Gluten-free chicken and vegetable stir fry
Quick, vibrant stir fry with tender chicken, crisp veg and a tangy tamari sauce — ready in 35 minutes.
This gluten-free chicken and vegetable stir fry is the sort of weeknight hero you can throw together in under 40 minutes. It’s quick, bright and uses gluten-free tamari so you don’t miss out on deep, savoury flavour.
The trick is high heat and a light cornflour coating on the chicken for that silky finish — exactly what you want when the clock’s ticking. Serve with steamed rice or noodles if you like, but the stir fry stands perfectly well on its own.
Ingredients
- 500 g chicken breast
- 25 g cornflour
- 60 ml gluten-free tamari — total amount; some used in the marinade, the rest in the sauce
- 10 ml sesame oil
- 30 ml sunflower oil
- 3 garlic cloves — peeled and finely sliced or crushed
- 30 g fresh ginger — peeled and finely grated
- 1 brown onion — thinly sliced
- 1 red pepper — thinly sliced
- 1 courgette — cut into half-moons about 5 mm thick
- 100 g carrots — peeled and cut into matchsticks
- 100 g sugar snap peas — trimmed
- 150 g chestnut mushrooms — halved or quartered if large
- 4 spring onions — slice whites and greens separately
- 15 ml honey
- 15 ml rice vinegar
- 100 ml chicken stock — use low-salt or gluten-free stock
- 10 g toasted sesame seeds — for garnish
- 10 g fresh coriander — roughly chopped, for garnish
- 1 lime — to squeeze over at the end
Instructions
Thinly slice the chicken across the grain into bite-sized strips. Put the chicken into a medium bowl.
Add 15 ml gluten-free tamari, 10 g cornflour and 5 ml sesame oil to the chicken and toss until evenly coated. Cover and leave to marinate at room temperature for 20 minutes.
While the chicken marinates, prepare the sauce: in a small bowl whisk together the remaining 45 ml gluten-free tamari, honey, rice vinegar, chicken stock and the remaining 15 g cornflour until smooth.
Heat a large frying pan or wok over high heat until very hot, then add half the sunflower oil. Add the marinated chicken in a single layer and stir-fry until just cooked through and lightly golden, about 2–3 minutes. Work quickly and avoid overcrowding; cook in two batches if necessary.
Remove the cooked chicken to a warm plate and set aside. Wipe the pan briefly with kitchen paper if it looks burned, then return to the hob.
Add the remaining sunflower oil to the hot pan. Fry the brown onion, garlic cloves and fresh ginger for about 1–2 minutes until fragrant and beginning to soften.
Add the carrots, red pepper, courgette, chestnut mushrooms and sugar snap peas and stir-fry for 3–4 minutes until the vegetables are bright and tender-crisp.
Return the chicken and any juices to the pan, pour in the sauce mixture and stir constantly for 1–2 minutes until the sauce comes to a simmer and thickens to a glossy coating.
Stir through the spring onion whites and remaining 5 ml sesame oil. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed. Transfer to a serving dish, scatter with spring onion greens, toasted sesame seeds and fresh coriander, and squeeze over the lime just before serving.
Tips
- Always get the pan very hot before adding meat — a proper sizzle seals juices and avoids a soggy finish.
- If the pan is overcrowded the chicken will steam; cook in two batches rather than cram everything in.
- Mix the cornflour into the sauce thoroughly so it doesn’t clump when added to the hot pan.
- Make the sauce and veg prep ahead: you can slice everything and whisk the sauce up to a day ahead and keep chilled.
- Leftovers keep well in the fridge for 2 days; gently reheat in a frying pan with a splash of water to loosen the sauce.
Substitutions
chicken breast → firm tofu, pressed and cut into strips (use 400 g)
Noticeably differentgluten-free tamari → coconut aminos, same quantity (45–60 ml)
Stays closecornflour → arrowroot, same quantity by weight
Stays close
Nutrition
Per serving · estimated
- 356
- Calories
- 39 g
- Protein
- 19 g
- Carbs
- 14 g
- Fat
- 4 g
- Fibre
- 8 g
- Sugar
- 900 mg
- Sodium
FAQ
Can I make this vegetarian or vegan?
Yes — swap the chicken for firm tofu (press it first) and use vegetable stock. Ensure your tamari is vegan.
Why does my sauce go gloopy?
That usually means too much cornflour or the sauce was cooked too long. Whisk the cornflour smoothly and add the sauce off the heat if it’s already bubbling hard; it will thicken quickly when returned to the pan.
How do I stop the chicken from sticking?
Ensure the pan is very hot and use enough oil. Don’t move the chicken continuously at first; let it sear for 20–30 seconds to form a crust, then stir-fry.
Can I make this ahead?
You can prep vegetables and whisk the sauce up to 24 hours ahead. Cooked stir fry is best eaten same day; store leftovers refrigerated up to 48 hours.
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