Amazing Chicken Snap Pea Brown Rice Stir Fry 4 Servings

Name: Amazing Chicken Snap Pea Brown Rice Stir Fry 4 Servings
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 1 h
Cuisine: Asian
Ingredients: 1 cup uncooked brown rice; 2 cups water; 1/4 teaspoon salt (for rice); 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 3/4-inch cubes; 1/4 teaspoon salt (for chicken); 1/4 teaspoon black pepper; 2 tablespoons cornstarch, divided; 3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce; 1/3 cup chicken broth; 1 tablespoon rice vinegar; 1 teaspoon brown sugar; 3 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided; 2 teaspoons fresh ginger, minced; 2 cloves garlic, minced; 8 ounces sugar snap peas, strings removed; 1 medium red bell pepper, cut into thin strips; 3 green onions, sliced; 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil

By anna Boncoeur On October 28, 2025

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If you’re tired of the same boring dinner routine by Wednesday, listen up! My absolute favorite thing to share is how to conquer the weeknight hustle with huge flavor, and that’s exactly what we’re doing today with this Chicken Snap Pea Brown Rice Stir Fry. Seriously, this comes together so fast, you’ll wonder why you haven’t been making it every week. It’s savory, it’s packed with crunch, and that soy-ginger sauce is just incredible. I’m Anna, and I’m a passionate food lover who believes that everyday cooking should be joyful, not a chore. I focus on simple, flavorful chicken recipes like this one to make your life easier!

Table Of content

Gathering What You Need for Chicken Snap Pea Brown Rice Stir Fry

Getting ready for a fantastic Chicken Snap Pea Brown Rice Stir Fry is half the battle won! Because we’re working fast once we start cooking, make sure everything is chopped, measured, and prepped before you even turn on the heat. Good prep equals stress-free cooking, trust me on this!

Essential Ingredients List

Clarity here makes all the difference. I need you to pay close attention to how things are cut so your cooking times stay consistent:

One cup of brown rice, ready to be cooked (that’s about 1 cup dry).
One pound of boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into nice little 3/4-inch cubes.
Seasonings: Salt and pepper for the chicken.
We need two tablespoons of cornstarch in total—one for the chicken and one for the sauce, so measure them out separately!
For the sauce: low-sodium soy sauce, chicken broth, rice vinegar, and brown sugar.
The aromatics: two teaspoons of fresh ginger, minced finely, and two cloves of garlic, minced too.
Vegetables: Eight ounces of sugar snap peas, and make sure you’ve snapped off those tough strings! One medium red bell pepper cut into thin strips.
Finishers: Sliced green onions and one teaspoon of toasted sesame oil.

Equipment for Perfect Chicken Snap Pea Brown Rice Stir Fry

You don’t need a fancy setup for this, but the right tools help everything move smoothly for your Chicken Snap Pea Brown Rice Stir Fry.

First, grab a saucepan with a tight-fitting lid for cooking that brown rice. For the main event, you absolutely need a large, heavy skillet or, even better, a wok. High heat is our friend here, and these tools hold that heat well!

Also, make sure you have a small bowl ready for whisking that sauce together, and of course, your measuring cups and spoons are necessary for getting that sauce just right.

Step-by-Step Guide to Making Chicken Snap Pea Brown Rice Stir Fry

Alright, now that everything is prepped, the actual cooking for this Chicken Snap Pea Brown Rice Stir Fry is going to fly by! Keep your heat high, your movements quick, and have that plate ready for the chicken. We’re aiming for maximum flavor in minimum time here.

Cooking the Brown Rice Base

We have to get the rice going first because it takes the longest. Pour one cup of brown rice, two cups of water, and just a tiny pinch of salt—about 1/4 teaspoon—into your saucepan. Get that mixture boiling hard over high heat. Once it hits that rolling boil, immediately turn the heat down as low as it goes, slap that lid on nice and tight, and let it simmer away for 40 minutes. Don’t peek! When the time is up, all that water should be gone and the rice should be nice and tender. Turn the heat off and just let it sit covered while you finish the stir-fry.

