This simple and healthy Chicken and Asparagus Stir Fry comes together in less than 15 minutes! Made with tender chicken and fresh asparagus glazed in a sweet and tangy honey lemon stir fry sauce, this chicken stir fry recipe makes a quick and delicious meal.
Serve this Chicken Asparagus Stir Fry over Instant Pot Rice, Instant Pot Quinoa, or cauliflower rice, for a wholesome meal that you will want to make over and over again!
15 Minute Dinner Solution
When you need a quick meal on the table, this Healthy Chicken Stir Fry is a great option. It is ready in less than 15 minutes and made with ingredients you probably keep on hand.
In this Chicken Asparagus Stir Fry, the chicken becomes fork tender while the asparagus remains crisp-tender. Both are glazed with a delicious honey garlic stir fry sauce that is kissed with brightness from fresh lemons.
The ingredients are simple, yet the result is spectacular.
Notes on Ingredients
- Chicken: Use boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs that have been cut into thin strips.
- Asparagus: It is best to use asparagus that is thin, not ones that have thick, woody stems, as they will not cook up as well in this fast stir fry recipe.
- Stir Fry Sauce: This sweet and tangy lemon garlic sauce is made with fresh lemon juice, honey, soy sauce, and cornstarch to thicken. It forms the perfect glaze over the chicken and asparagus.
How to Make Chicken Asparagus Stir Fry
- Prepare the stir fry sauce by whisking together the honey, garlic, soy sauce, lemon juice, lemon zest, and cornstarch until the cornstarch is dissolved. And set aside.
- Heat a large wok or skillet over high heat and add in the oil.
- Add the chicken to the skillet and stir fry until the chicken is browned for about 2-3 minutes.
- Add in the asparagus and the honey lemon sauce and Stir the sauce and the chicken and asparagus for 2-3 minutes until the chicken is cooked through and the honey lemon sauce has thickened.
- Serve plain, over rice, or quinoa as desired.
Storage
Leftover chicken stir fry can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days in the refrigerator. You can opt to freeze for up to 3 months as well. Defrost in the refrigerator overnight before reheating and serving.
Recipe FAQs
Avocado oil is my go-to for cooking quick stir-frys because it has a high heat index and does not impart much flavor to a dish, letting the honey and lemon flavor shine in this chicken stir fry. However, coconut oil, peanut oil, and canola oil all can be substituted for avocado oil, as they all have high heat indexes. I would NOT recommend olive oil for this recipe.
Yes! Feel free to substitute your favorite vegetable for the asparagus. Broccoli, cabbage, bell peppers, or sugar snap peas all work well in this stir fry.
An essential step to restaurant-quality stir fry is to thinly cut chicken breasts. By cutting the chicken so thin, the result will be extremely tender chicken. The thin strips also allow more surface area for the rich honey garlic glaze to coat the chicken as well, resulting in a more flavorful recipe. To thinly slice your chicken breasts or thighs, place boneless, skinless chicken breasts in the freezer for 15 minutes. Remove from freezer and cut chicken width-wise (against the grain) into strips no thicker than ¼ inch.
Yes! Use arrowroot powder in place of the cornstarch if you are avoiding corn for any reason.
To make this chicken stir-fry gluten-free, simply use Tamari or your favorite gluten-free soy sauce for the soy sauce.
More Easy 15 Minute Meals
- Healthy Black Bean Baked Tacos
- Easy Fried Rice
- Stir-Fried Chicken and Bok Choy
- Thai Basil Chicken from Recipe Tin Eats
If you enjoyed this simple Honey Garlic Chicken Stir-Fry, I would love for you to leave a comment and review below.
Chicken Asparagus Stir Fry
Ingredients
Honey Lemon Stir Fry Sauce
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 2 tablespoons reduced sodium soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice about 1 lemon
- zest of one lemon
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
For the Stir Fry
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs cut into thin strips
- 1 pound fresh asparagus woody ends discarded and cut into 1 inch pieces
- ½ tablespoon avocado oil or canola or peanut oil
Instructions
- Whisk together the honey, garlic, soy sauce, lemon juice, lemon zest, and cornstarch until the cornstarch is dissolved.
- Heat a large wok or skillet over high heat and add in the oil.
- Add the chicken to the skillet and stir fry until the chicken is browned for about 2-3 minutes.
- Give the stir fry sauce a quick stir again and add to the skillet along with the asparagus.
- Stir the sauce and the chicken and asparagus for 2-3 minutes until the chicken is cooked through and the honey lemon sauce has thickened.
- Serve plain or over rice or cauliflower rice.
Stephanie
Incredibly delicious and easy to make.
Kristen Chidsey
So happy to hear you enjoyed Stephanie!
Lisalia
We loved this meal. I'm so glad it was truly ready in minutes. So fresh and the chicken was DELICIOUS! Thanks for a new favorite dinner that I can make in a jiffy!
Kristen Chidsey
YAY! I am so happy to hear this will be a regular at your house Lisalia!
Valentina
This stir fry is AMAZING! The chicken is tender and juicy!
Dorothy
This recipe is delicious the first time I tried asparagus, I hated it but this changed my mind.
Jamey Lum
I added about a 1/2 a cup of reduced sodium chicken broth to make the sauce a bit less thick and was able to spread it out throughout all the chicken and asparagus mixture. Just my preference this recipe is so excellent without my additional stuff!!!
Kristen Chidsey
So glad you enjoy this! I love your modification too Jamey 🙂
Lauren
Everyone in my family LOVED this meal! My six year old even ate asparagus willingly! Such amazing flavor and very easy to make.
Kristen Chidsey
YAY! You gotta love when the kids eat their veggies! I am so glad you all enjoyed!