Asparagus and Chicken Stir Fry Recipe with Almond Butter Sauce

This EASY asparagus and chicken stir fry takes just 25 minutes (or less!) to make, making it a great weeknight dinner option. Simply top a bed of rice with this tender chicken stir fry with asparagus and then drizzle it all with my addicting almond butter sauce – it’s SO good! You’ll find that you have most of the 10 ingredients you need to make this chicken and asparagus stir fry recipe, most of them are pantry staples!

@myeverydaytable

Dinner in 30 with Michigan Asparagus! #ad #dinnerrecipes #stirfryrecipe #homecooked #dinner

♬ BARELY BREATHING – Grant Averill

I’m thrilled to once-again partner with Michigan Asparagus to bring you this delicious recipe for chicken and asparagus stir fry that utilizes local, fresh, and seasonal asparagus, directly from Michigan that’s the best when it comes to flavor and quality. Michigan is the #1 producer of asparagus, grown by more than 100 family farmers and when it reaches your store, it’s just 1-4 days old; instead of 10-20 days for imported asparagus. (I’ve found this to be very obvious!)

Last year I shared a recipe for asparagus tartines and they are another delicious way to enjoy Michigan Asparagus while it’s in season (through the end of June!).

Estimated reading time: 8 minutes

The Asparagus Fact You May Not Know

Watch below to find out if thicker or thinner asparagus is better!

@myeverydaytable

Now you know! Go get your Michigan asparagus, in season now! #ad #asparagus #learnontiktok #vegetablesvideo #foodfact

♬ original sound – Emily (feeding kids expert)

Asparagus and Chicken Stir Fry Ingredients

Don’t be intimidated by this list, a lot of the ingredients needed to make this chicken breast and asparagus stir fry are items you probably already have.

• Michigan asparagus – The star of this easy asparagus and chicken stir fry, grab it while it’s in season!
• Garlic – I like to grate the garlic with a microplane zester for the almond butter sauce.
• Ginger – Use fresh, frozen cubes, or ginger from a tube for convenience.
• Almond butter – Can use any nut or seed butter here, depending on what you have.
• Soy sauce – Use tamari to make this a gluten-free meal
• Chili garlic sauce – Can also use sriracha. Use more or less to taste.
• Honey – Can also use maple syrup or agave.
• Rice wine vinegar – Can also use extra lime juice.
• Lime juice – Use fresh for best flavor
• Chicken breast – Can also use skinless, boneless chicken thighs.
• Sea salt

How to Make Chicken Stir Fry with Asparagus

Let’s get to the stir fry! Here’s how to make it:

• Prep ingredients. It’s especially important to prep the ingredients when you’re making stir fry because it cooks so quickly! Cook rice; grate garlic; mince ginger; cut chicken into 1 inch pieces.
• Make almond butter sauce. In a small bowl, whisk together 2 of the grated garlic cloves, ginger, almond butter, soy sauce, chili garlic sauce, honey, rice wine vinegar, and juice from 1/2 of the lime. Set aside.

• Stir fry chicken. Heat vegetable oil in a large 12″ skillet and cook chicken, seasoning with salt. Transfer to a plate and set aside.

• Stir fry asparagus. Heat remaining vegetable oil to skillet and add asparagus. Saute for a few minutes, until bright green. Add the remaining garlic to pan and cook another minute or so, until fragrant. Add chicken back to pan and toss together.

• Assemble stir fry bowls. Serve asparagus and chicken over rice and drizzle with almond butter sauce. Garnish with sesame seeds if desired.

Chicken and Asparagus Stir Fry FAQs

What can I add to stir fry for flavor?

You can definitely add flavors and create a sauce for your stir fries, like this pepper steak stir fry or orange chicken stir fry, but you can also keep the stir fry more basic and then top with a sauce like we did for this chicken and asparagus stir fry with honey and garlic.

Cook the stir fry meat and veggies with garlic, ginger, green onion, etc. to naturally give it flavor, then make sure that you’re adding a sauce.

Don’t forget to season your stir fry with some salt and pepper to taste or give it a squeeze of lime juice – these two small additions can make flavors pop.

How do you keep stir fry chicken tender?

Chicken becomes tough when it’s overcooked, which is especially easy to do with chicken breast as the lack of fat makes it less forgiving.

Use an instant read meat thermometer to check your chicken so that you don’t over-cook it.

What do you cook first in a stir fry?

It’s best to set up your stir fries so that you cook the vegetables that cook the longest first, then you add the other vegetables in according to how long it will take to cook.

Typically, the denser the vegetable, the longer it will take to cook.

How to Store Leftover Chicken with Asparagus Stir Fry

Store any leftover stir fry in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. I recommend storing rice, stir fry, and almond butter sauce in separate glass storage containers.

Reheat asparagus stir fry in the microwave or in a hot skillet until hot. Drizzle with almond butter sauce.

How to Serve Chicken Asparagus Recipe to the Whole Family

This is a great one family meal recipe to try out. I simply served the components separately on a plate and let them add sauce if desired.

My 6-year-old ended up adding sauce and mixing it together (like the adults), and my 3-year-old ate everything separately without sauce.

Chicken Stir Fry with Asparagus Nutrition + Substitutes

If you want to swap out any of the ingredients and toppings, here are a few ways you can add even more nutrition into this meal:

• Gluten-Free – Swap out the soy sauce for tamari and serve over a gluten-free grain. Easy!
• Rice – Use whatever rice or grain you prefer. You could serve this over quinoa, brown rice, cauliflower rice, etc. We often choose white rice as it’s our favorite (and that makes it the most satisfying).
• More veggies – To add some more vegetables to this meal you could serve over cauliflower rice (or a mix of cauliflower and regular rice) or add in some other vegetables to the asparagus stir fry.

More Asparagus Recipes

If you like this recipe for chicken and asparagus stir fry, you might also like some of these other easy asparagus recipes:

• Asparagus Tartine – Make this open-faced appetizer when you want to impress your guests with elevated flavors that let’s the asparagus shine.
• Broiled Asparagus – This simple dinner side can be served plain – or add some seasonings, up to you!
• Roasted Asparagus & Red Pepper Quinoa Salad – There is a lot of goodness in this salad. Roasted asparagus, roasted red peppers, quinoa, garbanzo beans, and a homemade dressing. Lunch is prepped!
• Creamy Pasta with Spring Vegetables – Primavera-inspired pasta highlights leeks, asparagus, and peas in a creamy, garlic sauce.
• 17 More Asparagus Recipes – And if you need more…this big list features everything from appetizers, mains, and sides.

Helpful Tools to Make Asparagus Stir Fry

• 12″ Skillet – This skillet has deep sides and it’s great for stir fries.
• Instant Read Meat Thermometer – Questioning whether your meat is cooked through? Check instantly with this tool.
• Citrus Juicer – The best way to get all of the citrus juice out of your lemons and limes.

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