Colorful chicken cabbage stir fry is a healthy and fast one pan recipe that’s great for when you need a light, delicious meal on a busy night. Eat it as is or serve it with whole grains to make a quick dinner, lunch, or get meal prep ready for the week.
This recipe was originally published on April 11, 2016, and was republished in November 2023 to add better quality photos, re-test the recipe, and add more helpful tips.
I’ve been making stir-fries for a long time. I love them so much I have my own wok at home and have shared delicious recipes like my chicken and snow pea stir fry or my Asian vegetable stir fry. But this particular recipe holds a special place on my blog because it’s the very first one I ever shared.
It was created when I was home with my young baby and rarely had time or energy to whip up an intricate meal. I often resorted to one-pan meals and sometimes they turned into amazing recipes like this chicken cabbage stir fry.
It’s loaded with healthy colors from a variety of vegetables, lean chicken, and a light sauce that coats everything without it being too heavy or sweet. And don’t worry, no woks are needed – a saute pan will do just fine.
Why You’ll Love this Recipe
- It’s made in one pan and cooks in just over 30 minutes, prep time included.
- Vegetables give it a beautiful color and a fresh, healthy flavor that’s unbeatable.
- It’s great for lunch, dinner, or made as meal prep for the week.
Ingredients
The beauty of this recipe is in the abundance of bright and colorful vegetables. Everything you’ll need should be available year round at most grocery stores, or you can get a lot of it fresh from a local market during late summer and early fall.
- Chicken breast – Boneless skinless breasts are ideal. Use just ½ pound cut into uniform bite sized pieces. Boneless, skinless thighs can also be used.
- Cabbage – Use whatever color or variety of cabbage you like.
- Shallot – A yellow or white onion is a good swap if you need one.
- Carrot – Cut this into thin strips for quick cooking.
- Bell Pepper – Cut into uniform strips.
- Frozen Peas – Do not thaw first.
- Scallions – Chives are a great alternative.
- Vegetable oil – Any neutral cooking oil that can stand up to the high heat of making stir fry can be used.
In addition to the chicken and vegetables for the stir fry, you’ll also need a few ingredients to make the sauce. It’s a simple combination of chicken broth, lemon juice, soy sauce, ground ginger, soy sauce, and cornstarch.
If you’re not in the US, cornstarch may be called corn flour. It’s a white powder used for thickening, not a yellow ground corn product.
Instructions
All you need is one large skillet to make this delicious stir fry. If you have a wok, feel free to use it!
Start by combining the ground ginger, chicken broth, lemon juice, soy sauce, and cornstarch in a bowl. Mix well then pour it over your diced chicken and let it marinate while you chop the veggies, at least 15 minutes if possible.
Once that’s done, drain the chicken but reserve the marinade. Add the chicken to a hot skillet with 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil and stir fry for 4 minutes, or until browned. Remove it to a plate and set it aside.
Add the remaining oil to the skillet with the shallot. Cook until it begins to soften, 1-2 minutes, then add in the bell pepper, cabbage, and carrot. Saute for about 4 minutes, or until the cabbage is wilted.
Finally add the reserved marinade, chicken, and peas into the saute pan. Cook and stir until the chicken is cooked through, the peas are tender, and the sauce has thickened.
Serving and Storage
Serve it from the saute pan as soon as it’s done with a garnish of sesame seeds and scallions. We like to serve it with white rice or other grains like quinoa. It’d also be great with rice noodles or ramen.
Any leftovers can be stored in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Reheat it in the microwave or over medium heat in a saute pan.
Since this recipe is so easy and reheats so well, it’s also a great one to scale up and make as meal prep. Portion it into single serving containers and a healthy, light, colorful lunch will be ready to go when you are.
I hope you love this easy stir fry recipe, and be sure to check out these other veggie loaded recipes that can be made in 30 minutes or less.
- Lion’s Mane Mushroom ‘Crab’ Cakes
- Kohlrabi and Kale Pizza Crust
- Creamy Finnish Salmon Soup
- Chinese Pineapple Chicken
Chicken Cabbage Stir Fry
Recipe Video
Ingredients
- 1/2 lb (225g) skinless chicken breast , cut into pieces
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil , divided
- 1 shallot , chopped
- 1 bell pepper , cut into strips
- 4 cups shredded cabbage
- 1 medium carrot , cut into strips
- 1 1/2 cups frozen peas , thawed
- 1 scallion , sliced
- sesame seeds , for sprinkling
Instructions
- In a bowl, combine cornstarch, lemon juice, soy sauce, ginger and chicken broth. Add chicken and let marinate for 15 minutes.
- Heat 2 tablespoons of the vegetable oil in a large skillet or wok. Drain chicken, reserving marinade, and add to the skillet. Stir fry for about 4 minutes, then remove to a plate.
- Heat the remaining tablespoon of oil in the same skillet and add the shallot. Stir fry for few minutes and add the bell pepper, cabbage and carrot. Cook until cabbage wilts, for about 4 minutes more.
- Add the marinade, together with chicken and peas. Stir fry until sauce thickens and chicken is cooked. Garnish with scallion and sesame seeds. You can serve it over cooked rice or enjoy it as a standalone.
4 Comments
Aimee Mars
October 18, 2022 at 11:51 amThis looks absolutely incredible and is so easy to make! Would it be good for meal prepping and reheating it for lunch every day?
Tara
October 18, 2022 at 2:19 pmSO good!! Not only is the taste excellent in this stir fry but I loved the texture. The scallions and peas were really so perfectly added.
Michelle
October 18, 2022 at 4:24 pmI love all the fresh ingredients in this recipe, and how easy it is to make! Quick, easy, and healthy is my favorite kind of weeknight dinner!
Mimi Rippee
November 27, 2023 at 11:51 pmThis is a wonderful dish. I love stir-fried cabbage!