Description
This Honey Garlic Chicken Stir Fry with Carrot Noodles is a delicious and healthy dish featuring crispy chicken coated with a sweet and savory honey garlic sauce, paired perfectly with fresh spiralized carrot noodles. It’s a quick and vibrant meal that balances protein and vegetables with bold flavors and a hint of spice.
Ingredients
Scale
Chicken Stir Fry
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts – cut into 1-inch bite sized cubes
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt – plus more to taste
- ¼ teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper – plus more to taste
- ½ cup cornstarch
- ¼ cup + 1 tablespoon vegetable oil (substitute: canola oil) – divided
- 5–6 large carrots – peeled, ends trimmed & spiralized
- To taste crushed red pepper flakes
Honey Garlic Stir Fry Sauce
- 8 cloves garlic – minced
- 3–4 teaspoons fresh ginger – grated (depending on preference)
- 6 tablespoons reduced sodium soy sauce
- ¼ cup sake
- ½ cup honey
- 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
- Optional garnishes: sliced scallions and toasted sesame seeds
Instructions
- Preheat Oven: Arrange the oven rack in the middle position and preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Spray an 8×11-inch baking pan with cooking spray and set aside.
- Season Chicken: Place chicken pieces, cornstarch, salt, and pepper in a plastic bag. Shake until chicken is well coated in cornstarch. Set aside.
- Brown and Crisp Chicken in Batches: Heat ¼ cup vegetable oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add half the chicken and cook undisturbed for one minute. Flip and cook an additional minute. Stir fry for 30 seconds to 1 minute until browned but still raw inside. Use a slotted spoon to transfer chicken to the prepared baking pan. Spray the chicken with cooking spray. Repeat with remaining chicken, adding oil as needed.
- Finish Cooking Chicken in Oven: Bake crispy chicken pieces in the preheated oven for 15-20 minutes until cooked through.
- Cook Carrot Noodles: Wipe pan of excess oil and reduce heat to medium-high. Add 1 tablespoon oil, carrot noodles, and a pinch of red pepper flakes. Cook, stirring frequently, until softened about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, then remove to a bowl and set aside.
- Sauté Aromatics and Make Sauce: Add garlic and ginger to pan and sauté until fragrant, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Add soy sauce, sake, honey, and salt to skillet. Bring sauce to a simmer, whisking occasionally. Simmer 3-5 minutes until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Turn off heat.
- Add Chicken to Stir Fry Sauce: When chicken is done baking, add to the skillet with sauce and toss to coat evenly. Alternatively, pour sauce over chicken in baking pan or toss chicken and noodles together with sauce.
- Garnish and Serve: Transfer honey garlic chicken and carrot noodles to serving bowls. Garnish with sliced scallions, toasted sesame seeds, and additional red pepper flakes if desired. Serve immediately and enjoy.
Notes
- Use fresh, firm carrots for best spiralizing results and to maintain texture in noodles.
- If you don’t have spiralizer, you can use a vegetable peeler to make thin carrot ribbons instead.
- Adjust the amount of ginger and crushed red pepper flakes to suit your taste preference for more or less spice.
- To save time, chicken can be coated and fried in one batch if your pan is large enough, but ensure not to overcrowd to maintain crispiness.
- Reduced sodium soy sauce helps control saltiness; you can use regular soy sauce adjusting salt in the recipe accordingly.
- Recipe yields 4 servings; scale ingredients proportionally if needed.
