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Saucy bites of chicken are tossed with crispy tender bok choy and a diced jalapeno in this flavorful Chicken and Bok Choy Stir Fry.
Stir Fry Chicken and Bok Choy
When I saw this recipe in an issue of Everyday Food, I immediately added Bok Choy to my grocery list.
This was a hit with every member of the family. It’s amazing how a great sauce will make even my pickier eaters devour every bite on their plates.
There is almost no heat from the jalapeno in this recipe, it simply adds another layer of flavor to the dish. Feel free to increase the amount of jalapeno to your heart’s desire.
I often increase the jalapeno because my family enjoys spicy dishes and a bit of heat is a terrific addition to this recipe.
Bok choy is a mild slightly sweet Chinese cabbage. The soft green leaves and flavorful crunchy stems add a delicious texture and color to this dish.
Bok Choy and Chicken Stir Fry
Stir fries come together fairly quickly over medium-high heat in one skillet. With that being the case, I recommend prepping all of the ingredients before turning on the stove.
Prepare the sauce by whisking together the soy sauce, vinegar, and brown sugar. Set the sauce aside, next to the store.
Cut the chicken thighs into bite-sized pieces and toss them with the garlic, ginger, and cornstarch. Chop the bok choy and jalapeno so they are ready to add to the skillet.
Saute the chicken mixture in a large skillet. Cook it until lightly browned and the chicken is just barely cooked through. It does not need to be completely cooked as it will continue cooking as other ingredients get added.
The ginger and garlic will be super fragrant at this point and your kitchen will smell amazing.
Add the bok choy and jalapeno to the pan. Let them cook for about a minute.
The leaves of the bok choy will wilt and soften, but the stems will retain a slightly firm crispness, bringing a nice texture to the stir fry.
Pour in the soy sauce mixture and stir to coat the chicken and bok choy.
Over medium-high heat cook for a couple more minutes until the sauce has thickened and everything is nicely coated.
Stir Fry with Bok Choy and Chicken
Gather these ingredients to make Bok Choy and Chicken:
- boneless skinless chicken thighs or breasts
- cornstarch
- bok choy
- jalapenos
- olive oil
- fresh ginger
- garlic cloves
- soy sauce
- rice vinegar
- brown sugar
If you’ve hung out with me for long, you already know how much I love a good stir-fry. From the Chicken and Bacon Stir Fry to Thai Steak and Green Bean Stir Fry, to Ginger Chicken and Broccoli and the classic Beef and Broccoli Stir Fry there are a whole lot of great stir fries you need to try.
Sweet and Spicy Pineapple Shrimp Stir Fry is a skillet full of sautéed shrimp tossed in a spicy barbecue sauce with sweet chunks of pineapple and red peppers.
Sweet and just a little bit spicy, this honey sriracha chicken stir fry is filled with bite-size sticky sweet chunks of chicken and tender-crisp peppers. The whole recipe comes together in under 20 minutes.
Chicken and Bok Choy Stir Fry
Ingredients
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken thighs or breasts diced into ½" pieces
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 6 cups thinly sliced bok choy about 1 head
- 1-2 jalapenos seeded and minced, about 2-4 tablespoons
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon fresh ginger finely minced or sliced into very thin matchsticks
- 2 large garlic cloves minced
Sauce Ingredients
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 2 teaspoons brown sugar
Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine the soy sauce, vinegar and brown sugar. Set aside. In a medium bowl, combine the chicken with the garlic, ginger, and cornstarch. Stir or toss to coat.
- In a large skillet over medium-high heat, warm the oil and add the chicken mixture. Toss to coat and spread the pieces across the bottom of the skillet. Sear the pieces and turn as needed. Cook, stirring occasionally until lightly browned and barely cooked through, about 6-7 minutes.
- Add the bok choy and jalapeno and continue cooking, tossing with tongs or stirring constantly for about a minute, just until the bok choy is wilted. Add the soy sauce mixture and toss well to coat. Cook for about 2 minutes, just until the sauce thickens. Serve over rice if desired.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
{originally published 5/26/12 – recipe notes and photos updated 3/2/23}
recipe adapted from and with thanks to Everyday Food
Mmm…I love Bok Choy and it's so good for you! How did I miss this recipe? Thought I scoured that magazine pretty good! I like this because I usually have all of this on hand and the sauce sounds awesome.
I haven't had bok choy in a long while..love it stir-fried with garlic and chilli peppers. Yours looks very tasty with chicken too.
Great—I'm always looking for an excuse to buy that cute baby bok choy. It's so funny how hot peppers can surprise you. I've been cooking a lot with them lately and I don't know how to list the amounts because you never know how hot a hot pepper will be.
Now I am adding bok Chou to my grocery list. GREG
The sauce makes the meal in dishes like this! This looks like a great weeknight dinner.
I agree sauce is very important factor for picky eaters. I know my son who belongs to this category would devour it! looks perfect!
Looks delicious Mary. I have some chard that should work with this.
Love this! How simple, nutritious and perfectly easy! We're going to feature this on our Facebook page and link here so people can see how you did it, and your lovely photography. If you wish, come LIKE us on Facebook for more recipes and tips on Asian green vegetables like baby bok choy, gai lan (Chinese broccoli), dau miu (pea shoots), yu choy, etc. https://www.facebook.com/Jade.Asian.Greens
–Your friendly farmers at Jade Asian Greens
https://www.facebook.com/Jade.Asian.Greens
Hmm, this sounds like a perfect week night meal Mary! Love the veggie, meat, rice all in one plate. 🙂
Delicious!! And you know my love for stir frys… can't wait to try this one!
Yum! I just bought some bok choy for a recipe with salmon. This sounds delightful. The jalapeno and ginger combination must be great. Thanks Mary!~
Olie oil? If you try to stir fry at proper temperatures with olive oil, you'll get nothing but a smoky mess. This is a sautee, not a stir-fry.
Works for me. It's a delicious saute then. 🙂
Very good and a hit with family.
I’m so glad that you enjoyed it, Mary Ann!
Great meal. The only substitution I made was with the jalapeños to a red chili pepper. It still had the heat and the color was a nice addition.
Mmmm, I bet that was a great addition, Michael. I’m glad you enjoyed the stir-fry!
Can the ginger be fresh frozen ginger that is thawed for use?😊
Sure can, Marilyn.
These recipes are making me hungry.
Time to get cooking, then!
delicious and easy! I have stir fry recipes with more ingredients in both the sauce and in the stir fry and this one is every bit as good but less than half the work. I made it low fodmap by using garlic infused oil rather than garlic – I haven’t eaten garlic or onions now for a year and by now don’t even miss them. I liked sprinkling the cornstarch directly onto the chicken rather than mixing with cold water – another time saver. A++!
I’m so glad you loved the stir fry, Becky! I hope you continue to enjoy more delicious recipes in the future. Happy cooking!
I made this tonight, delicious thank you! I’ll be making it again for sure.
You are welcome, Tim. I’m glad you enjoyed the stir fry.
Sounds delicious I may add cashews and or a small amount of fresh pineapple too
Both ingredients would be a great addition. I hope you love the stir fry!
I added match stick carrots for color with the jalapeños and bok choy. My bok choy were babies. So I just threw on the leaves and stems.
I didn’t have rice wine vinegar but I did have chinkiang(black rice vinegar) so I added half recommended amount. Tossed some Sesame seeds and green onions in and served over rice. It was great.
That sounds delicious, Kim. I’m so glad you were able to make the stir fry your own. Happy cooking!