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Chicken and Asparagus Stir Fry

This Chicken and Asparagus Stir Fry recipe is a yummy and basic Chinese chicken stir fry dish that combines pieces of white meat chicken, crunchy asparagus and carrots, and a crazy flavorful sweet and savory sauce.

Trust me when I say this chicken and asparagus stir fry is so delicious it will make you say goodbye to Chinese takeout, and the secret is in the sauce.

A bowl of Chicken and Asparagus Stir Fry on top of a bed of rice

Love asparagus? Also check out Asparagus and Ham Quiche and Baked Garlic Parmesan Asparagus on the blog!

Easy Chicken Asparagus Stir Fry Dish

Chicken Asparagus Stir Fry is such a versatile and BASIC chicken stir fry recipe that you can tweak and make it your own. Everyone needs a basic stir fry dish in their hip pockets. THIS IS IT, YOU GUYS!

It has the key essential ingredients that will remind you of the Chinese Stir Fry that you love.

Also, here’s the best part: chicken asparagus stir fry meal takes approximately 30 minutes to make from start to finish. How awesome is THAT?

The product is juicy chicken pieces combined with crunchy asparagus and carrots, coated in a sticky savory sweet sauce that is even better than what you get at Chinese restaurants!

We make Chicken Asparagus Stir Fry all the time when we want a quick and yummy meal. It has quickly become one of our favorite recipes to whip together on busy evenings.

Appliances Needed

I use a wok to make Chicken and Asparagus Stir Fry, but feel free to use a large skillet. If you are not using a non-stick skillet, grease the skillet more generously.

A large-sized skillet (or wok) is preferred because you want to be able to move the items around when you are stir frying to cook the ingredients evenly.

When your skillet or wok is small, items are crowded and they will not be evenly cooked.

Chicken stir fried with asparagus and carrots

Ingredients

Here are the key ingredients needed for chicken and asparagus stir fry:

  • chicken – chicken tenders, breast or thigh, cubed into small pieces
  • asparagus – cut them into a few-inch long slices
  • carrots – slice them thinly
  • garlic – almost always a necessity when stir frying. Use fresh garlic and avoid using garlic powder, they just don’t taste as flavorful.
  • ginger
  • vegetable oil

As for the sauce for chicken asparagus stir fry, also what I mentioned as the secret to why this is so delicious, here’s what you will need:

  • soy sauce – you can use low sodium if you are trying to cut down the salt content.
  • oyster (flavored) sauce – don’t be intimidated by this, it is used in a whole lot of Chinese and Asian cooking. There’s no oysters in it nor does it taste like oyster. It gives an amazing umami flavor to your dish that no other ingredients can achieve. Avoid omitting this if possible.
  • sesame oil – brings about a nice nutty flavor to the sauce
  • rice wine – another important component of the sauce that brings about a unique umami flavor to your chicken and asparagus stir fry dish as a whole
  • corn starch – used to thicken the sauce
  • sugar – a little sweet to balance out the savory

Each of these items can be found in most regular grocery stores. If not, Amazon affiliate links are attached!

How to Make It

To make chicken and asparagus stir fry , we will be implementing a popular technique in Asian cooking call stir frying.

Basically, you will be cooking your items in a wok or skillet on the stove top over high heat, tossing them together quickly.

The process goes quickly. Trust me, your chicken and asparagus stir fry will be done cooking before you know it!

The beauty of stir fry is that at the end of the process, chicken and asparagus will maintain their texture and flavor, and you are not getting mushy, dry or soggy items.

Chicken will still be juicy, asparagus will still be crunchy, yet everything is perfectly coated in the beautiful sauce.

Stir Fry Sauce

The sauce is the secret that makes this chicken asparagus stir fry tastes so good, so obviously it deserves its own little section.

A pair of chopsticks digging into chicken and asparagus stir fry

To make the sauce, just mix it all up in a bowl – soy sauce, oyster sauce, sesame oil, rice wine, corn starch and a little bit of sugar. No blending. No heating it up. Just mix it.

I highly recommend not skipping or substituting any of the ingredients to get the full flavor of this beautiful chicken and asparagus stir fry.

In fact, all are very basic and versatile ingredients for cooking Chinese food, and you will see them in many Chinese recipes.

Stir Fry Tips

The authentic way of cooking Asparagus Chicken Stir Fry is over a very powerful gas stove. In fact, at many restaurants, the flames cover more than half of the wok, cooking the items in extremely high heat.

