Stir Fry Recipes To Add Some Sizzle To Your Supper

Stir Fry Recipes To Add Some Sizzle To Your Supper

Shutterstock By Emily Monaco/April 7, 2021 2:25 pm EST

Stir fries are excellent recipes to have in your dinnertime repertoire. Quick and easy by their very definition, stir fries usually also have the added bonus of including all of your macronutrients — carbs, fats, and protein — in a quick, one-pan dish.

But aside from these main commonalities, stir fries can also boast a host of different flavors and textures. From veggie-forward medleys to old takeout standards like beef and broccoli, the world of stir fry recipes is vast and ripe for discovery. The secret to success with any stir fry recipe is prep work. Be sure to assemble your mise en place in advance, slicing and dicing all of your ingredients before you even heat your pan or wok. This way, you’ll be able to add your ingredients in order without taking any time away from the pan and risking burning all of the lovely ingredients you’ve already started cooking. Now that you’ve got that pro tip, let’s jump into these delicious stir fry recipes.

An easy, tasty chicken stir fry for a quick and hearty dinner

Melissa Olivieri/Mashed

This chicken stir fry unites boneless, skinless chicken breast and a host of veggies in a sweet and savory sauce made with cider vinegar, brown sugar, garlic, and ginger. Like many stir fry sauces, it’s thickened with cornstarch, making it rich and silky smooth. This stir fry is delicious on its own, but it’s even tastier served over a starchy base to soak up all the extra sauce. Brown or white rice or rice noodles are all great options.

Beef and broccoli stir fry that’s better than takeout

Susan Olayinka/Mashed

Beef and broccoli is a Chinese takeout staple, and it’s not hard to see why. Rich, soy-marinated beef and tender, nutty broccoli florets are stir fried in a sweet yet earthy sauce made with mirin, garlic, ginger, and honey. A touch of lime juice and a sprinkling of sesame seeds finish this dish off wonderfully.

Take care not to overcook the meat for this dish, lest it become tough. A quick sear at the beginning is all it needs — it will carry-over cook by the time you’ve finished steaming the broccoli in the sauce.

Beefy lo mein noodles will be your new stir fry favorite

Lindsay D. Mattison

If you like beef and broccoli, you’ll love this lo mein recipe, which unites the classic flavors of the takeout favorite with lo mein noodles.  Lo mein is just one of many types of Chinese noodle, and while etymologically of similar origin, lo mein is distinct from Japanese ramen. That said, using packaged instant ramen to make this dish has one distinct advantage: Since the noodles cook so quickly, dinner will be on the table in 20 minutes flat.

Sesame chicken stir fry sans deep fryer

Carina Finn/Mashed

We love the crispy sesame chicken from our local Chinese restaurant, but for as tasty as it is, it can be tough to justify breaking out the deep fat fryer at home. Enter this homemade sesame chicken recipe, which manages to recreate the crispiness of restaurant sesame chicken with a fraction of the oil. The secret is in coating the chicken pieces in cornstarch and shallow frying them until crisp. Finish the chicken in the rich sauce, and then dig in!

Everything you love about egg rolls is in this stir fry — no wrapper needed

Lindsay D. Mattison/Mashed

Egg rolls are crispy little packets of delight, stuffed with meat, vegetables, and loads of aromatics before being deep-fried until golden. This bowl recipe manages to recreate those flavors with fewer calories and carbs by eschewing the traditional wrapper. Instead, you’ll be stir-frying pork, cabbage, carrots, and scallions with chili paste, oyster sauce, soy sauce, sesame, ginger, and garlic. The result is super tasty and a healthier choice than traditional egg rolls to boot.

Moo goo gai pan is a stir fry the whole family will love

Kristen Carli/Mashed

Cantonese for “mushrooms and chicken,” moo goo gai pan is a much beloved Chinese-American stir fry. As its name suggests, this dish stars chicken and baby bella mushrooms, but other veggies play an important supporting role. Crisp water chestnuts, carrots, and snow peas join the key players in the umami-rich seasoning of soy and fish sauces as well as aromatic garlic and ginger. The finished dish is on the table in under half an hour.

