Ginger Chicken Stir Fry
This Cambodian-inspired ginger chicken stir fry brings serious street-food energy to your weeknight table. It’s fast, fragrant, and built around an amount of ginger that you’ll think was a mistake, but gives it an unmistakable punch of flavor.
What you’ll love about this recipe:
- Big flavor, minimal effort. This easy stir fry recipe is ready in less than 15 minutes.
- Balanced and cravable. savory, sweet, and umami flavors in every bite
- Unexpected flavor. This dish is ginger forward in a way that’s unfamiliar, but instantly comforting.
The Ginger Chicken Stir Fry that make me fall in love with Cambodian food
This is the dish that made me understand Cambodian cooking in a way Lok Lak couldn’t.
While Lok Lak (Shaking Beef) gets all the attention with its peppery beef and tangy dipping sauce, this ginger chicken exists in a different flavor universe. It’s sticky, sweet, and aggressively gingery.
I ate a version of this at a street stall in Phnom Penh where the cook used so much ginger that for a second we thought it was noodles!
The balance of oyster sauce, fish sauce, and sugar is something you see across Southeast Asia, but the sheer volume of ginger here is distinctly Cambodian. I’m used to recipes that use ginger as a flavor accent, but this dish revolved entirely around it. And let me tell you, it works.
When ginger hits hot oil, it mellows out just enough to lose its raw bite while keeping all that floral, spicy complexity and the perfect amount of zip.
This stir fry also falls into that perfect weeknight cooking zone where it comes together fast enough to make after work (without making a ton of dishes!) but is special enough that it doesn’t feel like you’re just throwing the same old boring dinner together.
Ingredients You’ll Need:
Ginger. Yes, you’re going to need a lot. This is really the main component of this stir fry. Look for firm roots with thin skin and no shriveling. If it bends easily or feels light, it’s old and dried out inside. Finding fresh ginger is easy at most grocery stores, but if you want the good stuff, hit up an Asian market. The ginger there tends to be fresher and juicier (not to mention way cheaper!)
Chicken breast: Slice it thin against the grain so it cooks fast and stays tender. Chicken thighs or sliced pork loin work too if you want more fat and flavor, but breasts are traditional and they won’t dry out if you don’t overcook them.
Oyster sauce: The base of your stir fry sauce, with a savory, slightly sweet flavor that makes the dish taste rich and complete.
Fish sauce: Adds umami and a salty funk that makes the whole dish taste more complex. A little goes a long way. Don’t skip it or you’ll lose a layer of depth that soy sauce alone can’t replace.
Soy sauce: Rounds out the salt and adds color. It’s working with the fish sauce and oyster sauce to build that savory backbone.
Sugar: Balances the heat of the ginger, helps caramelize the chicken, and makes the sauce glossy.
Pro Tips:
- Stir fry cooks very quickly, so it’s important to have all of your ingredients prepped and ready to go before you start
- Softening the aromatics in the oil first extracts some of their flavor, seasoning the oil itself. That adds even more flavor to the chicken. You could save a minute or two by cooking the chicken first, but you’d lose a whole level of flavor.
- Traditional recipes incorporate about a teaspoon of chicken bouillon for a richer flavor. I leave it out since it isn’t a staple in my kitchen, and I enjoy how light, fresh, and flavorful the resulting dish is. I’m not claiming that my version is authentic at all, but it’s delicious and immediately brings me back to that roadside stall.
Frequently asked questions
Let the chicken cool to room temperature before transferring it to an airtight container. It will keep in the fridge for up to four days. The sauce might thicken as it sits, so when you reheat it, add a tablespoon of water or chicken stock to loosen things up and bring back that glossy texture.
Reheat in a skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until it’s hot all the way through. You can also microwave it, but the texture won’t be as good. The chicken can get a little rubbery if you microwave it too long, so go in 30-second intervals and stir between each one.
Don’t freeze this. The ginger and onion don’t handle freezing well, and the chicken texture suffers.
It sounds wild, but it’s intentional. It will cook down, but you’re pretty much going to have equal amounts of ginger and chicken.
No! It won’t give the same texture or bright flavor. Fresh is essential.
Not really, but it doesn’t have a little bite from the ginger. If you want heat, add sliced chili or chili paste during the stir fry.
Other recipes you might like:
- Ginger-soy sheet pan salmon and asparagus
- Homemade teriyaki sauce
- Creamy Chicken and Gnocchi Soup
- Air Fryer Chicken Katsu (Torikatsu)
Ginger Chicken Stir Fry
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 onion sliced
- 2 cups fresh ginger cut into matchsticks (measure after cutting)
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 1 pound chicken breast thinly sliced
- 3 Tablespoons oyster sauce
- 1 teaspoon fish sauce
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce
- 2 Tablespoons sugar
- Rice for serving
- Cucumber for garnish
Instructions
- Heat 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil in a large skillet set over medium heat.
- When the oil is hot, add 2 cups fresh ginger. Cook, stirring frequently, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add 1 onion and 4 garlic cloves and cook another 1-2 minutes, until soft.
- Use a slotted spatula to transfer the vegetables to a plate, leaving the oil in the pan.
- Add 1 pound chicken breast, 3 Tablespoons oyster sauce, 1 teaspoon fish sauce, 1 teaspoon soy sauce and 2 Tablespoons sugar to the hot oil and cook for 3-4 minutes, until the chicken is just about cooked through.
- Return the vegetables to the pan and stir to combine. Cook until the chicken is done.
- Serve over rice with cucumbers to garnish.
