Asian-Inspired Ground Chicken Stir Fry 🧡🌿 is here to deliver big flavor, lean protein, and healthy fiber! There’s so much texture from zucchini and squash while white miso, ginger, and coconut aminos give Asian-fusion vibes! Made in one skillet, ready in 30 minutes, and uses flexible ingredients so you can mix-and-match based on what you have on hand and enjoy. Bonus squash cooking tutorial included in case you need one!
Easy Asian Ground Chicken Stir Fry Recipe
- In the past few months, I’ve been working hard to incorporate more lean protein, and more fiber in my diet. But I get really sick of eating the same things!
- So I created this Asian fusion-inspired stir fry with ground chicken, zucchini, mushrooms, kabocha squash (that’s squash, not mango!) and gave it flavor with coconut aminos which lend saltiness and a touch of sweetness and complements the kabocha squash perfectly.Fun fact: Kabocha squash is also known as Japanese pumpkin, hence the Asian vibes coming through.
- White miso, ginger, and fresh cilantro also pack depth of flavor galore.
- If you’re not a squash person, use cooked sweet potato. If you want to be a squash person but you don’t know how to cook it, I have a foolproof How To Cook Squash section below!
- This is a ground chicken recipe is not only a great low-carb option that’s high protein and high fiber, it’s great for meal prep because leftovers keep really well in the fridge or freezer in an airtight container.
more stir frys using ground proteins
Ingredients in Asian Fusion Stir Fry with Ground Chicken
Vegetables: Onion, zucchini, baby bella mushrooms (omit if desired), and kabocha squash are the workhorses. I love kabocha squash because it’s has half the calories of sweet potato, 70% less sugar carbs, and a lightly sweet taste.
Never heard of kabocha squash or can’t find it? Use cooked butternut or acorn squash, or cooked and diced sweet potatoes. Other veggies to work in if you have them: broccoli florets, cauliflower, sliced carrots, red bell peppers, fresh green beans, or snap peas, are all great too.
Asian Inspired Flavors: White miso paste and coconut aminos (tip – I get both from Trader Joes and if you have one, get these items there because they’re very inexpensive), ground ginger, optional cardamom, optional sesame oil. Cilantro is a lovely finishing touch or try fresh basil. If you’re not using coconut aminos which is also gluten-free, use low-sodium soy sauce instead (it’s not gluten-free).
Ground Protein: You can use either a pound ground chicken or ground turkey. In stir frys, ground chicken has a slightly softer (aka mushier – but not in a bad way) texture whereas ground turkey is firmer and has about 1 additional gram of protein per serving. While you technically could make this with ground pork or extra lean ground beef, I haven’t tried those versions yet.
Garnishes, optional: Scallions or green onions, fresh herbs, a splash of rice vinegar or apple cider vinegar makes it pop, or try sriracha, hot honey, or sesame seeds.
Note: Scroll down to the recipe card section of the post for the ingredients with amounts included and for more complete directions.
How To Make Asian Fusion Ground Chicken Stir-Fry
- In a large nonstick skillet, sauté the veggies until soft and tender. You could also use a wok but it’s not required.
- Add the chicken, miso, coconut aminos, spices, salt, pepper, and saute to cook the chicken while tossing and crumbling as it cooks.
- Add the cooked squash* (see below), cilantro, and stir gently to combine.
- Taste, adjust for flavor, and serve! You can serve it as-is, in butter lettuce leaves like lettuce wraps, with coconut rice, or viral beef and sweet potato bowl style with a scoop of cottage cheese next to it. I love hot pepperjelly on my cottage cheese with savory recipes!
How To Cook Squash in the Microwave
- Squash is one of those veggies that people like well enough, but no one seems to know how to make it. Or you know how to make it, but it’s an accident waiting to happen because you try to hack into this literal rock-hard bowling ball with a huge knife. I get nervous just thinking about that. You either break your knife or worse.
- This method works for kabocha, butternut, or acorn squash. For spaghetti squash, it needs less time overall and scraping with a fork after you heat it since the fibers are thinner and it’s more delicate and the goal is to create fluffy, spaghetti-like strands.
- My method involves softening whole squash in the microwave, the slicing and cubing it, before steaming it so it turns out moist and juicy, not dry.
- Wash the squash, pierce it in 4-5 places with a large, sharp knife (like you’d piece a potato prior to oven-baking, same concept).
- Soften: Place a paper towel on the turntable of your microwave (because the squash will weep a bit as it softens and it’s stubborn to remove), place the squash on top of it, and microwave for 5 minutes per squash. Tip: I always cook 2-3 kabocha squash at a time and for each squash, I add 5 minutes softening time. So 2 squash = 10 minutes, 3 squash = 15 minutes. Also, you can also nuke the squash and just let it sit like that for 30-60 minutes while you take care other kitchen tasks, chores, etc. You don’t have to rush to attend to it.
