This easy restaurant-style Szechuan chicken stir-fry will likely become your go-to weeknight dinner—ready in about 30 minutes. Tender chicken breast tossed with Chinese five-spice and a simple Asian sauce creates deep, balanced flavor without excess oil or refined sugar.
Szechuan-style chicken is one of my favorite takeout orders—sweet, savory, and spicy. It’s a satisfying treat, but many restaurant versions are heavy on oil and refined sugar. This homemade version trims the oil, skips refined sugar, and adds plenty of vegetables for a healthier, equally flavorful meal.
Serve the stir-fry over steamed rice or cauliflower rice for a lower-carb option. The flavors develop quickly, so prep everything before you start cooking to ensure a smooth, fast process.
What is Chinese five-spice?
Chinese five-spice powder is a fragrant blend I rely on for authentic-tasting stir-fries. It’s key to this recipe, bringing aromatic warmth and complexity; don’t skip it. Five-spice typically combines star anise, fennel seeds, Szechuan peppercorns (or regular peppercorns), cloves, and cinnamon. As with many spice blends, exact proportions vary by region and household.
You can find five-spice in larger grocery stores or make your own at home. It’s versatile—use it on chicken, tofu, shrimp, or in other stir-fries and marinades when you want that characteristic Chinese flavor profile.
Stir-fries cook quickly, so the secret is mise en place: have everything chopped and ready so each ingredient goes in at the right time. This keeps textures bright and the chicken juicy.
How to make Szechuan chicken stir-fry
Make the sauce
Step 1 – Heat a large skillet over medium heat and toast the peppercorns until fragrant, about 1–2 minutes. Crush them.
Tip: If you don’t have a mortar and pestle, place peppercorns on a cutting board and crush them with the bottom of a heavy pan or another flat, heavy object.
Step 2 – In a medium bowl, whisk the sauce ingredients together until combined and set aside.
Make the stir-fry
Step 3 – Toss the chicken pieces with cornstarch in a large bowl until evenly coated and season lightly with salt.
Step 4 – In the same skillet, heat 2 tbsp oil over high heat. When very hot, add chicken in a single layer and cook undisturbed for about 3 minutes until golden and crisp. Flip and finish cooking. Work in batches if needed to avoid overcrowding. Transfer cooked chicken to a plate and set aside.
Step 5 – Add another tablespoon of oil (or less if there’s residual oil). Add onion and bell peppers and stir-fry for 3–4 minutes until softened.
Step 6 – Add dried chilies and stir-fry for 30 seconds. Return the chicken to the skillet, whisk the sauce briefly, pour it in, and bring to a boil. Cook, stirring, for 30 seconds to 1 minute until the sauce thickens and coats the chicken and vegetables.
Serve immediately over rice or cauliflower rice. The dried chilies are for flavor—avoid eating them whole unless you enjoy intense heat.
Meal prep and storage
This stir-fry is best fresh, but it stores well for meal prep. Refrigerate in sealed containers for up to three days. Reheat gently and pair with rice, rice noodles, or use the chicken as a filling for lettuce wraps.
Tips
- You can substitute any protein you like—beef, shrimp, tofu—or make this vegetarian with a mix of vegetables.
- Chicken thighs work well too but require slightly longer cooking time.
- I kept the vegetables simple with red bell pepper and onion, but stir-fry-friendly options like broccoli, asparagus, mushrooms, carrots, or green beans are all great additions.
- Kitchen tongs are handy for flipping chicken and stirring while cooking.
Szechuan sauce adapted from Feasting at Home.
Szechuan Chicken Stir-fry
This restaurant-style Szechuan chicken stir-fry is quick, deeply flavorful, and perfect for busy weeknights. Chicken breast is tossed with Chinese five-spice and a simple Asian sauce for a satisfying meal in about 30 minutes.
dinner, Main Course
American, Chinese
5-Spice Chicken, Chinese chicken recipe, chinese chicken stirfry
Ingredients
Stir Fry:
- 1 lb / 500 g boneless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 3 tbsp cornstarch
- 3 tbsp avocado oil, divided
- 1 large yellow onion, cut into ½-inch pieces
- 1 large red bell pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 large green bell pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 10 small dried red chilies (such as chile de arbol)
Sauce:
- ½ tsp black peppercorns or Szechuan peppercorns
- ¼ cup low-sodium soy sauce
- 3 tbsp honey (or maple syrup, coconut sugar, or brown sugar)
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
- 1 tbsp mirin
- 3 garlic cloves, finely minced
- 2 tsp fresh ginger, finely minced
- 1 tbsp garlic chili paste (such as sambal oelek)
- ¼ tsp Chinese five-spice
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
Instructions
Make the sauce.
- Heat a large skillet over medium heat, toast peppercorns 1–2 minutes until fragrant, then crush.
- Whisk all sauce ingredients together in a bowl and set aside.
Make the stir fry.
- Toss chicken with cornstarch in a large bowl and season with salt.
- Heat 2 tbsp oil in the skillet over high heat. Add chicken in a single layer and cook about 3 minutes without moving until golden and crisp, then flip and finish. Work in batches if necessary. Remove chicken and set aside.
- Add another tablespoon oil if needed. Stir-fry onion and bell peppers 3–4 minutes until softened.
- Add dried chilies and stir-fry 30 seconds.
- Return chicken to the skillet. Whisk the sauce and pour in. Bring to a boil and cook, stirring, 30 seconds to 1 minute until thickened and glossy.
- Serve immediately over rice or cauliflower rice. Avoid eating the dried chilies unless you want serious heat.
Recipe Notes
Szechuan sauce adapted from Feasting at Home.
- Any protein works—beef, shrimp, or tofu are great alternatives, or make it fully vegetarian.
- Kitchen tongs make flipping chicken and stirring easier.
- Chicken thighs are an option but require longer cooking.
- Swap or add vegetables as you like—broccoli, asparagus, mushrooms, carrots, or green beans work well.
If you try this Szechuan Chicken Stir-fry, please rate the recipe and leave a comment with feedback—I love hearing how it turned out for you!
More Asian recipes you will love:
- Korean Ground Beef Rice Bowls
- Asian Glazed Meatballs
- Cauliflower Fried Rice
- Asian Slaw with Ginger Peanut Dressing
- Chicken Lettuce Wraps