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This almond chicken stir fry is simple enough for a mid-week dinner! With sautéed zucchini and bell pepper, tender chicken is swaddled in a flavorful, savory Asian-inspired sauce made from store-cupboard ingredients. With added almonds for the plenty of crunch, it’s perfect over rice for a complete meal!
See recipe card below for full list of measurements, ingredients, and instructions.
Why I Want This Almond Chicken For Dinner Tonight
- This weeknight-friendly stir fry has it all: juicy, tender pieces of chicken, plenty of different veggies with just a little bit of crunch, crunchy almonds for texture in every bite, and a rich, savory, glossy sauce made from Asian-staples you probably already have to hand. Just add rice or cauliflower rice to serve!
- The almonds don’t just add extra protein, they add a wonderful layer of texture to each bite, elevating this recipe from just another chicken stir fry. Almonds are also packed with fibre and protein compared to the cashews you’ll usually find added to stir fry recipes.
- As-written this almond chicken recipe contains onion, zucchini, mushrooms, and green bell pepper — but realistically these can be changed depending on your tastes or what is in the vegetable drawer. Hate green bell pepper? Just use red, yellow or orange. Zucchini isn’t in season? Leave it out or add shredded carrot. You can also just leave out the mushrooms as I know some people really don’t like the in stir frys!
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What I Learned Testing This Recipe
- There is no need to make a cornstarch slurry if you’re whisking it straight into the stir fry sauce. I’ve found you don’t need this extra step if you mix it all together!
- You need to cut the chicken into equal-sized pieces. I find about 1-inch pieces are best for stir fries, and I know it is not the easiest with the shape of a boneless thigh but keeping them all the same size ensures even chicken and stops you getting random bites of overcooked chicken.
- Cook the chicken in batches so you don’t overcrowd the pan. It is better to take a bit more time to make sure you get a nice sear on the chicken pieces than to cook them quickly where they’ll instead steam in their own juices and become chewy.
Ingredients
Vegetable oil – Or any other neutral cooking oil!
Onion, zucchini, mushrooms, and green bell pepper – This is the combo of vegetables I like for this stir fry, but realistically any stir fry veggies from different colors of bell pepper to baby pak choi can be added or substituted.
Boneless skinless chicken thighs – Cut into bite-sized pieces. I find that thigh meat stays tender and moist best in stir fries, but chicken breast will also work.
Fresh garlic – Fresh is always best in stir fries!
Fresh ginger – Powdered ginger just won’t add the same fresh flavor in this stir fry so don’t be tempted to substitute it. As long as you have garlic, if you don’t have fresh ginger to hand I’d say it is better to leave it out of this recipe!
Almonds – Whole, sliced or slithered, depending on how much crunch you want to add! I’ve used almonds with the skin on, but blanched almonds will also work. Of course you can also turn this into cashew chicken by subbing cashews.
Chicken broth – I prefer low-sodium chicken broth for stir fries as the soy sauce will also add plenty of salt. Sub vegetable broth if it is what you have to hand.
Soy sauce – Regular dark soy sauce works best here, or tamari for a gluten-free version.
Hoisin sauce – This is what will add body and sweetness to this simple stir fry sauce! It will give the sauce a different flavor profile, but you’ll still make delicious almond chicken if you substitute oyster sauce instead.
Sesame oil – This adds that signature ‘takeout’ flavor to the almond chicken. However, if you need to keep things sesame-free, simply add more vegetable oil to the sauce.
Sweetener of choice – White sugar, brown sugar, maple syrup, swerve, or honey.
Cornstarch – This will thicken the sauce and make it nice and glossy to coat the chicken, almonds and veggies.
Green onions – Trimmed and sliced for an optional garnish.
Sesame seeds – Black or white, again for an optional garnish.
Serving & Storage Suggestions
Serve over white, brown, egg fried or cauliflower rice!
Leftovers will keep in the refrigerator for 3-4 days and can be successfully warmed through in the microwave. I’d not recommend freezing this as the almonds will go a bit strange in the freezer.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! Sub tamari for the soy sauce, and make sure your hoisin sauce is gluten-free.
For stir fries I think fresh is best as they retain a lovely crunch cooking them on the stovetop, but if you do want to use frozen, cook them from frozen so excess moisture from freezing and thawing can evaporate before you add the stir fry sauce.
Yes! Simply whisk everything together up to 5 days in advance and keep it in a clean jar or container in the refrigerator. The sauce is a great thing to make for weekend meal prep; you can prep the veggies at the same time too!
Making changes to a recipe can result in recipe failure. Any substitutions or variations listed are simple changes that I believe will work in this recipe, but results are not guaranteed.
Almond Chicken Stir Fry
Equipment
- Large skillet or wok
Ingredients
Stir Fry
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil divided, plus more as needed to stir fry
- 1 small onion diced
- 1 cup zucchini quartered lengthwise and sliced
- 1 cup mushrooms sliced
- 1 green bell pepper diced
- 1 ½ pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs cut into bite sized pieces
- 5 cloves garlic minced or pressed
- 1 teaspoon fresh ginger finely grated
- ½ cup blanched almonds whole, halved, sliced or slivered
- salt and pepper to taste
Sauce
- ¾ cup chicken broth
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon sweetener of choice like white sugar, brown sugar, maple syrup, swerve, or honey
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
Garnish
- green onions thinly sliced
- white sesame seeds optional, to serve
- rice to serve
Instructions
- To prep the sauce, combine together all the sauce ingredients in a medium bowl and whisk until the cornstarch has dissolved.
- Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large pan, wok or skillet over medium-high heat.
- Add the onions and cook for 5 minutes or until just softened.
- Add the zucchini, mushrooms, green bell pepper, ginger to the pan. Cook stirring occasionally for 5 minutes or until tender. Add more oil if necessary. Add garlic and saute stirring constantly 30-60 seconds.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste. Transfer veggies to a bowl or plate and set aside.
- Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil and add the chicken in a single layer, without overcrowding the pan. If needed cook it in batches. Don’t touch for the first 2 minutes or so, then continue to cook about 2 minutes, stirring occasionally until browned on all sides and mostly cooked through.
- Add veggies back to the pan with the chicken and stir. Remove pan from heat and let cool briefly about 30 seconds.
- Pour sauce mixture over the stir fry and stir. Return to heat and let simmer a few minutes, or until thickened.
- Stir in the almonds, garnish with green onions and serve.
Approximate Information for One Serving
Nutrition Disclaimers
Number of total servings shown is approximate. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes.
Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 serving using the ingredients listed, not including any optional ingredients. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used.
To determine the weight of one serving, prepare the recipe as instructed. Weigh the finished recipe, then divide the weight of the finished recipe (not including the weight of the container the food is in) by the desired number of servings. Result will be the weight of one serving.
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