make and is the perfect easy, healthy weeknight meal that’s better than take-out!
Ingredients
1–2 Tablespoons avocado oil
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1/2” cubes
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tablespoon minced fresh ginger
1 red onion, diced into 1/4” dice, 3 cups
4 zucchini, 1 1/2 pounds, cut into half moon slices, 6 cups
Sauce:
1/4 cup coconut aminos
1 Teaspoon toasted sesame oil
1/2 Teaspoon red pepper flakes
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Sesame seeds for garnish if desired
Instructions
Start by prepping all the ingredients before beginning to cook. Whisk the sauce ingredients together in a small bowl and set them aside.
Preheat a large non-stick frying pan, (15″) over medium high heat until hot, but not smoking. Add 1 tablespoon oil to the pan along with the chicken. Turn the heat to high, and cook stirring only as the chicken browns. When the chicken is done, remove it from the pan and set it aside.
If needed add the second tablespoon of oil to the pan to fry the garlic, ginger, and onion together. Cook over high heat stirring constantly for 1-2 minutes. Lower the heat if necessary to keep the mixture from browning.
Add the zucchini to the pan, and cook over high heat, stirring as they brown for 3-5 minutes, or until crisp tender. Add the chicken and stir fry sauce to the pan, toss to combine. Cook stirring constantly for a few seconds, and most of the sauce will be absorbed.
Remove the pan from the heat, season to taste and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Serve immediately.
Notes
The nutrition information is calculated with 2 tablespoons avocado oil.
There shouldn’t be excess sauce when the stir fry is done, but there can be if the zucchini gets overcooked. You can mix together 1-2 tsp tapioca or cornstarch with 2 tsp water and add it to the hot stir fry to thicken.
- Prep Time: 20
- Cook Time: 10
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Stir Fry
- Cuisine: Asian
Keywords: Chicken Stir Fry with Zucchini, Chicken and Zucchini Stir Fry, Chicken Zucchini Stir Fry Recipe
This is an awesome way to get in your veggies and make it tasty!
★★★★★
Stir fries are so good for that!
looks so delicious! this is a great way to use all the summer zucchini
Thanks, it definitely uses up tons of it!
This looks amazing. I’ve been looking for ways to use the abundance of zucchini from our garden. I can’t wait to try this recipe!
★★★★★
I sure hope you enjoy it, and this one definitely uses lots of zucchini!
This recipe was so easy to make! The coconut aminos is a great ingredient to use. Both my husband and I loved it and he requested it again for next week 🙂
★★★★★
So glad you both enjoy it!
Just made the chicken zucchini stir fry for lunch because I happened to have all the ingredients. It was delicious. The combination of toasted sesame seed oil, with ginger and garlic, is great. Will definitely make again.
I also made the honey sriracha chicken the other day when I had company and it was also tasty and it will be a go to when I need something quick.
Your recipes are easy to follow and always produce delicious food! Thank you!
I’m so glad you’ve enjoyed both of those latest recipes! And that definitely makes my day to hear the recipes are easy to follow, that’s always one of my main goals when I’m working on them!