A quick, savory one-pan meal with tender chicken, crunchy cabbage, onions, colorful bell peppers, carrots, and a glossy soy-based sauce. The recipe below expands on the ingredients visible in your image and uses a classic stir-fry method. Similar versions use chicken breast, cabbage, onion, bell pepper, carrot, soy sauce, sesame oil and optional oyster sauce.
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Recipe By Me
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Servings: 4
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes
Total: about 30 minutes
Difficulty: Easy
Ingredients
Chicken & vegetables
1 lb (450 g) boneless, skinless chicken breast
2 cups green cabbage, roughly chopped
1 medium yellow onion, sliced
1 medium red bell pepper, sliced
1 medium yellow or orange bell pepper, sliced
1 medium carrot, thinly sliced or julienned
2–3 green onions, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated — optional
Sauce
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon oyster sauce — optional
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
1 teaspoon rice vinegar
½ teaspoon black pepper
¼ teaspoon red chili flakes — optional
½ teaspoon sugar or honey — optional
For cooking
1½ tablespoons vegetable, canola, or avocado oil
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2 tablespoons cold water
The cornstarch slurry is optional, but it gives the sauce a thicker, glossy coating.
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Recipe By Me
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Step-by-Step Instructions
1. Prepare the chicken
Cut the chicken into small, thin bite-sized pieces.
For particularly tender chicken, toss it with:
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon oil
Let it sit for 10 minutes while you prepare the vegetables.
2. Mix the sauce
In a small bowl, combine:
Soy sauce + oyster sauce + sesame oil + rice vinegar + black pepper + sugar/honey + chili flakes.
Set aside.
3. Make the cornstarch slurry
Mix:
1 tablespoon cornstarch + 2 tablespoons cold water
until completely smooth.
Don’t add the dry cornstarch directly to the hot pan—it can form lumps.
4. Heat the wok
Place a large wok or skillet over medium-high to high heat.
Add about 1 tablespoon oil.
The pan should be hot before the chicken goes in. A hot pan helps the chicken brown instead of releasing too much moisture and steaming.
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HearthlyRecipes
5. Cook the chicken
Add chicken in a single layer.
Stir-fry for approximately 4–6 minutes, turning frequently, until browned and cooked through.
Remove the chicken to a plate.
Tip: Don’t overcrowd the pan. If necessary, cook the chicken in two batches.
6. Stir-fry the vegetables
Add the remaining oil.
Add:
Onion
Carrot
Bell peppers
Stir-fry for 2–3 minutes.
Add garlic and ginger and cook for another 30 seconds.
7. Add cabbage
Add the chopped cabbage.
Stir-fry for approximately 2–4 minutes.
You want the cabbage tender-crisp, not mushy. Cabbage cooks very quickly in a hot wok.
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The Boat Shed Kitchen
8. Return the chicken
Put the cooked chicken back into the wok.
Pour in the prepared sauce.
Toss everything vigorously for 1–2 minutes so the sauce coats the chicken and vegetables.
9. Thicken the sauce
Give the cornstarch slurry another stir and add it gradually.
Cook for about 30–60 seconds, tossing constantly, until the sauce becomes shiny and lightly thickened.
If it becomes too thick, add 1–2 tablespoons water.
10. Finish
Turn off the heat.
Add sliced green onions and, if desired:
toasted sesame seeds
extra chili flakes
a tiny drizzle of sesame oil
Serve immediately.
What to Serve With It
For a complete meal, serve the stir-fry with:
Steamed white rice
Brown rice
Fried rice
Egg noodles
Chow mein noodles
Cauliflower rice for a lower-carb option
Stir-fry for approximately 2–4 minutes.
For a lighter meal, the stir-fry is substantial enough to eat by itself.
Nutrition Information
Approximate per serving, without rice, assuming 4 servings:
Nutrient Approx. amount
Calories 250–300 kcal
Protein 32–36 g
Carbohydrates 12–16 g
Fat 8–11 g
Fiber 3–4 g
Sugar 4–6 g
Sodium 700–1,000 mg
Nutrition varies substantially with the amount and brand of soy/oyster sauce and cooking oil. Comparable recipes estimate roughly 230–275 calories per serving before rice.