A unique Thai stir fry for when you want something new

Tara Rylie/Mashed

Pad see ew may not be as famous as its cousin, pad Thai, but one bite, and you’ll fall in love with this delightful Thai noodle dish. Marinated flank steak, broccoli, bok choi, and eggs are stir fried with rice noodles as a base for this delicious recipe. The rich flavors of black bean paste, hoisin sauce, fish sauce, and garlic bring everything together nicely. Serve sprinkled with sesame seeds, crushed peanuts, and cilantro (for a touch of color and freshness).

Szechuan chicken with loads of veggies is a stir fry anyone can master

Kristen Carli/Mashed

The Szechuan province boasts some of China’s most popular dishes, from hot pot to mapo tofu. While much of the region’s food packs some heat (especially thanks to its world-famous namesake tongue-numbing pepper), many dishes are mild, like this Szechuan stir-fried chicken with broccoli, cauliflower, and three different kinds of bell pepper. This tasty dish is easy and colorful, and best of all, it reheats well, so it’s easy to make a large batch and enjoy the leftovers for lunch for days to come.

Nothing could be easier than this stir fried teriyaki chicken

Susan Olayinka/Mashed

Most of the recipes on this list are pretty easy, but the reigning king of simplicity is undoubtedly this this teriyaki chicken, which requires just three ingredients and 25 minutes to prepare. Light brown sugar and soy sauce unite to make a rich, savory sauce to coat this lovely chicken. Get ready for your whole family to swoon.

Stir Fry Recipes To Add Some Sizzle To Your Supper

Shutterstock

By Emily Monaco/April 7, 2021 2:25 pm EST

Stir fries are excellent recipes to have in your dinnertime repertoire. Quick and easy by their very definition, stir fries usually also have the added bonus of including all of your macronutrients — carbs, fats, and protein — in a quick, one-pan dish.

But aside from these main commonalities, stir fries can also boast a host of different flavors and textures. From veggie-forward medleys to old takeout standards like beef and broccoli, the world of stir fry recipes is vast and ripe for discovery. The secret to success with any stir fry recipe is prep work. Be sure to assemble your mise en place in advance, slicing and dicing all of your ingredients before you even heat your pan or wok. This way, you’ll be able to add your ingredients in order without taking any time away from the pan and risking burning all of the lovely ingredients you’ve already started cooking. Now that you’ve got that pro tip, let’s jump into these delicious stir fry recipes.

But aside from these main commonalities, stir fries can also boast a host of different flavors and textures. From veggie-forward medleys to old takeout standards like beef and broccoli, the world of stir fry recipes is vast and ripe for discovery.

The secret to success with any stir fry recipe is prep work. Be sure to assemble your mise en place in advance, slicing and dicing all of your ingredients before you even heat your pan or wok. This way, you’ll be able to add your ingredients in order without taking any time away from the pan and risking burning all of the lovely ingredients you’ve already started cooking. Now that you’ve got that pro tip, let’s jump into these delicious stir fry recipes.

An easy, tasty chicken stir fry for a quick and hearty dinner

Melissa Olivieri/Mashed

This chicken stir fry unites boneless, skinless chicken breast and a host of veggies in a sweet and savory sauce made with cider vinegar, brown sugar, garlic, and ginger. Like many stir fry sauces, it’s thickened with cornstarch, making it rich and silky smooth. This stir fry is delicious on its own, but it’s even tastier served over a starchy base to soak up all the extra sauce. Brown or white rice or rice noodles are all great options.

Beef and broccoli stir fry that’s better than takeout

Susan Olayinka/Mashed

Beef and broccoli is a Chinese takeout staple, and it’s not hard to see why. Rich, soy-marinated beef and tender, nutty broccoli florets are stir fried in a sweet yet earthy sauce made with mirin, garlic, ginger, and honey. A touch of lime juice and a sprinkling of sesame seeds finish this dish off wonderfully.

