Stir-Fried Chicken and Bok Choy is an easy 15-minute dinner recipe, featuring juicy chicken and crisp-tender vegetables in a sweet and spicy sauce that is full of flavor, yet light on the waistline.
If you are looking for a recipe for bok choy, this Chicken Bok Choy Stir Fry is the ultimate quick-cooking healthy dinner recipe that lets this nutrient-dense vegetable shine!
What is Bok Choy?
Bok Choy is a variety of Chinese cabbage that is easy to find at most grocery stores. It is crisp, bright, fresh, and full of vitamins and minerals. And downright delicious when stir-fried.
When I am looking for a quick side dish, I love making stir-fried bok choy. But when I want a one-pot main course, adding lean chicken and carrots to the mix creates a simple meal that packs in a lot of nutrition and flavor.
Reasons to Love Chicken & Bok Choy Stir-Fry
- 15-Minute Dinner Recipe. This chicken dinner comes together faster than you can get through a drive-thru or call for take-out!
- Packed with Nutrients. Made with lean chicken that is rich in protein and vitamin-rich bok choy, this simple dinner recipe is not only good for you, but also downright delicious.
- Easy-to-Find Ingredients. This stir-fry is made with fresh ingredients you can find at any local grocery store. And the stir-fry sauce is made with pantry staples you likely always have on hand.
- Family-Approved. The Stir-Fry sauce for this chicken and bok choy recipe is made sweet and savory and not all overpowering, making it a kid-friendly, healthy dinner recipe.
- Adaptable. If you don't have bok choy or don't care for it, you can swap it out for another vegetable you like or have on hand.
Notes on Ingredients Needed
- Chicken: Use either boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs.
- Bok Choy: You can use baby or adult bok choy and it is available at most grocery stores. However, feel free to use napa cabbage in place of the bok choy if you can not find fresh bok choy.
- Stir Fry Sauce: This sweet and savory sauce is made with soy sauce, minced garlic, honey, grated gingerroot, and rice wine vinegar. Be sure to use low-sodium soy sauce to control the level of sodium if needed.
- Oil: It is important to use cooking oil with a high smoke point like sesame oil, coconut oil, or canola oil. Be sure to use LIGHT sesame oil instead of dark sesame oil for this stir-fry. Also, be sure your sesame oil does not smell rancid before using, and store sesame oil in the refrigerator to keep fresh.
recipe modifications
- To keep this Stir-Fry Gluten-Free, use Tamari in place of soy sauce or your favorite gluten-free brand of soy sauce.
- For a Paleo-friendly recipe, use maple syrup in place of honey. You can also opt to omit the sweetener from the recipe entirely to keep the carb count even lower.
- Swap out the Bok Choy: Feel free to use additional carrots, asparagus, broccoli, and/or mushrooms in place of the bok choy.
How to Make Chicken and Bok Choy Stir Fry
- Because this stir-fry comes together so quickly, it is best to prepare the sauce before beginning to saute the chicken and vegetables. To do so, mix together honey, garlic, soy sauce, and rice wine vinegar together in a small bowl and set aside to add to the stir-fry later.
- Heat the oil in a large nonstick pan or wok over medium-high heat.
- Once the oil has heated, add in the cubed chicken and saute over medium-high heat until just browned.
- Once the chicken is browned, add in the bok choy, carrots, and green onions and saute until crisp-tender.
- Pour the reserved sauce into the pan and stir to coat. Let everything simmer for 1-2 minutes just to heat through and for the flavors to incorporate.
Serving Suggestions
This Chicken Bok Choy Stir-Fry is a hearty, healthy meal that can stand alone and makes a great low-carb meal, or can be stretched to feed a few more mouths by serving with a side of Instant Pot Brown Rice, Instant Pot Jasmine Rice, or cauliflower rice if desired.
I also recommend topping this stir fry with toasted sesame seeds for a nice contrast in texture.
More Quick & Easy Dinner Recipes
- Hunan Chicken
- Shrimp Stir-Fry
- Chicken Asparagus Stir Fry
- Homemade Orange Chicken
- Chicken and Mushroom Stir-Fry
This Chicken and Bok Choy Stir-Fry is a great way to use bok choy to create a fast 15-minute dinner! If you gave this recipe a try, I would love for you to leave a comment below!
Stir-Fried Chicken and Bok Choy
Ingredients
Sauce
- 2 tablespoons honey
- ½ teaspoon freshly grated ginger
- 2 cloves of garlic grated or minced finely
- 2 tablespoons reduced sodium gluten-free soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
For the Stir Fry
- 1 teaspoon light sesame oil see notes
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch chunks
- 1 head of bok choy washed and cut into 1 inch strips
- 2 large carrots peeled in strips or ½ cup matchstick carrots
- 5-6 green onions diced
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
- ¼ cup chopped cilantro if desired
Instructions
- In a small mixing bowl, combine the honey, ginger, garlic, vinegar, and soy sauce together until well combined. Set aside to add to stir-fry later.
- Heat the sesame oil in a large wok or skillet over medium-high heat. Add in chicken and cook for 5-7 minutes, until golden on all sides. Add in bok choy, carrots, and green onions. Stir continuously for 3 minutes to evenly cook the vegetables until crisp-tender. After 3 minutes, add in the sauce and cook for 1-2 minutes to coat the chicken and vegetables with the sauce and heat it through.
