Chicken and Asparagus Stir-Fry is a simple everyday dish featuring tender chicken thigh pieces and crisp asparagus in a light, fresh ginger sauce. When sweet, tender asparagus comes into season in spring, this is one of the best dishes to make. It comes together quickly, making it perfect for a weeknight meal while still highlighting the fresh flavor of the asparagus.
What’s Chicken and Asparagus Stir-Fry?
Stir-frying vegetables and meat is a staple of everyday Japanese cooking. It’s almost always easy and very quick to prepare. When people are busy and don’t have much time to cook on weekdays but still want to eat something fresh and satisfying, a simple stir-fry at home is a great way to put dinner on the table.
Even with quick cooking, adding seasonal ingredients can brighten the dinner table for your family—or just for yourself as a small celebration at the end of the day. Asparagus is a beautiful vegetable whose shape and bright green color instantly bring the feeling of spring. When sliced diagonally, it cooks very quickly, making it perfect for stir-frying.
We chose chicken thighs for this dish because they stay juicy, moist, and flavorful—even if they cook a little longer than planned, which can easily happen on busy days. The sauce is not heavy or fussy. Instead, it’s light and fresh, with a little zing from fresh ginger. Minimal seasoning lets the ingredients really shine.
Serve it with some steamed rice and miso soup, and you’ll have a perfect meal—yet no one will guess it came together in just about 15 minutes. Chicken and Asparagus Stir-Fry is easy to make with simple ingredients, healthy, and delicious. It’s a great quick dinner when you want something clean, satisfying, and a little seasonal on the table.
Tips and substitutions for Chicken and Asparagus Stir-Fry
- If you want the dish to be even lighter, you can use chicken breast instead. Slice the chicken breast thinly and preseason it with sake, salt, and potato starch, gently massaging the meat so the seasonings are absorbed and the chicken becomes more tender.
- The seasonings in this dish are very simple, but if you’d like a little more Japanese flavor, add a splash of soy sauce. You can also drizzle a little sesame oil at the end of cooking to add a different aroma and finish.
More recipes like Chicken and Asparagus Stir-Fry
- Curried Potato Stir-Fry
- Broccoli Beef Stir-Fry
- Stir-Fry Shrimp and Green Peas
- Stir-Fry Beef with Asparagus and Mushroom
Juicy chicken thigh pieces and crisp spring asparagus in a quick and easy Japanese-style ginger sauce.
- 2 chicken thighs
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 Tbsp sake
- 1 Tbsp Katakuriko (potato starch)
- 7 oz Asparagus
- 1 Tbsp ginger root (slivered)
- 1 1/2 Tbsp oil (divided)
- 2 Tbsp water
- salt and pepper to taste
Cut the chicken thighs into bite-size pieces, then mix with salt, sake, and Katakuriko (potato starch). Let sit for 5 minutes.
Trim off the tough ends of the asparagus and cut it diagonally into 2-inch (5 cm) pieces. Peel the ginger and slice it into thin slivers.
Heat 1/2 tablespoon of oil over medium heat and cook the chicken until golden brown and almost cooked through. Remove from the pan.
In the same pan, heat 1 tablespoon of oil with the ginger over medium heat until fragrant, then add the asparagus. Cook for a couple of minutes, then return the chicken to the pan. Add water and cook until the liquid is half gone. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Noriko and Yuko, the authors of this site, are originally from Japan and now live in California. They love cooking and eating great food, and share a passion for home cooking with fresh ingredients.
Together, Noriko and Yuko plan and develop recipes for Japanese Cooking 101. They cook and photograph their dishes, and film videos in their home kitchens.
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