- Slice the squash in half (doesn’t matter horizontally or vertically) and scoop out the seeds and discard. Tip: I highly recommend wearing kitchen gloves because it’s hot, even after it’s cooled for 10-15 minutes. Y
- Peeling a kabocha squash is technically optional because the skin is edible; however, it’s a ton of fiber. I peel haphazardly and don’t obsess over every speck of skin. You must peel acorn and butternut squash.
- Cube the squash into bite sized pieces and place them in a large microwave-safe bowl. This is not a perfect science because some pieces get overly softened in the microwave, others don’t. The softer the piece or section, the bigger I leave it; the firmer the piece, the smaller I dice it. Photos above reflect steps 5 & 6 here.
- Add about 1/2 to 1 cup water to the bowl based on how many squash you’re cooking, cover tightly with plastic wrap or saran wrap (the water + the plastic wrap are what helps the squash steam and cook through), place the bowl in the microwave* (see next step) and cook for about 5 minutes for 1 squash, or 7-10 minutes for 2-3 squash; or until tender. All microwaves are different and so are all squash. Cook until it’s fork tender – nothing grosser than undercooked hard squash!
- *There is the option instead of microwaving it, to oven roast it on a parchment paper-lined sheet pan in a 400F oven for about 20-25 minutes. The issue I find is that the oven dries it out too much. I’ve experimented with adding a bit of water underneath the parchment to help it steam but it still dries out more than I prefer.
- Remove with a slotted spoon, store airtight in the fridge for up to 5-7 days or in the freezer for up to 3-4 months, reheat as desired.
- Enjoy as a side dish or in your favorite dishes like this stir fry, alongside perfect roast chicken, in a veggie egg scramble, in soups, etc. Make sure to season it well since on it’s own it’s fairly bland!
Asian Fusion Ground Chicken Stir Fry
Video
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 medium yellow onion, finely diced (white onion or sweet Vidalia onion may be substituted)
- 1 medium zucchini, diced small
- 8 ounces sliced baby bella mushrooms, (white mushrooms or your favorite mushrooms may be substituted; or simply omit if desired)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil, if necessary (substitute with toasted sesame oil for more Asian-inspired flavor)
- 1 pound extra lean ground chicken, (ground turkey may be substituted; I use the 93 to 95% range)
- 2 to 3 teaspoons white miso paste, or to taste
- ¼ to ⅓ cup coconut aminos, (tamari or reduced sodium soy sauce may be substituted)
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger, or to taste (1 to 2 teaspoons fresh ginger may be substituted)
- 1 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste (coconut aminos are less salty than tamari or soy sauce so you may need more salt)
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder, or to taste
- ½ teaspoon ground cardamom, optional (if you have it on hand, it’s amazing in this dish)
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes, optional and to taste (I used 1 teaspoon for more heat)
- 2 to 3 cups kabocha squash, cooked, diced into bite-sized pieces (butternut, acorn, or the squash of your choice may be substituted; or use 1 large or 2 medium cooked and diced sweet potatoes – I would keep the skin)
- ¼ to ⅓ cup fresh cilantro, finely minced; or to taste (2-3 tablespoons finely minced fresh basil may be substituted)
Instructions
- To a large nonstick skillet, add the onions, zucchini, mushrooms, and saute over medium-high heat for about 5-7 minutes or until soft; stir occasionally. If desired, add oil to the skillet to prevent sticking and/or for additional flavor.
- Add the ground chicken (or ground turkey), white miso (I just "blob on" a few dots of it and eyeball it), coconut aminos (I also just shake this out of the bottle until things look coated and a bit juicy), ground ginger, salt, garlic powder, optional cardamom, pepper, optional red pepper flakes, and saute for about 5 minutes, or until chicken is fully cooked through. Stir, flip, and mash the chicken with a soft-tipped spatula or wooden spoon to break it up and ensure even cooking.
- Add the cooked squash (or sweet potato), fresh cilantro, and stir gently to incorporate.
- If desired, because either you like things a bit more saucy and/or your mixture is looking a bit dry, add a couple tablespoons water as desired. You can also add additional coconut aminos (or tamari or soy), noting this will also add more flavor/salt along with moisture compared to just a splash of water.
- Taste, and make any flavor adjustments, as desired. If it tastes at all flat or boring, it likely needs more salt so don't be afraid to add it. This is a huge skillet of food and so I add another 1 teaspoon salt. You can also add more red pepper flakes for a bit more heat, more black pepper, ginger, etc. as desired.
- Serve as-is, over lettuce, in butter lettuce leaves lettuce wrap style, with coconut rice, with a scoop of cottage cheese alongside, or as desired.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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