Most of us cook in our homes, and many of us may not even have gas stoves. Can we still make an awesome chicken and asparagus stir fry ?

HECK YES!

Here are some stir fry tips:

  • Pick a wok or skillet that retains heat really well. Heat retention is the key to a great stir fry.
  • Use a large wok or skillet, because you want to be able to move the items around so everything cooks evenly.
  • Keep moving the items around the whole time you stir fry – the process goes super fast, and requires your constant attention.
  • Chop/prep ingredients and place them within arms’ reach when stir-frying because the process goes fast!
  • Cook in batches. You want to cook the vegetables and chicken separately to avoid over or under cooking them. This is because they all require different cook times! See recipe card below for more details on how to do this.
Fresh uncooked asparagus and carrots

Stir frying is an amazing technique that I love, and love to talk about. A lot. In fact, I love talking about it so much I wrote a whole article about it. YESS.

8 Tips to a Great Stir Fry is everything you want to know about making a GREAT stir fry. Check it out HERE!!!

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I make Chicken and Asparagus Stir Fry with a different vegetable?

Yes! Try using one of these other vegetables instead: broccoli, broccolini, pea pods, green beans, french beans, edamame etc. Or you can use yummy Chinese veggies like Gai Lan (Chinese broccoli) and Bok Choy. Make sure to slice them into smaller pieces that are around the same sizes as the carrots and chicken so they cook around the same time.

What is the best way to serve this?

Over rice – white rice, brown rice, or even fried rice. Rice will soak up the delicious sauce and pairs beautifully with Chicken Asparagus Stir Fry. If you would like a low carb option, serve this with cauliflower rice.

Storing and Reheating

Store Chicken and Asparagus Stir Fry in refrigerator for up to 5 days in an air tight container.

It reheats really well in the microwave. Drizzled a few drops of water onto it before reheating in microwave so it doesn’t dry out.

The Dinner Convo

Chicken – always YUM, mixed with the crunch of the carrots and asparagus, all coated in this savory soy based, and slightly sweet sauce of GOODNESS.

John and I were so impressed with how this turned out. When we made this the other night, the convo during dinner time went something like that:

A bowl of Chicken and Asparagus Stir Fry

John: *Stuffing food into mouth* Man, this is good!

Me: *Stuffing food into mouth* (Lots of food in mouth. Delayed response) Man, this is good!

Continue to stuff food into mouths. Silence with the exception of intense chewing.

We totally have deep conversation and offer profound insights during dinner time.

Serve Chicken and Asparagus Stir Fry with white or brown rice, and you’ll get your protein, veggies, carbs, all in one place. Perfect meal for a busy night.

If you want to jazz it up, serve this with our super popular Baked Cream Cheese Wontons appetizer, or make a side of Hot and Sour Soup or Egg Drop Soup to go with it! It’s so much better than takeout! TRUST ME.

DID YOU ENJOY THIS RECIPE? Please comment below and give us a 5-star rating! This will help others find this recipe on Google and Pinterest. We very much appreciate your help! 🤍

Other Stir Fry Recipes

Check out other equally lip-smacking, finger-licking good stir fry on the blog!

More Asian Recipes

a bowl of chicken, asparagus and carrots stir fry in a sticky sauce

Chicken and Asparagus Stir Fry

Juicy white meat chicken stir fried with crunchy asparagus and carrots, glazed in savory soy-based sauce with a hint of sweetness. A chicken stir fry recipe that is simple, healthy and so delicious!
4.96 from 23 votes
Print Pin
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: asian, Chinese
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Servings: 3 servings
Calories: 280kcal
Author: MinShien

Ingredients

  • 1 lbs chicken breast or chicken tenders
  • 7 oz asparagus
  • 1 carrot
  • 5-6 cloves garlic
  • A few slices fresh ginger or 1/4 tsp ground ginger
  • vegetable oil

Stir Fry Sauce

  • 3 tbsp oyster (flavored) sauce
  • 1 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp sesame oil
  • 1/2 tbsp rice wine
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • 1 tbsp water
  • 1/2 tsp corn starch

Instructions

  • Slice defrosted chicken into thin strips.
  • In a small bowl, add stir fry sauce ingredients – oyster sauce, soy sauce, sesami oil, rice wine, sugar, water and corn starch. Mix well
  • Slice asparagus and carrots. Mince garlic. Slice fresh ginger to create 5-6 thin slices of ginger. 
  • Add vegetable oil to wok or large skillet and heat up wok on high heat. Once wok is heated up, add asparagus and carrots and cook for 2-3 minutes or until almost done. Remove from wok and set aside.
  • Add vegetable oil to wok. Once oil is heated up, add ginger and garlic. Wait for 30 seconds, then add chicken to the wok.
  • Cook chicken for ~2 minutes, or until chicken is almost done. Add asparagus and carrots back into the wok, cook for 1 minute, add stir fry sauce, and cook for another 1-2 minutes, or until everything is fully cooked.
  • Serve with white or brown rice, and enjoy!

