Kitchen notes · a little help before you start
Chicken and Asparagus Stir Fry
Tender asparagus makes a good companion for golden chicken in a glossy garlic ginger sauce. The spears have their own fresh flavor beneath the savory coating.
- Prep
- 10 min
- Cook
- 15 min
- Total
- 25 min
- Original yield
- Serves 4
- Ingredients
- 12 listed
Make it part of your week
Recipe categories & planning details
- Meal type
- Main course
- Primary protein
- Chicken
- Cuisine
- Asian
- Cooking method
- Stir fry
- Preparation & total time
- Prep: 15 minutes or less · Total: 30 minutes or less
A few quick notes
1. Brown in one layer
Arrange the seasoned chicken in a single layer so both sides can brown before adding asparagus.
2. Tender asparagus first
Cook the asparagus with the chicken until tender before adding garlic and ginger for their shorter cook.
3. Whisk sauce separately
Whisk the broth, sugar, soy sauce, sesame oil and cornstarch together before pouring into the pan.
Get to know the ingredients
Asparagus
Trim the stalks and cut them into the specified pieces before adding them to the browned chicken.
Chicken
Cut boneless skinless breasts into the specified small pieces before seasoning and cooking them in oil.
Ginger
Use minced ginger so it distributes with the garlic during their brief cook before the sauce.
Let’s make it
Choose your servings, then check things off as you go.
Original recipe: Serves 4. Original quantities shown.
Check ingredients as you prepare them. These checks stay on this page.
How to make it
0 of 7 steps completeMake room for Chicken and Asparagus Stir Fry
Review ingredients in your pantry before anything is added. Meal plans use your household size; grocery-only additions use the servings selected above.
The last little job
Thickened sauce to finish
Simmer the sauce around the chicken and asparagus until thickened, then serve the coated mixture.
A little more help as you go
Hot oil before browning
Heat the vegetable oil over medium-high heat before adding the seasoned chicken for its first cook.
Keep aromatics brief
Give the garlic and ginger only their brief cook after asparagus softens, then add the sauce.
A few questions you might have
Does the asparagus cook separately?
It goes into the same pan after the chicken has browned on both sides.
When is the sesame oil added?
Whisk it into the sauce mixture with broth and soy sauce rather than using it for frying.
Do I add dry cornstarch directly to the pan?
Whisk it with the other sauce ingredients first, then simmer the combined sauce until thickened.
Should I cut asparagus to match the chicken exactly?
Use the specified asparagus lengths and chicken pieces, preparing each before the pan cooking begins.
When do salt and pepper season the chicken?
Season it before adding it to the hot pan for its single-layer browning stage.
Storage & reheating safety
For cooked, perishable leftovers, refrigerate within 2 hours (1 hour above 90°F), using shallow containers for prompt cooling. Keep the refrigerator at 40°F or below, use refrigerated leftovers within 3–4 days, and reheat hot leftovers to 165°F, checked with a food thermometer. Follow any shorter package limit.
These are general safety limits, not a tested storage or freezing recommendation for this particular dish. USDA leftovers guidance · Safe cooking temperatures
Recipe source: dinneratthezoo.com. Ingredient names and quantities may be adapted for the pantry.
Preparation notes follow the recipe shown here.
