Jay and I have never been able to see eye to eye on asian cuisine. When I’m craving Thai, he’s not feeling it. When he wants to go to a Chinese buffet for dinner, I’d rather have just about anything else. But when we found ourselves with a surplus of vegetables and some chicken that needed to get cooked, a stir fry just made sense. Surprisingly, this sounded good to both of us.
Nothing fancy in this stir fry, just chicken and vegetables sautéed together with a delicious 6 ingredient sauce that comes together in seconds in the blender. I marinade the chicken for 15 minutes in about half of the sauce to infuse it with a little more flavor.
The base for the sauce is tahini, which you could consider my latest obsession. Between our tahini buckwheat granola and mediterranean yogurt dressing for our kofta meatball salad, we were just about out of it, but there was enough for this recipe. I add lime juice, ground ginger and garlic along with salt and just a little of our homemade red pepper sauce, but rice wine vinegar would work as a substitute.
This meal comes together so quick and is perfect for busy weeknights. Once the chicken has had a chance to marinate in the sauce, it gets sautéed in a pan over medium heat then removed to let the vegetables cook. Once the vegetables have cooked, the chicken gets dumped back in along with the rest of the sauce. I love a little sriracha and cilantro on top, but those are optional.
Authentic Chinese stir fry? Probably not. But it’s simple and something Jay and I both enjoyed. Try it and let me know your thoughts in the comments below!
Chicken and Vegetable Stir Fry with Tahini Lime Ginger Sauce
Serves 3-4
For the Tahini Lime Ginger Sauce
- 1/2 Cup Tahini
- 1/4 Cup Lime Juice (I got this much from one very juicy lime, but you may need to use two)
- 2 Tbsp Homemade Pepper Sauce or Rice Wine Vinegar
- 2 Garlic Cloves, crushed
- 1 Tsp Fresh Grated Ginger
- 1 Tsp Salt
For the Stir Fry
- 3 Chicken Breasts, diced
- 2 Tbsp Canola or Olive Oil
- Salt
- Pepper
- 2 Tsp Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
- 2 Zucchinis, sliced
- 2 Cups Red Cabbage, shredded
- 2 Cups Carrots, shredded
- 1 Head of Broccoli, chopped
- Lime Juice
- Cilantro (Optional)
- Sriracha (Optional)
Add all the ingredients to your blender and mix on high for a minute. Optionally, you can whisk everything by hand, just be sure the garlic is finely minced.
Place the diced chicken in a bowl and pour half of the mixture over the chicken and toss to coat. Meanwhile, prep your vegetables and heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the oil to the pan and dump the chicken in and spread in an even layer. Let the chicken cook on one side without moving for 3-4 minutes, then flip each piece over and cook for and additional 2-3 minutes. Remove the chicken and add the vegetables to the pan and allow to cook for 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Once the vegetables are cooked to your liking, add the chicken back in pan and pour the sauce over everything, stirring to combine. Top with a squeeze of fresh lime juice and cilantro and sriracha (if using) and enjoy!