Nutrition

Calories: 280kcal | Carbohydrates: 11g | Protein: 35g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 97mg | Sodium: 1019mg | Potassium: 810mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 3943IU | Vitamin C: 8mg | Calcium: 47mg | Iron: 2mg
Did you make this recipe?Take a pic and tag me at @joyous.apron, or hashtag #joyousapron on Instagram!

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Recipe Rating




16 Comments

  1. Cindy Cowherd says:

    5 stars
    So I made this one too and my John repeated almost verbatim what your John said. It was so, so tasty! While I credit half the success to the sauce (Hello, oyster sauce, my new bff), I credit the other half to your stir-fry tips. They were super useful! Thank you!

    1. Joyous Apron says:

      Hi Cindy! Woohoo! Yay for stir fry successes! *virtual high five* I’m SO glad you and John enjoyed this dish. One of my favorite things about this stir fry sauce is that it is so versatile, and can be used on other proteins (pork, beef, tofu etc) and veggies as well! So many possibilities! Thank you so much for leaving such a thoughtful review. 🙂

  2. 5 stars
    I finally tried this last night, and it was delicious! I am a stir fry novice, at best. After reading your stir fry tips, I realized why I have never really loved my homemade stir fry. It always turns out soggy and mushy. I haven’t been using enough heat, and I was overcooking the veggies. I also used frozen veggies in the past, but I won’t ever again. While I still need a lot of practice, this recipe motivates me to keep trying. I loved the textures and flavor…very savory and almost nutty. I will be trying this one again for sure.

    1. Joyous Apron says:

      Thank you so much for your kind review, Allie! 🙂 And I am so glad you enjoyed the recipe! Yes, you are so right. Stir fry is a bit of an art, and it takes some practice to get it from good to great, but it sounds like it turned out really well! Agree about the frozen veggies – it is just not the same as fresh! Especially not in a stir fry. Crunchy veggies makes a stir fry way better. Please let me know if you have any other questions when you make your next stir fry!! 🙂

  3. 5 stars
    I totally need to try this MinShien! And I loved your dinner convo! We’ve had several “deep” conversations just like that during dinnertime! And I suppose I need to get over my fear of using Oyster sauce, I don’t do shellfish and am allergic but I wonder if a small amount every once in awhile wouldn’t hurt. It’s in SOO many sauces it must be the secret!!

    1. Joyous Apron says:

      Thank you so much Kathleen! It’s definitely a favorite in our household! Made it for many years now and we love it every time! Oyster sauce definite plays a huge role in the complex and amazing flavors! If needed, you can reduce it slightly and use more soy sauce – I think that would work as well!

  4. We are just starting out on the “low carb” adventure so, how could you make this low carb?

    1. Joyous Apron says:

      Serve it with cauliflower rice or wrap it in lettuce! Basically omit rice!

  5. 5 stars
    I have made this so many times, especially during busy weeknights. It’s delicious, super quick and easy! I also like how you can easily customize it by adding more veggies.

    1. Joyous Apron says:

      SO glad you are enjoying! I definitely love the versatility too! 🙂

  6. I have a bunch of fresh green beans that I’d like to incorporate into this stir fry. Should I blanch them first?

    1. Joyous Apron says:

      You can blanch them firs, or you can cook it on the skillet along with the asparagus and carrots – may take a few minutes longer for everything to fully cooked. Let me know how it goes when you make it!

  7. 5 stars
    Always looking for new ways to use asparagus, since it’s my favorite vegetable. This was a giant hit for dinner over the weekend!

    1. Joyous Apron says:

      So great to hear that! Thank you for sharing!

  8. 5 stars
    My kids gave this recipe two thumbs ups! Thanks for making dinner easy!

    1. Joyous Apron says:

      Yay! Glad the kiddos liked it!