Take care not to overcook the meat for this dish, lest it become tough. A quick sear at the beginning is all it needs — it will carry-over cook by the time you’ve finished steaming the broccoli in the sauce.

Take care not to overcook the meat for this dish, lest it become tough. A quick sear at the beginning is all it needs — it will carry-over cook by the time you’ve finished steaming the broccoli in the sauce.

Beefy lo mein noodles will be your new stir fry favorite

Lindsay D. Mattison

If you like beef and broccoli, you’ll love this lo mein recipe, which unites the classic flavors of the takeout favorite with lo mein noodles.  Lo mein is just one of many types of Chinese noodle, and while etymologically of similar origin, lo mein is distinct from Japanese ramen. That said, using packaged instant ramen to make this dish has one distinct advantage: Since the noodles cook so quickly, dinner will be on the table in 20 minutes flat.

Lo mein is just one of many types of Chinese noodle, and while etymologically of similar origin, lo mein is distinct from Japanese ramen. That said, using packaged instant ramen to make this dish has one distinct advantage: Since the noodles cook so quickly, dinner will be on the table in 20 minutes flat.

Sesame chicken stir fry sans deep fryer

Carina Finn/Mashed

We love the crispy sesame chicken from our local Chinese restaurant, but for as tasty as it is, it can be tough to justify breaking out the deep fat fryer at home. Enter this homemade sesame chicken recipe, which manages to recreate the crispiness of restaurant sesame chicken with a fraction of the oil. The secret is in coating the chicken pieces in cornstarch and shallow frying them until crisp. Finish the chicken in the rich sauce, and then dig in!

Everything you love about egg rolls is in this stir fry — no wrapper needed

Lindsay D. Mattison/Mashed

Egg rolls are crispy little packets of delight, stuffed with meat, vegetables, and loads of aromatics before being deep-fried until golden. This bowl recipe manages to recreate those flavors with fewer calories and carbs by eschewing the traditional wrapper. Instead, you’ll be stir-frying pork, cabbage, carrots, and scallions with chili paste, oyster sauce, soy sauce, sesame, ginger, and garlic. The result is super tasty and a healthier choice than traditional egg rolls to boot.

Moo goo gai pan is a stir fry the whole family will love

Kristen Carli/Mashed

Cantonese for “mushrooms and chicken,” moo goo gai pan is a much beloved Chinese-American stir fry. As its name suggests, this dish stars chicken and baby bella mushrooms, but other veggies play an important supporting role. Crisp water chestnuts, carrots, and snow peas join the key players in the umami-rich seasoning of soy and fish sauces as well as aromatic garlic and ginger. The finished dish is on the table in under half an hour.

A unique Thai stir fry for when you want something new

Tara Rylie/Mashed

Pad see ew may not be as famous as its cousin, pad Thai, but one bite, and you’ll fall in love with this delightful Thai noodle dish. Marinated flank steak, broccoli, bok choi, and eggs are stir fried with rice noodles as a base for this delicious recipe. The rich flavors of black bean paste, hoisin sauce, fish sauce, and garlic bring everything together nicely. Serve sprinkled with sesame seeds, crushed peanuts, and cilantro (for a touch of color and freshness).

Szechuan chicken with loads of veggies is a stir fry anyone can master

The Szechuan province boasts some of China’s most popular dishes, from hot pot to mapo tofu. While much of the region’s food packs some heat (especially thanks to its world-famous namesake tongue-numbing pepper), many dishes are mild, like this Szechuan stir-fried chicken with broccoli, cauliflower, and three different kinds of bell pepper. This tasty dish is easy and colorful, and best of all, it reheats well, so it’s easy to make a large batch and enjoy the leftovers for lunch for days to come.

Nothing could be easier than this stir fried teriyaki chicken

Most of the recipes on this list are pretty easy, but the reigning king of simplicity is undoubtedly this this teriyaki chicken, which requires just three ingredients and 25 minutes to prepare. Light brown sugar and soy sauce unite to make a rich, savory sauce to coat this lovely chicken. Get ready for your whole family to swoon.