Chicken with Garlic Sauce

My fast and delicious chicken with garlic sauce is a tasty combination of tender pieces of wok-fried chicken breast and crisp veggies with rich garlic sauce. All of the ingredients combine to make an amazingly flavorful stir-fry that everyone will love!

Serve with a side of Jasmine, Basmati rice, or even teriyaki noodles and garnish with chopped green onions to make a balanced, healthy, and delicious weeknight meal.

Jump to:

• ❤️ Why I Love This Recipe
• 🥘 Ingredients
• 🧂 Substitutions
• 🔪 How To Make Chicken With Garlic Sauce
• 💭 Tips & Notes
• 🥡 Storing & Reheating
• ❓ Recipe FAQs
• 🥢 More Great Take-out Recipes
• 📖 Recipe Card
• 💬 Reviews

Who doesn’t love Chinese takeout? I know I do, but sometimes I want a healthier alternative. My chicken with garlic sauce fits the bill perfectly.

Tender, flavorful sautéed veggies and chicken breasts are wok fried then the light garlic sauce is added to coat everything perfectly. It’s delicious, nutritious, and satisfies my cravings every time.

Chicken with garlic sauce is so family friendly too! Kids and adults alike will just love the savory, delicious sauce, tender chicken, and crisp veggies. It’s such a satisfying meal.

❤️ Why I Love This Recipe

• Fast. This recipe is done in just 20 minutes. That’s so much faster than getting a car to grab takeout.
• Healthy. My chicken with garlic sauce is packed with nutrient-filled veggies, so you and your family are eating something that feels as good as it tastes.
• Amazing Weeknight Dinner. This tasty chicken stir fry is easy, fast, and delicious – that’s perfect for any weeknight meal rotation.

🥘 Ingredients

If you have trouble finding some of the ingredients in your grocery store, try a local Asian grocery store.

Chicken Stir Fry

• Vegetable Oil – Or any neutral oil with a high smoke point! Vegetable oil is perfect to stir fry your chicken and vegetables.
• Garlic – The main flavor agent in this recipe! You’ll want 2 tablespoons of minced garlic here (or about 6 cloves). This may seem like a lot, but it’ll give so much flavor!
• Ginger – You can also use ginger powder here. Ginger provides a nice balance to the garlic in this dish!
• Carrot – The perfect crunchy stir-fry vegetable. You’ll want this to be washed and sliced!
• Celery – Another awesome vegetable that’ll give the dish lots of fresh crunch.
• Broccoli – A classic vegetable you find in a lot of Chinese takeout dishes! You’ll want this to be cut into smaller, easy to eat florets if they aren’t already.
• Mushrooms – Mushrooms add that savory, hearty bite to the stir-fry! You can use white button or cremini here. The mushrooms should be washed and sliced!
• Chicken Breast – The chicken breasts should be sliced into thin strips, so they all cook evenly! Want to use chicken thighs? Go right ahead! They're just as wonderful!

Garlic Sauce

• Chicken Broth – This helps provide a base to the sauce! You can use store-bought or homemade if you have it.
• Soy Sauce – Soy adds saltiness and richness to the sauce. Feel free to use reduced sodium if you want it!
• Dry Sherry – You can also use sake here. The wine adds extra depth of flavor to the sauce and makes it taste more authentic!
• Rice Vinegar – This will add that much needed bite to the sauce that will make it super delicious!
• Sesame Oil – I love the depth of flavor that sesame oil provides! It’s a must in this dish.
• Chili Paste – I like Sambal Oelek because it’s just a little spicy, but not overwhelming!
• Cornstarch – This will be used to thicken the garlic sauce.
• Water – You’ll use cold water to help make a slurry for the garlic sauce to help thicken!

🧂 Substitutions

• Can’t find rice vinegar? Try substituting with another neutral vinegar like white vinegar. Avoid using strongly flavored vinegar like red wine or balsamic for this dish.

• Need to make this dish gluten free? You can substitute the soy sauce for gluten-free Tamari. It’s soy sauce without the wheat.

🔪 How To Make Chicken With Garlic Sauce

This is such an easy and delicious stir fry. 20 minutes is all it takes to have this incredible chicken with garlic sauce on your plate.

1. Prep. To start, wash and slice ½ cup of carrots, ½ cup of celery, and 1 ½ cups of mushrooms and cut 2 cups of broccoli into smaller pieces if necessary. Then mince enough garlic to make 2 tablespoons of minced garlic (about 6 cloves) and 2 teaspoons of ginger (if not using paste or powder). Next, you’ll want to slice 1 pound of chicken breasts into thin strips and set aside too (place container of chicken in fridge if not cooking immediately).
2. Mix the sauce. In a small bowl, combine ⅓ cup chicken broth, 2 tablespoons of soy sauce, 1 tablespoon of dry sherry, ½ tablespoon of rice vinegar, 2 teaspoons of sesame oil, and 1 teaspoon of chili paste. Mix well and set aside.
3. Make your slurry. Then, in another small bowl, combine your slurry: stir 1 tablespoon of cornstarch with 2 tablespoons of cool or cold water. Mix and set aside too or marinate chicken if desired (See Tips & Recipe Notes).
4. Sauté the veggies. Heat a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat with 1 ½ tablespoons of vegetable oil. Add 2 tablespoons of minced garlic and 2 teaspoons of ginger, then add ½ cup each of the prepared carrots and celery. Next, add 2 cups of broccoli florets and stir-fry for about 3 minutes until tender-crisp.
5. Finish with the chicken and sauce. Finally, add 1 ½ cups of mushrooms and then 1 pound of sliced chicken breasts and stir fry with the vegetables for 1 to 2 minutes until the chicken is cooked. Stir in the garlic sauce, then give your slurry a quick stir and add that to the stir-fry too. Continue stir-frying for about 1 minute as the sauce thickens. Remove from heat and serve immediately.

💭 Tips & Notes

• For the best flavor, marinate your chicken before using it. I recommend coating the sliced chicken in the sauce (cornstarch slurry and all) and marinating it for at least 30 minutes for even better flavor. If you want to do this, I also recommend making a second batch of the sauce and cornstarch slurry for the actual dish so that there is no accidental cross-contamination.
• If using whole mushrooms, make sure to wash them properly before slicing. I like to use a damp paper towel or kitchen towel to gently rub off any dirt or debris on the mushrooms. Mushrooms are spongy and will easily absorb water if you run them directly under the faucet, which will make them soggy.
• Don’t be shy with the garlic for this dish. You’ll use around 6 cloves for this dish, or you can use pre-minced, jarred garlic. Just make sure not to add less than the recommended amount because it’s perfect for this recipe.
• When slicing chicken, it’s easiest to use partially defrosted chicken breasts. If the chicken is partially still frozen, it will slice super easily – that way, you can cut it into the thinnest pieces as you possibly can.

🥡 Storing & Reheating

Store leftovers into an airtight container in the refrigerator, and it’ll keep for 3 to 4 days.

If you want extra stir fry for another day, you can freeze it as well. Simply put the chicken and veggies in an airtight freezer storage container or plastic freezer bag and it’ll keep for about a month.

Reheating

I like to reheat this dish on the stove-top. Add the chicken and veggies to a pan over low to medium heat and quickly sauté until warmed through. Alternatively, put servings in the microwave and cook at 1-minute intervals until fully heated.

❓ Recipe FAQs

🥢 More Great Take-out Recipes

• Beef With Garlic Sauce
• Coconut Chicken & Creamy Coconut Shrimp
• Orange Chicken & Panda Express Recipes
• Fried Rice & Hibachi Recipes
• Wontons & Crab Rangoons

📖 Recipe Card