Hunan Chicken is a 25 minute, easy and delicious dinner that will be on repeat! Tender chicken stir fried with veggies in an irresistible sweet and savory sauce.
Hunan Chicken Recipe
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This 25 minute dinner is perfect for any day of the week! The days are busy enough, you don't need to be spending hours in the kitchen prepping dinner. This meal comes together in a flash!
A well rounded meal with protein, vegetables and a sauce you will love! This dinner is on repeat in our house and leftovers are even better the next day.
What is Hunan Chicken
Hunan Chicken is an Asian stir fry made with tender chicken breast, broccoli, red bell peppers, celery, and baby corn. The signature Hunan sauce is sweet, savory and simply divine!
The sauce is packed with flavor from garlic, ginger, oyster sauce, rice vinegar, and Sambal Olek (chili garlic sauce). It has the most rich and delicious umami flavor.
What to Serve with this Dish
Ingredients
Stir Fry Ingredients
- Chicken - thinly sliced chicken breast is coated in corn starch and pan fried to perfection. It is tender, crisp, moist and oh so delicious!
- Corn Starch, Salt, and Pepper - used to coat the chicken before pan frying. The cornstarch adds a protective barrier to the chicken that keeps it tender and moist. It also adds a nice crunchy coating to the chicken that helps thicken the sauce too!
- Red Bell Peppers, Broccoli, Baby Corn, Celery - these are the veggies traditionally used in this stir fry but you can use any veggies you prefer or have on hand. Stir fries are the best way to use up any leftover veggies in the fridge!
- Garlic & Ginger - the two most popular and flavorful Asian aromatics. A must have for all stir fries.
- Oil - for stir frying
Hunan Sauce Ingredients
- Chicken Broth - the base of the sauce. Can be homemade or store bought. You can also use chicken bone broth for added nutrient and protein.
- Soy Sauce - regular or low sodium soy sauce can be used. Do not use sweet soy sauce or dark soy sauce as they have a much richer and potent flavor and will over power the sauce.
- Hoisin Sauce - this Asian sauce is the secret ingredient to many stir fries and dishes. It has a rich umami flavor and it is often used as a dipping sauce, a marinade, or as part of stir fry sauces.
- Honey - adds a subtle sweetness to the sauce.
- Rice Vinegar - Hunan sauce is simply divine, it is sweet, salty, tangy and a bit spicy. The rice vinegar adds a nice pop of tang to the sauce. You can swap for white wine vinegar, or regular white vinegar.
- Chili Garlic Sauce - sambal olek, or chili garlic sauce, or sriracha, can be used. It does not make the stir fry sauce spicy, it just adds a nice subtle spice in the background.
- Corn Starch -used to thicken the sauce.
How to Make Hunan Chicken
Full Printable Recipe at Bottom of page
- Make the sauce by combining all of the Hunan sauce ingredients in a small bowl. Stir well to combine and set aside.
- Place the chicken and ¼ cup cornstarch, salt, and pepper in a Ziploc bag, shake to coat evenly (or you can combine the cornstarch, salt and pepper in a bowl and coat the pieces of chicken in the bowl).
- Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large skillet, frying pan or wok over high heat. Add in the chicken and stir fry until the chicken just starts to brown. Do not overcrowd the pan and cook in batches if needed depending on the size of your pan.
- Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside. Add in the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil. Stir in the garlic and ginger. Stir fry for about 5 seconds.
- Add in the vegetables and stir fry for about 2-3 minutes.
- Pour the Hunan sauce into the pan. It will bubble up and thicken quickly. Cook for about 1-2 minutes or until thickened. Reduce heat to low and stir in the chicken.
- Serve with rice or noodles. Garnish with sesame seeds and green onions and enjoy!
Tips for the Best Hunan Chicken
- Vegetables - a stir fry is the best way to use up any leftover veggies you have in the fridge. Stir fries are also completely customizable to your personal preference. You can use any combination of vegetables you like, including carrots, zucchini, water chestnuts, asparagus, bok choy, mushrooms, snap peas, the list goes on and on!
- Chicken - for the most tender and moist chicken, thinly slice the chicken against the grain. Look for the grains of the chicken meat, the are thin white lines running through the chicken and slice against them. The chicken will be so tender and delicious!
- Stir Fry - when making a stir fry things move quick! To make sure nothings gets over cooked, be sure to prep all the ingredients before you start cooking. Make sure all your veggies are washed and chopped, chicken is sliced, and the sauce is stirred together. Making a stir fry requires you to quickly pan fry each ingredient and move on to the next step. So be sure you have everything prepped. For example, you don't want to cook your chicken and then set it aside while you slice all your veggies.
FAQ
Microwave the stir fry in 30-second interval, stirring in between until warm or reheat in a non-stick pan on medium heat until warmed through.
Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator, in an airtight container, for up to 5 days.
Yes, you can meal prep this and keep in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
Place the cooked and cooled stir fry in an airtight container and store it in the freezer for up to 3 months. You can freeze individual servings of the stir fry with a serving of rice or noodles in a freezer safe container. Then simply reheat in the microwave for 3-4 minutes or until warmed through.
This recipe is gluten free but be sure to check your soy sauce to make sure it is certified gluten free.
This recipe is dairy free.
More Easy Stir Fries
- Beef with Broccoli
- Teriyaki Chicken with Vegetables
- Crispy Honey Garlic Beef
- Spicy Crispy Chicken
- Sesame Chicken
- Honey Garlic Chicken and Green Beans
Enjoy!
- Sab
Hunan Chicken
Ingredients
Stir Fry Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil (or cooking oil of choice)
- 2 chicken breast (boneless skinless, thinly sliced)
- 1 cup cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 1 tablespoon oil (vegetable, or cooking oil of choice)
- 2 tablespoon garlic (minced)
- 1 tablespoon ginger (fresh, minced)
- 1 ½ cup broccoli (florets, cut into bite sized pieces)
- 1 cup celery (thinly sliced)
- 1 red bell pepper (cut into bite sized pieces)
- 1 can baby corn (drained and halved)
Hunan Sauce
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 2 tablespoon cornstarch
- 2 tablespoon soy sauce (regular or low sodium, do not use sweet soy sauce or dark soy sauce)
- 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
- 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar (sub rice vinegar, apple cider vinegar, or white vinegar)
- 2 tablespoon honey (or sugar)
- 2 teaspoon sambal olek (garlic chili sauce, or sriracha)
Garnish (Optional)
- Sesame Seeds
- Green Onions (finely diced)
Instructions
- Make the sauce by combining all of the Hunan sauce ingredients in a small bowl. Stir well to combine and set aside.
- Place the chicken and ¼ cup cornstarch, salt, and pepper in a Ziploc bag, shake to coat evenly (or you can combine the cornstarch, salt and pepper in a bowl and coat the pieces of chicken in the bowl).
- Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large skillet, frying pan or wok over high heat. Add in the chicken and stir fry until the chicken just starts to brown. Do not overcrowd the pan and cook in batches if needed depending on the size of your pan.
- Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside. Add in the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil. Stir in the garlic and ginger. Stir fry for about 5 seconds.
- Add in the vegetables and stir fry for about 2-3 minutes.
- Pour the Hunan sauce into the pan. It will bubble up and thicken quickly. Cook for about 1-2 minutes or until thickened. Reduce heat to low and stir in the chicken.
- Serve with rice or noodles. Garnish with sesame seed and green onions. Enjoy!
Nutrition
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