This spicy Okra Stir-Fry with Chicken is a healthy and delicious all-in-one meal, with okra, peppers, and silky velveted chicken. All you need is a bowl of your favorite rice, grains, or congee for a healthy and delicious lunch or dinner.
While you may think you dislike okra because of its unique (and honestly…slightly slimy) texture, the strong flavors and cooking technique in this dish may make you into an okra lover.
An Easy Okra Stir-fry
Every year, we love growing okra in the garden. It has become one of my favorite vegetables in recent years. I actually love the texture and sweet grassy taste, and it’s a substantial vegetable that goes well with strong flavors!
Often, you will find okra sliced into rounds (this is how it comes frozen at the grocery store), but I like cutting it on an angle into longer pieces that can be easily stir-fried and picked up with chopsticks. Our goal isn’t to cook the okra down into the dish, but for it to still have some bite to it.
I love adding okra to mixed vegetable stir-fries with some garlic and soy sauce. It’s a great way to get more veggies in, and it’s more substantial and filling than your standard leafy greens. It tastes great with my 30-minute multigrain congee!
This is my first more adventurous okra recipe, adding some spice and the addition of chicken to make it a complete meal.
How to Cook Okra with Less Slime
Of course, the gorilla in the room is that many find okra to be slimy. When you cut it open, it has a naturally gooey texture. Some love it, and it’s a great natural thickener in Kaitlin’s gumbo recipe.
That said, you can limit that sliminess in several ways, all of which we use in this recipe:
- Cutting okra into larger pieces. Slicing them small into rounds releases more of that slime. Cutting them into larger pieces (similar to the size of the chicken pieces) is not only more visually appealing and practical for stir-frying, it reduces the sliminess.
- Cooking okra quickly over a high heat. Stir-frying is the perfect technique for this! Be careful not to overcook it. I find that the longer you cook it, the slimier it gets.
- Dry them thoroughly after washing and before slicing. You want to reduce moisture in the wok. Moisture will create steam and increase sliminess. This is key to getting a bit of that smoky wok hei flavor in a stir-fry as well.
- It’s also best to choose smaller okra (ours are definitely on the larger side).
At the end of the day, okra is still okra, and you can’t completely change its texture, but you may find that you love it stir-fried!
Okra is a Healthy Powerhouse!
I’m always on the lookout for new vegetables. My goal is to get as much variety of fruits and vegetables into my diet each day. We’ve been growing many of those vegetables in the garden, including okra!
Okra is a great source of antioxidants, which can help reduce your risk of cancer and promote brain health. It also contains vitamins A and C and magnesium. That slimy texture
It’s high in fiber which can also help lower your blood sugar levels. Some of you have been reaching out for diabetes-friendly recipes, and while we’re not licensed nutritionists, you can’t go wrong reaching for more vegetables and fiber!
Not to mention, the flowers look very pretty in the garden, and there aren’t too many bugs that like to eat the leaves. It’s been a great addition to our vegetable patch, and we been enjoying coming up with new ideas for it.
Another okra recipe!
If you love okra, I think you will also love my Spicy Sichuan Okra Salad. I promise you’ll be left wanting more and wishing that you had discovered sooner how delicious okra can be!
Tips for success:
- As always, it’s important to preheat your wok until it’s lightly smoking before adding oil to avoid sticking. While the okra won’t stick to the wok, the chicken will if you don’t preheat it properly.
- Feel free to substitute boneless skinless chicken breast. If you do so, slice the pieces ¼-inch (0.6cm) thicker to prevent the meat from drying out. If you don’t have chicken, pork (pork butt, shoulder, loin, tenderloin, or boneless country ribs) or flank steak are good alternatives.
- The chicken marinating process (also called velveting) may seem fussy, but it leads to restaurant-quality results. Read more about why we always velvet our chicken.
- If you’re wondering what we mean by “long hot peppers” we mean a type of long, green or red pepper that you can find in Chinese grocery stores and some supermarkets. Around here, in the regular grocery store, they are often labeled “long hot Italian peppers” or “Italian sweet chili peppers.” They have a medium heat level, thin skin, and crunchy texture that’s perfect for stir-frying. We’ve found that these peppers can vary pretty widely in terms of heat level, ranging from mild to pretty spicy!
Note:
If you’d like your dish less spicy, you can replace the spicy bean sauce with regular sweet bean paste. Read more about these ingredients at the links below:
Recipe Instructions
In a medium bowl, add the sliced chicken thighs, water, light soy sauce, cornstarch, Shaoxing wine, sesame oil, and white pepper. Mix until the chicken is evenly coated and absorbs all the liquid. Set aside to marinate for 15-20 minutes while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.
When you’re ready to cook, heat your wok over high heat until it just starts to smoke. Add 2 tablespoons of neutral oil to coat the wok. Spread the chicken in a single layer. Allow it to sear undisturbed for 30 seconds. Stir-fry for another minute. Turn off the heat, transfer the chicken to a bowl, and set aside.
Over medium heat, add the remaining tablespoon of oil to the wok along with the spicy bean sauce. Fry the spicy bean sauce for 1 minute, or until the oil turns red.
Adjust the heat as needed to prevent burning (every range + wok combination is different). Add the garlic and peppers, and cook for 1 minute.
Add the okra and cook for another minute over high heat.
Pour the Shaoxing wine around the perimeter of the wok. Add the sesame oil, along with the chicken.
Stir fry for another 2-3 minutes over high heat. Taste, and add salt if needed (you may not need any, as some spicy bean paste brands are very salty).
Dish it up, and serve with steamed rice or congee!
Enjoy!
Looking for more authentic recipes? Subscribe to our email list and be sure to follow us on Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram, and Youtube!
Recipe
Okra Stir-fry with Chicken
Ingredients
For the chicken:
- 12 ounces boneless skinless chicken thighs (sliced into thin strips)
- 1 tablespoon water
- 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 2 teaspoons Shaoxing wine
- ½ teaspoon sesame oil
- ⅛ teaspoon white pepper
For the rest of the dish:
- 3 tablespoons neutral oil (divided)
- 1 tablespoon spicy bean sauce (or sweet bean paste for a less spicy dish)
- 4 cloves garlic (chopped)
- 3 long hot red/green peppers (de-seeded and thinly sliced)
- 12 ounces okra (cut on a sharp angle into bite-size pieces)
- 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- salt (optional, to taste)
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, add the sliced chicken thighs, water, light soy sauce, cornstarch, Shaoxing wine, sesame oil, and white pepper. Mix until the chicken is evenly coated and absorbs all the liquid. Set aside to marinate for 15-20 minutes while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.
- When you’re ready to cook, heat your wok over high heat until it just starts to smoke. Add 2 tablespoons of neutral oil to coat the wok. Spread the chicken in a single layer. Allow it to sear undisturbed for 30 seconds. Stir-fry for another minute. Turn off the heat, transfer the chicken to a bowl, and set aside.
- Over medium heat, add the remaining tablespoon of oil to the wok along with the spicy bean sauce. Fry the spicy bean sauce for 1 minute, or until the oil turns red. Adjust the heat as needed to prevent burning.
- Add the garlic and peppers, and cook for 1 minute. Then add the okra and cook for another minute over high heat.
- Pour the Shaoxing wine around the perimeter of the wok. Add the sesame oil, and the chicken back to the wok. Stir fry for another 2-3 minutes over high heat. Taste, and add salt (only if needed). Serve!