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Recipe By Me
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With rice
Adding approximately 1 cup cooked white rice to the meal adds roughly another 200 calories and 45 g carbohydrate per serving if divided into four portions.
Allergens & Dietary Information
Contains:
Soy: from soy sauce
Sesame: from sesame oil
Gluten: potentially from regular soy sauce and oyster sauce
Shellfish: potentially from oyster sauce
For a gluten-free version, use certified gluten-free tamari/soy sauce and a gluten-free oyster sauce alternative. Some recipes specifically offer gluten-free adaptations.
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Recipe By Me
Nut-free: The basic recipe contains no peanuts or tree nuts. However, check packaged sauces for facility/allergen warnings if you have a severe allergy.
Recipe Tips
For juicy chicken:
Don’t overcook the breast. Cut it into similarly sized pieces and remove it as soon as it’s cooked.
For restaurant-style flavor:
Use a very hot wok, cook in batches, and keep the vegetables moving.
For crispy vegetables:
Don’t cover the pan, and don’t cook the cabbage too long.
For more sauce:
Increase soy sauce to 3 tablespoons and add 2–3 tablespoons water or chicken stock.
For spicy stir-fry:
Add 1–2 teaspoons chili garlic sauce, sliced fresh chilies, or additional red-pepper flakes.
For sweeter takeout-style flavor:
Add 1 teaspoon honey or brown sugar.
For richer flavor:
Chicken thighs can replace breast; they tend to stay juicier during stir-frying.
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Quick Homemade Recipes
Q&A
Can I use chicken thighs instead of chicken breast?
Yes. Boneless, skinless thighs are excellent and generally more forgiving because they stay juicy.
Can I use more cabbage?
Absolutely. You can increase the cabbage to 3–4 cups. Add it in batches if your wok is small.
Can I leave out oyster sauce?
Yes. The dish will still taste good with soy sauce, sesame oil, garlic and ginger. Oyster sauce simply adds extra savory depth.
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The Boat Shed Kitchen
Can I make it without soy sauce?
Use coconut aminos or another soy-free stir-fry sauce. The flavor will be somewhat different.
Can I prepare this ahead of time?
Yes. Chop all vegetables and chicken ahead of time and refrigerate separately. Because stir-frying happens quickly, having everything prepared before heating the wok is especially helpful.
How long does it keep?
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3–4 days. Reheat in a skillet or microwave until steaming hot.
Can I freeze it?
Yes, although the cabbage and peppers will become softer after freezing and thawing. For best texture, freeze the cooked chicken and sauce separately from freshly prepared vegetables when possible.
Is this low-carb?
The stir-fry itself can be made relatively low-carb, particularly if you omit the sugar/honey and serve it without rice or noodles. Use a small amount of cornstarch or omit it if you want to minimize carbohydrates.
Why is my stir-fry watery?
Usually because the pan wasn’t hot enough, too many ingredients were added at once, or the vegetables released a lot of water. Cook in batches and use high heat.
How do I get the vegetables like the ones in the picture?
Cut them fairly large and cook them quickly over high heat. The goal is softened but still colorful and slightly crunchy, rather than completely soft.
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The Washington Post
Can I add other vegetables?
Definitely. Good additions include:
Broccoli
Mushrooms
Snow peas
Bean sprouts
Zucchini
Baby corn
Bok choy
Is this an authentic Chinese recipe?
It’s best described as a Chinese-inspired chicken stir-fry rather than claiming to represent one specific regional Chinese dish. The high-heat stir-fry technique and combination of chicken, cabbage, aromatics and savory sauces are common in Chinese-inspired cooking.
Best Version at a Glance
Chicken: 1 lb
Cabbage: 2 cups
Onion: 1 medium
Bell peppers: 2
Carrot: 1
Garlic: 2 cloves
Soy sauce: 2 tbsp
Oyster sauce: 1 tbsp
Sesame oil: 1 tsp
Cornstarch: 1 tbsp
Cooking time: ~15 minutes
Key secret: Get the pan very hot, cook the chicken separately, keep the vegetables slightly crisp, then bring everything together with the sauce at the end. This produces a much better stir-fry texture than slowly cooking everything in one pan.