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This tasty lemongrass chicken stir fry is strong on flavour and ideal for peanut lovers too. It's very quick to make so it's perfect as an easy midweek meal.

I fancied lemongrass and I had some chicken in the fridge. And that's how I came to develop this recipe for chicken and lemongrass stir fry. It wasn't planned in advance but it was so good I decided it had to be recorded and since then I've made it numerous times.

Lemongrass is a typical East Asian ingredient with a beautiful aromatic oriental flavour. I love the freshness of it and the zing it gives to a dish, even when using lemongrass paste which is what I used in this recipe. It's definitely worth buying some minced lemongrass as it can really elevate a simple a stir fry recipe like this.

The rest of the ingredients are typical East Asian too. Chilli, ginger and garlic. If you've got a cold, this recipe will do its best to chase it away!

The other ingredient which I really love in this dish is the dry roasted peanuts. They add such a lot of flavour and really are moreish. If you give me a packet of dry roasted peanuts I will find it hard to stop eating them before it's empty!

Ingredients for this lemongrass chicken stir fry

To make this simple stir fry you'll need:

Chicken - I use chicken breast sliced into strips but you could use boneless thighs instead.
Lemongrass - I have used a paste for this recipe as lemongrass is not always easy to get hold of. However, if you are able to get your hands on some fresh lemongrass then do use it!
Cooking oil - I use a light flavourless oil for this. You can use light olive oil, sunflower oil, groundnut oil or vegetable oil.
Aromatics - I use spring onions, garlic, ginger and chilli peppers as well as the lemongrass I've already mentioned. I prefer to use raw ingredients rather than pastes for the ginger and garlic as the flavour is stronger.
Vegetables - I've used yellow pepper, green beans and onion. You could vary the vegetables depending on what you have to hand.
Fish sauce - This adds extra depth of flavour to the stir fry. If you don't have it you could use soy sauce instead although it would taste a little different.
Dry roasted peanuts - I love the flavour and the spices on dry roasted peanuts. If you don't have them you could use raw peanuts and toast them in a dry frying pan before adding them. Alternataively you could bake them in the oven to crisp them up.
Noodles - This dish works with either egg noodles or rice noodles.

Ingredients for lemongrass chicken stir fry

How to make this lemongrass chicken stir fry

This stir fry is really simple to make and there is a full recipe card further down the page. But basically:

If you have time, marinate the chicken with the sliced spring onions and lemongrass paste for an hour before beginning the stir fry.
When ready to cook, heat a little oil in a wok or large frying pan. When hot, add the chicken and cook quickly for a few minutes.
Then add all the vegetables and aromatics. Continue to stir fry.
Add the fish sauce and a little water near the end and stir fry for another minute or two.
Serve with noodles or with rice if you prefer. Top with the dry roasted peanuts.

Can you adapt this lemongrass chicken stir fry?

Feel free to adapt this recipe to suit your tastes. If you're not such a garlic or ginger lover then miss it out! Change the colour of the peppers, use mangetout or sugar snap peas instead of green beans.

If you don't have dry roasted peanuts then use plain peanuts and toast them a little in a dry frying pan to give them a little extra flavour. If you don't eat nuts then miss them out. I love the dry roasted peanuts in this stir fry but I would also happily eat it without nuts.

You can use any type of noodles you like for this recipe or even rice.

Can you make it vegan?

Yes, if you don't want to use chicken then just miss it out. There'll still be some protein from the peanuts. Alternatively you could swap the chicken for firm or super firm tofu. Press it first to remove the excess liquid and fry until crispy.

Can you make it gluten free?

Yes! To make it gluten-free serve it with rice or rice noodles instead of egg noodles. Dry roasted peanuts are not always gluten free either so replace them with raw roasted peanuts.

What can you do with the leftovers?

I think this stir fry is best to eat when freshly made. However, any leftovers can be stored in the fridge for up to three days. Reheat in a pan with a splash of water or in the microwave.

More stir fry recipes

If you like this stir fry then do check out my other stir fry recipes:

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