Preparing and Searing the Chicken

While the rice is cooking, let’s handle the star protein. Take those chicken cubes and toss them in a bowl with the salt, pepper, and one tablespoon of cornstarch. Make sure every piece gets a light dusting; that cornstarch is what gives us that lovely, slightly crisp exterior when we sear it. Now, heat up two tablespoons of your vegetable oil in that wok or large skillet over high heat until it’s shimmering—it needs to be hot! Add the chicken in a single layer. This is the most important part: let it sit there, undisturbed, for a full two minutes so it gets a nice golden crust on the bottom. Then, stir it and cook for another three or four minutes until it’s cooked all the way through. You must check that internal temperature, folks; it needs to hit 165°F (74°C) before you pull it out onto a clean plate.

Crafting the Savory Sauce Mixture

This sauce is what brings the whole Chicken Snap Pea Brown Rice Stir Fry together. In a small bowl, whisk your low-sodium soy sauce, chicken broth, rice vinegar, and brown sugar until the sugar starts to dissolve. Now, take that remaining tablespoon of cornstarch and whisk it into the liquid mixture until it’s completely smooth. You should see no lumps at all! This is your thickening agent, so make sure it’s well combined before you set it aside.

Stir-Frying Aromatics and Vegetables

Wipe out your wok quickly if there are any burnt bits, then add the last tablespoon of vegetable oil and crank the heat back up high. We want it hot! Toss in your minced fresh ginger and garlic. Stir them constantly for just 30 seconds—careful, they burn fast! When you can really smell that amazing aroma, toss in the snap peas and the red bell pepper strips. Stir-fry these hard for about three minutes. You want them bright in color and still having a good, satisfying crunch—that’s crisp-tender!

Combining and Thickening the Chicken Snap Pea Brown Rice Stir Fry

Time to bring it home! Put the seared chicken right back into the skillet with those veggies. Now, quickly pour that sauce mixture over everything. Keep tossing and stirring continuously for one to two minutes. You’ll watch the sauce bubble up and magically thicken, coating every piece of chicken and every vegetable beautifully. When it’s glossy and sticking nicely, pull the whole thing off the heat immediately so it doesn’t overcook. Stir in your sliced green onions and that teaspoon of toasty sesame oil right at the end for that final punch of flavor. Serve spoonfuls of this amazing Chicken Snap Pea Brown Rice Stir Fry right over your fluffy brown rice!

Tips for a Successful Chicken Snap Pea Brown Rice Stir Fry

Making a great stir-fry is all about speed and heat, especially when you’re dealing with something as quick as this Chicken Snap Pea Brown Rice Stir Fry. If you follow these little tricks, you’ll get restaurant quality results right in your own kitchen.

First, I cannot stress this enough: high heat! Your wok or skillet needs to be screaming hot before you add the oil, and the oil needs to be shimmering before the chicken goes in. If the pan isn’t hot enough, the chicken will steam instead of sear, and you lose all that lovely golden crust we worked so hard to create.

When you’re searing the chicken, resist the urge to stir it around constantly. Let that first batch sit for those full two minutes. Overcrowding the pan is the enemy of a good sear. If you pile too much chicken in at once, the temperature drops instantly, and you end up with gray, boiled chicken pieces. If you’re doubling this recipe, cook the chicken in two separate batches!

And lastly, please, please use that meat thermometer for the chicken. Chicken breast is lean, and it dries out fast if you overcook it by even a minute. We are aiming for a safe 165°F internal temperature. Once it hits that mark, pull it out right away, even if the veggies aren’t done yet. It will finish cooking slightly while you finish the rest of the steps.

Ingredient Notes and Simple Substitutions

I always like to give you options because sometimes the pantry is just not cooperating! While this recipe shines with fresh ingredients, nearly every part of this chicken snap pea brown rice stir fry can be swapped out based on what you have on hand. If you are looking for more chicken dinner ideas, check out my collection of chicken recipes.

If you don’t have fresh ginger, don’t panic. You can use dried ground ginger instead, but you need far less—start with about half a teaspoon. Remember, dried spices are much more potent than fresh ones! For the garlic, if you’re really in a rush, a pinch of garlic powder works, but you lose some of that bright flavor pop.

For the vegetables, snap peas are fantastic because they stay so crisp, but if they aren’t in season, broccoli florets or thinly sliced carrots are great stand-ins. Just make sure to chop them to a similar size so they cook evenly. If you use broccoli, you might need to throw them in a minute earlier than the snap peas.

