Chicken and Vegetable Stir-Fry for the Whole Week
Asian-style chicken and vegetable stir-fry for meal prep: 2 kg of breast, red and green bell pepper, soy, sesame and oyster sauce. Makes 4 lunches.
This chicken and vegetable stir-fry is the week's meal-prep batch: 45 minutes in total and 4 servings. It uses 2 kg of chicken breast cut into bite-sized pieces and browned in batches over high heat, red and green bell pepper, and a sauce of soy, sesame oil and oyster sauce. Serve it with rice or noodles.
The recipe on video
This is exactly the recipe below: Pablo's weekly meal-prep batch, with the same quantities and ingredients.
Instructions
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Cut the chicken and the bell peppers
Cut the 2 kg of breast into bite-sized pieces, all the same size, and both bell peppers into strips. An even cut is what makes the whole batch cook at the same rate, with nothing raw or overdone. Pat the chicken dry with paper towel: with 2 kg there is a lot of moisture in play, and it is the main reason chicken ends up steamed instead of browned.
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Mix the sauce (soy, oyster, garlic and ginger)
In a small bowl mix the 3 tablespoons of soy sauce, the tablespoon of oyster sauce, the tablespoon of minced garlic and the tablespoon of minced ginger. Having it ready beforehand matters: the stir-fry moves fast and with several batches on the heat there is no time to measure halfway through.
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Brown the chicken in batches over high heat
Heat one tablespoon of sesame oil in the largest pan you own over high heat. Add the chicken in a single layer — you will need 3 or 4 batches for the 2 kg — and leave it untouched for 2 minutes to sear before stir-frying it another 3 to 4 minutes. Piling all 2 kg in at once drops the pan temperature and the chicken releases water instead of browning. Set each batch aside in a large dish. If your sesame oil is the toasted kind, use half here and keep the rest for the end, since it burns and turns bitter over high heat.
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Stir-fry the bell peppers until al dente
In the same pan, with the remaining tablespoon of sesame oil, stir-fry the red and green pepper strips for 3 to 4 minutes over high heat, stirring. They should stay al dente, bright in colour and slightly crisp: remember they will spend days in the fridge and be reheated, so a soft pepper now is a mushy one by Wednesday.
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Return the chicken with the sauce
Return all the chicken to the pan along with any juices it released in the dish. Pour the sauce down the sides so it hits the hot pan and caramelises on contact, then stir to coat everything evenly.
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Portion into the week's containers
Cook everything for 2 more minutes, stirring, until the sauce thickens slightly and glazes the chicken and peppers. Portion into 4 containers over rice or noodles and let them cool to lukewarm uncovered before sealing and refrigerating: sealing them hot creates condensation, and that water is what ruins the texture on reheating.
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Foodtastico Tip
Portion the 4 servings into containers as soon as they are lukewarm, not once they are stone cold. Refrigerated they keep 3 to 4 days, so freeze whatever you plan to eat after day four on the very first day: thawed overnight in the fridge it is far better than a container that sat six days in the cold. To reheat, use a hot pan for a couple of minutes rather than the microwave, which softens the peppers and draws out water.
Nutrition information
| Calories | 700 kcal |
|---|---|
| Protein | 112 g |
| Carbs | 8 g |
| Sugars | 4 g |
| Fat | 20 g |
| Trans fat | 0 g |
Values per serving (1 of 4).
Frequently asked questions
What vegetables can I add besides the bell peppers?
This version uses only red and green bell pepper, which hold up well to days in the fridge. If you want more vegetables, almost any firm one works: broccoli in small florets, thinly sliced carrot, peas, green beans or cabbage. Cut them to the same thickness and add the harder ones first (carrot, broccoli) and the tender ones last (zucchini, leaves). Avoid very watery ones such as tomato, because they release liquid and water down the whole batch.
Why does the stir-fry release water, and how do I avoid it?
With 2 kg of chicken the mistake is nearly always the same: overfilling the pan. Crowd it and the temperature drops, the chicken boils in its own juices and there is no way back to browning. Cook over high heat, in the largest pan you own and in 3 or 4 batches, drying the chicken first and never covering the pan: trapped steam is exactly what softens everything.
How long does it keep, and how do I split it across the week?
Refrigerated in airtight containers it keeps 3 to 4 days, not a full five-day work week. The practical approach is to leave 2 servings in the fridge and freeze the other 2 the same day you cook, moving each one to the fridge the night before you eat it. Reheat in a hot pan for a couple of minutes rather than the microwave, so the peppers recover some texture.
What can I use instead of oyster sauce?
Oyster sauce provides the savoury, slightly sweet backbone that replaces honey here. If you do not have it, use hoisin sauce (sweeter, so use a little less) or an extra tablespoon of soy sauce with half a teaspoon of sugar. Vegetarian versions made from shiitake mushrooms work just as well. Note that oyster sauce contains shellfish, so it is not an option for a mollusc allergy.
Can I make it without soy sauce?
Yes. Replace it with tamari (gluten-free) or with concentrated chicken stock plus a splash of rice vinegar and a pinch of salt. Keep the oyster sauce for the sweet-savoury balance. The result will be lighter in colour, but just as tasty.
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