We love to eat stir-fried dishes, but we also like to engineer our own sauces to see how good they are! This Chicken and Shrimp Stir Fry has a great baseline stir fry sauce that could take on so many more ingredients if you wanted to experiment, but we especially like this with chicken and shrimp over rice.
Making the Stir Fry
The chicken in this recipe gets a little bit of browning without going too far. The browning on proteins (Maillard reaction) isn’t always desirable, but generally the flavor added is unmistakably better, especially here! Just a little browning in this dish is all you’re looking for and in a wok it should be easily achievable. We have THIS wok (if you are in the market, you can use our promo code for 25% off: COOKWITHWINE25)
Vegetables in stir fry dishes really have limitless options. The key is to have them all cooked to perfection. And that is where many of these types of dishes struggle in execution. Nobody wants mushy zucchini and nearly raw, rock-hard carrots in the same dish as overcooked shrimp! This is where a little wok practice helps.
To avoid over/undercooking the different vegetables in your stir fry, here are your options:
- The easiest way to avoid this problem is to cut vegetables in different sizes so they cook to perfection in the same amount of time. You can put all the veggies in at the same time.
- You can also choose vegetables that cook at a similar pace to include in your dish.
- What we prefer, and recommend, is to add the veggies sequentially depending on their cook time. For example, add carrots and onions into the wok first and cook for a couple minutes. Then add vegetables like zucchini, yellow squash or bell pepper and continue cooking. Finally, add vegetables like broccolini and asparagus at the end that need very little time.
All combinations of the three techniques above work as well!
Stir Fry Sauce
We generally opt for homemade versions of sauces so that we can get the exact flavor combination we prefer. This sauce is a breeze to prepare, and the flavors are fantastic. It is gently assertive without going overboard.
The main ingredients in this sauce include: soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, minced garlic and ginger. We always encourage experimenting with the base recipe. Adding extra ginger paste, hot chiles or garlic can turn the base sauce into something completely new.
Enjoy!
We hope that you enjoy this recipe for Chicken and Shrimp Stir Fry. If you give it a try, leave us a comment below or tag us on Instagram @cooking_with_wine!
Looking for more recipes like this? Check these out:
- Kung Pao Chicken Lettuce Wraps
- Sesame Crusted Ahi Salad with Cilantro Ginger Lime Dressing
- Spicy Ginger Garlic Shrimp Skewers
- Blackened Garlic Shrimp Tacos with Cilantro Cream Sauce
Chicken and Shrimp Stir Fry
Course: DinnerDifficulty: Easy4
servings20
minutes15
minutes35
minutesReady to make this recipe? Click HERE to have the ingredients delivered straight to your door!
Ingredients
- For the Sauce* (see note)
¼ cup soy sauce
3 Tbsp rice vinegar
2 tsp sesame oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp ginger paste/minced ginger
1 tsp sugar
2 Tbsp water
1 Tbsp cornstarch
- For the Stir Fry
1 lb. medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 medium chicken breasts, boneless, skinless, cubed into bite-sized pieces
3 tsp kosher salt – divided
1 tsp black pepper – divided
2 Tbsp neutral oil (canola, grapeseed, avocado, safflower, vegetable, etc.)
4 dried hot chile peppers (Asian or chile de arbol)
1 small zucchini, cut in rounds
1 small yellow, orange, or red bell pepper, cut in strips
½ small onion cut in strips
For Garnish:
Sliced green onion
Directions
- Prepare the Sauce
- Combine all the sauce ingredients in a bowl and whisk thoroughly to combine. You can also put them in a container with a lid and shake to combine. You need to combine these ingredients thoroughly, but DO NOT use a blender, food processor or immersion blender.
- Stir-Fry the Ingredients
- Season the shrimp with 1 tsp of the salt and half of the pepper and set aside. Season the chicken with 2 tsp of the salt and half of the pepper.
- In a wok or very large skillet, heat the oil until almost smoking over medium-high to high heat. Add the chicken and the chile peppers and cook, stirring often, until the chicken is cooked through and browned somewhat (about 5 minutes). Remove the chicken from the wok and set aside in a bowl.
- Next, add the zucchini, bell pepper, and onion and cook until they are almost done, stirring often. This will take about 3 minutes. Add back the chicken and stir. Add the sauce and shrimp and bring the sauce to a boil for 30 seconds, stirring often. Lower the heat and cook until the shrimp are done (about 3 min).
- Remove the contents to a bowl and serve with rice, noodles, or by itself and garnish with the green onions. You can pick out the chile peppers if desired or serve with the dish.
Notes
- *If serving with rice or you like a lot of sauce, you can double the recipe