When it comes to the rice, if you’re craving speed, you can definitely substitute the 40-minute brown rice with two cups of pre-cooked brown rice or even quick-cooking white rice. Just skip Step 1 entirely and add your pre-cooked rice in with the chicken near the end to heat it through.

Finally, if you need to cut back on sodium, use regular soy sauce and just add less salt when seasoning the chicken initially. You can always add more salt at the end, but you can’t take it out once it’s in there!

Serving Suggestions for Your Dish

This chicken snap pea brown rice stir fry is a complete meal on its own, thanks to the protein and the whole grain rice, but sometimes you just want a little something extra on the side!

If you want to add more green goodness, a quick side of lightly steamed broccoli tossed with just a drizzle of sesame oil is perfect. It balances the savory sauce beautifully. You can also quickly blanch some bok choy if you have it on hand! For more ideas on quick sides, see my one-pan dinner ideas.

For a little brightness that cuts through the richness of the soy sauce, serve each bowl with a fresh wedge of lime. A little squeeze right before eating wakes up all those ginger and garlic flavors. It’s amazing how much difference a tiny bit of acid makes!

If you’re feeling extra hungry, you can always serve this over cauliflower rice instead of brown rice for a lighter option, or even serve the stir-fry mixture over egg noodles if you’re craving something richer.

Storing and Reheating Leftover Chicken Snap Pea Brown Rice Stir Fry

One of the best parts about making a big batch of this Chicken Snap Pea Brown Rice Stir Fry is having leftovers for lunch the next day! It holds up really well, but you need to treat it right so the rice doesn’t get hard and the veggies don’t get mushy.

Storage and Refrigeration Guidelines

When you’re done eating, the key is getting whatever is left into the fridge fast. Don’t let it sit out too long, especially since it has chicken in it. You need airtight containers for this storage step. I usually use glass containers because they reheat evenly, but any good container that seals tightly will work.

When packing it up, try to pack the stir-fry mixture and the brown rice separately if you can, though mixing them is fine too. As long as it’s sealed up tight, your leftovers should stay fresh and safe in the refrigerator for about three to four days. If you’re planning to keep it longer than that, you should freeze it instead!

Reheating for Best Texture

Reheating stir-fry can sometimes turn things rubbery, but we can avoid that! If you’re using the microwave, which is fast, remember that the brown rice sucks up all the moisture first. You absolutely must add a tiny splash of liquid—maybe a teaspoon of water or chicken broth—to the container before you cover it loosely with a paper towel or lid.

Heat it in short bursts, maybe 60 to 90 seconds, checking in between until it’s steaming hot all the way through. If you have a little more time, reheating this Chicken Snap Pea Brown Rice Stir Fry in a skillet over medium heat is the absolute best way to bring back that fresh-from-the-wok texture. Just add a tiny bit of oil or broth, stir gently until warmed, and those snap peas will perk right up!

Estimated Nutritional Breakdown

I always like to give you a general idea of what you’re eating, but remember, these numbers are just estimates! They depend on the exact brands of soy sauce and oil you use. This breakdown is calculated based on the recipe yielding four equal servings.

Here’s a quick look at what you’re getting in each serving of this flavorful chicken snap pea brown rice stir fry:

Nutrient	Approximate Amount
Calories	420
Protein	32g
Total Fat	12g
Carbohydrates	48g

It’s a wonderfully balanced meal, hitting that sweet spot of protein, whole grains, and veggies. Enjoy knowing you’re eating something delicious and wholesome!

Share Your Thoughts on This Recipe

I am just so excited for you to try this recipe! Seriously, making this Chicken Snap Pea Brown Rice Stir Fry has changed my weeknights, and I hope it does the same for yours. I put so much care into making sure these steps are clear and easy to follow for busy cooks like us. If you want to see more of my favorite recipes, follow along on Pinterest!

Once you’ve made it—and I know you will—I’d love to hear all about it! Did the snap peas stay perfectly crisp? Was the ginger flavor strong enough for your liking? Drop a comment below and let me know how it went. Seriously, your feedback helps me know what to share next!

If you loved this and want to see more quick, flavorful chicken dinners, please give this recipe a rating! Every star helps other busy folks find their new favorite meal. Happy cooking, and I can’t wait to read what you think!