- Serve with a sprinkle of cilantro and toasted sesame seeds if desired.
Melissa
Can’t wait to try this but also wondering if would hold up to take to a potluck?
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Melissa, this recipe is best served fresh as the chicken may dry out if reheated. If you do take it the potluck, I would warm it with a bit of chicken stock 🙂
Naihila
Easy, fast, tasty, and healthy. Loved i!
Kristen Chidsey
Yay! So glad this checked all the boxes for you Naihila!
R Burns
Would this work just as well with pork tenderloin?
Kristen Chidsey
Yes! It would be perfect with pork tenderloin cut into chunks. Enjoy!
Leanne Fournier
Very simple and remarkably flavourable. We didn't have carrots so broccoli was substituted and it was great also. Definitely a keeper!
Kristen Chidsey
I am so glad you loved this recipe Leanne! And I think it is always best if you can use what you have on hand 🙂
Debbie
I have never fixed bok Choy before....this was a delicious recipe and I will be fixing it again!! Thank you!
Kristen Chidsey
I am so glad you enjoyed Debbie!
Franciska M Richardson
Planning to make tomorrow, do you use the stalks and leaves? TIA
Kristen Chidsey
Yes I do Franchiska! I hope you and your family enjoy!
Veronica
I made this tonight for dinner. I added shallots and Chile oil. We like a little spice. It was delicious. My family raved about it. Definitely a new weekly meal for us. Our first time eating Bok Choy. So glad I found this recipe. Thanks so much.
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Veronica! I am so happy you found this recipe as well and that your family raved about it! I hope you continue to enjoy week after week 🙂
LeAndra
I just got some Bok Choy in my first CSA haul of the season. I was happy to come across a familiar site when I searched for some new recipe ideas. 🙂
Kristen Chidsey
Wahoo!!! You will love this recipe LeAndra. I also just scored some local book choy myself. Enjoy friend😘
Colleen Squires
I never used bok choy before....do I cut it against the "grain" so to speak....like celery? Or along the grain like you did your carrots?
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Colleen! I like to cut bok choy like you would celery. I hope you enjoy!
Brooke
Made this for dinner and the fam was happy. Added rice noodles and will be tripling the amounts for my family of six next time. Doubling wasn’t enough. Thanks for a delicious dinner to introduce my family to bok choy with! Winning!
Kristen Chidsey
Oh I love hearing that your entire family enjoyed. Thank you for taking the time to comment 🙂
Roger
I have to admit I didn't expect much from anything with book choy in it- looked too much like pallid celery to me. I'm not sure if I even know why I bought it. What a wonderful surprise to to find that it's simply delicious, even though I cheated by substituting peanut oil, powdered garlic and ginger, a quarter of a regular onion, and leftover lime marinated chicken strips from fahitas from the night before. Can't wait to try it with the right ingredients!
Kristen Chidsey
Roger, I am so glad you enjoyed this recipe. I have to chuckle because my husband was just as skeptical as you about bok choy, but he loves this quick stir fry. I hope you continue to enjoy!
Ginny Burke
Getting my husband to eat different vegetables sometimes is a chore. He LOVED it. It was quick, easy and sooo tasty.
Kristen Chidsey
I love hearing that! My husband (who is also picky) loves this dish as well.
Al Engler
We made this today but substituted leftover Christmas turkey for the chicken. It was so delicious! The Bok Choy! The sauce...so good. Thank you for this.
Kristen Chidsey
I am so glad you enjoyed Al! And great idea to use leftover turkey 🙂
Lexi
Thanks for the recipe it was a great starting point! Just a warning I followed the recipe as written and the sesame oil started to smell acrid. I looked it up and sesame oil has a low smokepoint. Sure enough it tasted burned. I started all over with peanut oil. Are you sure you used sesame oil?
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Lexi, Light sesame oil actually has a high heat point from 350 degrees to 425 degrees, but I probably need to clarify that it needs to be light and not a dark sesame oil. Also, if your sesame oil had gone bad (or been kept in pantry instead of fridge) it would smell horrible and go rancid quickly. I am sorry you had to start over though! Great thinking on using peanut oil. But here is more info on sesame oil https://www.seriouseats.com/2014/05/cooking-fats-101-whats-a-smoke-point-and-why-does-it-matter.html
Anna
l made this tonight and it was SO good. I didn't realize how much the bok choy would cook down and didn't put in the whole head of it! I will do that next time.
Kristen Chidsey
I am so glad you enjoyed Anna! And yes, bok choy, much like spinach, will wilt significantly 🙂
Linda
This was delicious! I used precooked chicken leftover from a whole chicken I made a few days ago, I think it sopped up most of the sauce, so if you too use precooked chicken you might want extra sauce. I also used a spicy honey, included chilies which gave it a nice kick.
Kristen Chidsey
Oh my goodness--spicy, honey? I must try that Linda! Thanks for sharing your success! I am so glad you enjoyed!
MaryAnn
Just made this- am not a good cook & never cook Asian & have a very picky husband & guess what- we both LOVED it! Hurray! & thank you!
Kristen Chidsey
Oh MaryAnn, thank you for sharing your success! Love hearing these stories!! Take care and hope you try out some other recipes <3