Who says you need a wok for great stir fry? This chicken stir fry made in the air fryer delivers all the taste with less oil and fewer dishes. It’s a weeknight dinner dream come true.
My secret to effortless chicken stir-fry
I’ve always loved the flavors of a good chicken stir-fry, but I used to find making it at home a hassle. Standing over a hot stove, constantly stirring the ingredients in a wok, trying to get everything cooked just right… But now I can just toss the ingredients in the air fryer, and focus on other tasks while the dinner cooks itself. No more wok watching!
Plus, it’s super easy to customize. You can switch up the veggies based on what is in the fridge, or experiment with different sauces to keep things interesting.
What do you need?
- Diced chicken: I used boneless, skinless chicken breasts for this recipe. You can substitute chicken thighs or turkey breast if you prefer. Cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces of a similar size so they cook evenly.
- Vegetables: I used red peppers/ capsicum, red onion, courgette/ zucchini, and broccoli. Cut the vegetables into even-sized pieces to ensure they cook at the same rate.
- Light olive oil: You can use other cooking oils with a high smoke point, such as vegetable oil, avocado oil, or grapeseed oil. Note: don’t use sesame oil, it will burn.
- Seasoning: I used a simple blend of salt, pepper, garlic powder, and ground ginger. You can add some chilli flakes for a kick of heat if you like.
- Sauce: For this recipe, the sauce is added right at the end. Choose a store-bought stir-fry sauce, or whip up a quick batch of my 10 minute teriyaki sauce.
Let’s make this stir fry in the air fryer!
1
Prepare.
Rinse the vegetables and pat dry. Cut the vegetables and chicken into bite-sized pieces. Toss together in a bowl with a drizzle of oil and the seasoning.
2
Pop it in the air fryer.
Preheat the air fryer to 200°C/ 400°F (if your air fryer doesn’t have a preheat mode, just set it to air fry for 3-4 minutes). Then pop the chicken and veggies in the air fryer basket.
3
Air fry.
Air fry the chicken and vegetables at 200°C/ 400°F for 10-14 minutes until the chicken is cooked through. Shake the basket to redistribute the food (or toss quickly with tongs) a few times during cooking to ensure it cooks evenly.
Check the temperature in the centre of a few of the largest chunks of chicken to ensure they have reached 74°C/ 165°F or higher all the way through.
4
Toss with sauce.
While the chicken and veggies are cooking heat the sauce in the microwave or in a small pan. Then toss the air fried chicken and vegetables in the sauce until well coated.
Variations and serving ideas
- Add pineapple chunks and sliced bell peppers when cooking the stir-fry, then toss with sweet and sour sauce and serve over noodles.
- Include sliced carrots and broccoli florets in the stir-fry, then toss with teriyaki sauce and serve over a bed of steamed rice, garnished with sesame seeds and sliced green onions.
- Toss the cooked chicken stir-fry with a honey garlic sauce, then serve over a bed of noodles, sprinkled with toasted sesame seeds and chopped cilantro.
- Add cashews to the stir-fry, then toss with a garlic-soy sauce and serve over steamed rice, and top with chopped cilantro.
Air Fryer Stir Fry
Ingredients
- 1 lb / 450 g diced chicken breast
- ½ head broccoli (cut into florets)
- 1 small red onion (sliced)
- 1 small courgette/ zucchini (cut into 2cm/ 1-inch chunks)
- 1 small red pepper/ capsicum (sliced)
- 1 tablespoon light olive oil
Seasonings
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground pepper
Sauce
- ½ cup / 120 ml stir fry sauce
Directions
- Preheat air fryer to 200°C/ 400°F.
- Rinse the vegetables, pat dry, and cut into bite-sized pieces.
- Place vegetables and diced chicken breast into a bowl, drizzle with oil, and add seasonings. Toss to coat.
- Place chicken and vegetables in air fryer basket, and air fry for 10-15 minutes until chicken is cooked through [Note 1]. Shake basket (or toss the food with tongs) 1-2 times during cooking to redistribute the food and ensure it cooks evenly.
Notes
- Check the internal temperature of the chicken in a few places to ensure
Nutrition
Nutrition information is an estimate and provided for informational purposes only.
