Chicken and Bell Pepper Stir-Fry

This quick and easy chicken and bell pepper stir-fry recipe comes together in just 20 minutes. Perfect for busy days when you need a simple, homemade meal.

Made with just a handful of ingredients, it's a great way to get dinner on the table without very much effort.

This is an updated version the first "real" recipe I learned to make, way back in my middle school home economics class in the '90s. It was a recipe that our teacher showed us how to make, and I remember being so proud of being able to make it at home for me and my mom.

When I came across the original recipe I realized it would be a fun one to write up in a more complete format so that other people (and maybe even their teens and tweens) could make a simple, flavorful dinner at home.

It's not anything mind-blowing, but it's a solid, tasty dinner with minimal ingredients that brings me back to my childhood. My whole family really enjoys this one, and I hope you do too!

If you're looking for more stir-fry dinners, this Spicy Shrimp + Napa Cabbage Stir-Fry recipe is another one that's a big hit with my family.

🧡 Why we love this recipe

• It's quick and easy to put together.
• Stir-fried dishes only need one pan to prepare.
• You can swap out or add more veggies if you'd like - it's very flexible!
• So many recipes only use the white part or the green part of green onions, but this recipe utilizes the whole thing.

📝 Ingredients

You only need a few ingredients to make this chicken stir-fry with peppers. (see recipe card below for ingredient amounts and full directions):

• High-heat cooking oil - avocado oil, peanut oil, and grapeseed oil are all good choices.
• Boneless skinless chicken breasts - cutting them into cubes that are all around the same size will help them to cook evenly.
• Green bell peppers - I find that the green bell pepper adds great flavor here, but I do think I'll try it with one red and one green the next time I make it.
• Green onions - the white portion will go into the stir-fry and the green portion will go on top as garnish.
• Cornstarch - this works with the soy sauce to thicken the stir-fry sauce so that it glazes the meat and peppers.
• Low sodium soy sauce
• Cooked rice - for serving.

✅ How to make this recipe

1. Heat oil in a large skillet.
2. Whisk the soy sauce and cornstarch together in a small bowl.
3. Cook the chicken in the hot skillet.
4. Add the bell peppers and the white part of the green onions and continue to cook.
5. Add the soy sauce mixture to the chicken and cook until thickened.
6. Serve over rice, sprinkling with the remaining part of the green onions for garnish.

See recipe card below for full instructions.

🍴 Variations

Here are a few ways you could switch things up with this stir-fry recipe.

• Mix up the colors of the bell peppers.
• Add canned veggies like sliced water chestnuts or bamboo shoots.
• Try adding some diced pineapple to the mix.
• Substitute the soy sauce mixture for your favorite store-bought stir-fry sauce. Add ¼ cup and stir it up, adding more as needed.
• Top your stir-fry with other garnishes like toasted sesame seeds, crushed peanuts, chili crisp, or cilantro leaves.
• I haven't tried this yet, but I have a suspicion it would be good served as lettuce wraps, too. I'll give it a try and update this post once I do!

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📖 Recipe

Chicken and Bell Pepper Stir-Fry

This quick and easy chicken and bell pepper stir-fry recipe comes together in just 20 minutes. Perfect for busy days when you need a simple, homemade meal.

Made with just a handful of ingredients, it's a great way to get dinner on the table without very much effort.

Big Flavors from a Tiny Kitchen - Ashley Covelli

5 from 1 vote

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Servings: 4 Servings

Course: Main Dish

Cuisine: Asian

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 10 minutes mins

Total Time 20 minutes mins

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x?

• 1 tablespoon high-heat cooking oil avocado oil, peanut oil, and grapeseed oil are all good choices
• ⅓ cup low sodium soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts about 1 ½ pounds total, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 2 green bell peppers seeded and diced
• 4 green onions thinly sliced, green and white parts separated
• Cooked rice for serving

Method

 

1. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together the soy sauce and cornstarch and set aside.
3. Once the skillet is hot, add the cubed chicken and cook, stirring as needed, until cooked through, about 5 minutes.
4. Add the bell peppers and the white portion of the green onions. Cook until the peppers soften, about 3-5 minutes longer.
5. Give the soy sauce mixture another stir, then pour into the chicken mixture and cook, stirring occasionally until slightly thickened, about 2-3 minutes.
6. Serve stir-fry over cooked rice, sprinkling with the remaining part of the green onions for garnish.

Notes

The chicken will likely create some liquid in the pan and that's fine - it'll help the peppers soften while they cook.

If you find that your stir-fry isn't quite saucy enough, feel free to add some water to the pan, a tablespoon at a time, until it reaches your desired consistency.

Make sure you give your soy sauce mixture a quick stir before adding it to the chicken so that it's well incorporated and doesn't clump together at the bottom of your bowl.

See the full post above for tips and ideas for variations, garnishes, etc.

Useful products:

• angled turner
• cast iron skillet
• cornstarch

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