Quick nut-free chicken and vegetable stir-fry
A speedy, nut-free stir‑fry with tender chicken, crisp veg and a glossy honey-soy sauce — perfect for weeknights.
This is the kind of stir‑fry that turns a frantic weeknight into something you can actually enjoy. It’s quick, bright and, crucially, nut-free — no peanuts, no oils with nuts, just clean flavour.
Prep is minimal and the technique is forgiving: hot pan, quick cooks, and a simple honey-soy sauce that thickens to a shiny glaze. Serve with rice or noodles if you like, but the dish stands proud on its own.
Ingredients
- 600 g chicken thigh fillets
- 30 ml vegetable oil
- 1 brown onion — small
- 3 garlic cloves
- 25 g fresh ginger
- 1 red pepper
- 1 courgette
- 2 carrots — medium
- 200 g tenderstem broccoli
- 45 ml soy sauce
- 15 ml honey
- 15 ml rice wine vinegar
- 10 g cornflour
- 100 ml vegetable stock — low-salt preferred
- 2 spring onions
- 10 g fresh coriander — leaves for garnish
- salt — to taste
- black pepper — to taste
Equipment
- wok or large frying pan
Instructions
Trim any excess fat and slice the chicken thigh fillets into 1 cm strips.
Make a quick marinade: in a bowl mix 15 ml soy sauce and half the cornflour (about 5 g) with one crushed garlic clove and 5 g grated fresh ginger. Add the sliced chicken, toss to coat and leave to marinate on the side for 15 minutes.
While the chicken marinates, prepare the vegetables: thinly slice the brown onion, red pepper and courgette, cut the carrots into matchsticks and trim the tenderstem broccoli. Slice the spring onions on the diagonal and finely grate the remaining garlic clove and ginger.
Heat a wok or large frying pan over a high hob setting. Add half the vegetable oil (15 ml). Stir-fry the marinated chicken in a single layer in two quick batches so it colours rather than steams — about 3–4 minutes per batch until golden and just cooked through. Transfer cooked chicken to a plate and keep warm.
Add the remaining 15 ml vegetable oil to the hot wok. Add brown onion and carrots and stir-fry for 2 minutes, then add red pepper and tenderstem broccoli and continue for 2 minutes. Add courgette and the grated garlic and ginger and stir-fry for a further 1 minute until the vegetables are bright and just tender.
Mix the sauce in a small bowl: combine the remaining 30 ml soy sauce, honey, rice wine vinegar, vegetable stock and the remaining cornflour (about 5 g) to make a smooth slurry.
Return the cooked chicken to the wok, pour in the sauce and toss constantly for 1–2 minutes until the sauce thickens to a glossy coating and the chicken is piping hot.
Season to taste with salt and black pepper, scatter over sliced spring onions and fresh coriander, then serve immediately.
Tips
- Slice the chicken thinly across the grain for tender pieces that cook quickly.
- Marinate only 15 minutes — the cornflour in the marinade helps the chicken keep moisture and gives a silky texture when cooked.
- Keep the heat high and cook in batches so ingredients brown rather than steam.
- If you prefer a thinner sauce, use 50–75 ml extra vegetable stock and reduce the cornflour slightly.
- Leftovers keep in the fridge for 2 days; reheat gently in a frying pan with a splash of stock to revive the sauce.
Substitutions
chicken thigh fillets → firm tofu, pressed and cut into 2 cm cubes (use same weight)
Stays closesoy sauce → dark or light tamari in the same quantity for gluten-free
Stays closehoney → maple syrup in the same quantity
Noticeably different
Nutrition
Per serving · estimated
- 485
- Calories
- 28 g
- Protein
- 18 g
- Carbs
- 34 g
- Fat
- 3 g
- Fibre
- 8 g
- Sugar
- 700 mg
- Sodium
FAQ
Can I make this vegetarian or vegan?
Yes — replace the chicken with firm tofu (600 g), press and cube it, then follow the same method. Use maple syrup or agave instead of honey for vegan.
How do I stop the vegetables going soggy?
Cut them into similar-sized pieces, keep the pan very hot and stir constantly. Add quicker-cooking veg later so everything finishes at once.
Can I make the sauce ahead?
Yes, combine the sauce ingredients (keep the cornflour separate) and refrigerate up to 24 hours. Stir in cornflour and whisk before adding to the hot pan.
How should I store leftovers?
Cool quickly and store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 48 hours. Reheat in a frying pan with a splash of stock on a medium hob.
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