This is a great Low Sodium Pepper Chicken Stir Fry that comes together very quickly for a quick evening meal. With some easy substitutions you can barely tell it is not made with a ton of high sodium soy and fish sauces. This stir fry has its own unique flavor, but still has a distinct Asian taste to it. Plus, it is so easy and quick for a weeknight meal that you don’t have to slave over.
| Typical sodium amount per serving | up to 2000 mg |
| Sodium per serving for this recipe | 187 mg |
| Calories per serving | 621 |
I have perused some recipes that have a little over 2000 mg of sodium though many are around 1400. That is obviously still way too much for a single meal. As a matter of fact, that’s easily 3 days’ worth of sodium for me. This low sodium stir fry has only 187 mg of sodium per serving with rice, well under my 250 mg per meal budget. What a difference, but still tasty too!
This meal is listed as 3 servings and those are pretty large. You could easily stretch low sodium pepper chicken stir fry to 4 servings with a bit smaller appetite. But I was starving when I first made this and got into the remainder of the leftovers.
Seriously, this is a great week night meal that you can whip out in almost no time flat when you’re behind schedule. It is also a meal that has all the elements of a meal with chicken, veggies and a starch so no additional side dish is needed. Low Sodium Pepper Chicken Stir Fry is definitely going on my regular rotation low sodium recipe list.
MY TIPS TO MAKE LOW SODIUM PEPPER CHICKEN STIR FRY
The cornstarch coating on the marinated chicken pieces helps them get a little crispy outside coating in the pan before finishing them with the rest of the stir fry ingredients.
I am a big fan of using green and red bell peppers because they add both a sharp and sweet flavor to this recipe. Plus, they just take a minute to chop up. But you can use almost any vegetable typically used in a stir fry. You could even use some thawed, store bought frozen bag type of stir fry vegetables, just be sure to check the label for added sodium. Though I do like using fresh vegetables for stir fry, they just seem more crisp when you chew them.
I think the liquid smoke is what gives the sauce the unique flavor that almost replicates the soy sauce filled taste of this Asian dish, so don’t skip it!
Use a pepper cracker mill if you have one. It is peppered chicken after all and you want larger chunks of pepper rather than a finely ground pepper that gets lost in the mix.
I have cooked this in both a flat bottom wok and a large cast iron skillet. Both came out equally well, but it is more authentically fun in the wok!
I use a Flat Bottom Wok rather than a rounded one as I have an electric stove. The heating element is in contact with more of the Wok and heats much better than a round bottom Wok, it is also more stable. Round bottom Woks work well for gas stoves.
Using molasses leaves a bit of crust on the pan. When done cooking just add some water and let it boil for a minute and it should come right off.
These two dishes are similar and great tasting too!
Try this Low Sodium Beef Stir Fry!
Save time by cutting vegetables while the chicken is marinating. You could even stir fry the vegetables first while the chicken is still marinating. Just reverse the cooking order. I just like the bits left after cooking the chicken first for the veggies to meld with. Just me though.
I use the chicken marinade as the finishing additional sauce for the dish. Since it all goes in the pan at the end, it all gets cooked. But if this bothers you using the marinade the chicken was in you could make two batches. Use one batch for the marinade and one for the sauce. But there really is no need as it all gets cooked in the end. Just be sure to marinade the chicken as that is what really develops the flavor.
A few of my other great dishes to enjoy!
As always, please let me know how you like this recipe in the comments! I get motivated when I hear from you and am interested to learn about how you liked and served your Low Sodium Pepper Chicken Stir Fry. And please leave a comment or rating and share any tips you might have.
Low Sodium Pepper Chicken Stir Fry
Ingredients
For the Marinade
- 4 Chicken Breasts cut into 1 inch pieces
- 2 Tbsp Balsamic vinegar
- 2 Tbsp Lea and Perrins low sodium Worcestershire sauce
- 1 Tbsp minced Garlic
- 1 Tbsp Toasted Sesame Oil
- 1 tsp hot chili oil
- 1 tsp liquid smoke
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 tsp ground Chinese five spice
- 1 tsp ground Black Pepper
For the Stir Fry
- 2 tablespoons Cornstarch
- 3 tablespoons Vegetable Oil
- 1 large Onion cut into 1 inch pieces
- 1 medium Green Bell Pepper cut into 1 inch pieces
- 1 medium Red Bell Pepper cut into 1 inch pieces
- 1 Tbsp pre minced Garlic
- sesame seeds to taste for garnish
For the Rice
- 1 cup white rice
- 1 3/4 cup water
Preparation
- Mix all the ingredients for the marinade then add the chicken and set aside for at least 15 minutes.
- Begin cooking white rice according to package directions a few minutes before starting to cook chicken.
- Once the chicken has marinated, remove chicken from marinade (save marinade seperately) and toss chicken with the two tablespoons cornstarch.
- Heat two tablespoons oil in a large pan and add the chicken pieces. Space out evenly so they don’t steam. Cook the chicken pieces on high heat for 5 to 6 minutes stirring and tossing a few times. Remove chicken from the pan and set aside in a bowl.
- Adding another tablespoon of oil to the pan on high heat, add the onions and bell peppers. Toss them in the pan for a minute or two until they have cooked slightly and hot. Toss in the garlic and cook for another minute.
- Reduce heat to medium low. Add the chicken pieces and the saved remaining marinade back to the pan with the vegetables. Mix everything well, and simmer for a minute or two while the marinade sauce cooks. thickens and coats the chicken and veggies well. Serve hot with your choice of rice.
Notes ______________________________________________
Utensils & special ingredients used
I use, own and recommend these products and ingredients used in this recipe and I may earn commissions from qualifying purchases.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. Please understand that not everyone’s sodium and dietary requirements are the same, therefore some recipes may be higher than you’re allowed.
https://tastyhealthyheartrecipes.com/main-dishes/entrees/low-sodium-pepper-chicken-stir-fry/© 2024 Tasty Healthy Heart Recipes
Nutrition Information – The information shown is provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be substituted for a doctor’s or nutritionist’s advice. Please understand that not everyone’s sodium requirements are the same, therefore some recipes may be higher than you’re allowed. Always consult with your doctor for your recommended daily sodium allowance.
This is an excellent recipe. I found chicken came out perfectly tender & moist, veggies crisp & flavorful. I could have used a bit more marmalade leftover, but wonder if my chicken amount impacted. I used just over 19oz chicken and breasts vary in size so you might consider a weight guide on 4 breasts. This is a bit of a bittersweet meal for me personally since it would be PERFECTION with salt. But i get the intent & I’m all about low sodium these days as well. Thanks for giving me a solid go-to in the periodic arsenal. Really, really well done Bill! Thank you.
Thanks Stuart!
I loved how quick and easy and delicious this was! I added a little brown sugar to the marinade as a suggestion I saw in a previous comment and added some roasted unsalted cashews at the end. Delish!
Thanks Brie!
We really enjoyed this recipe. Next time i will double the marinade because we like to have a little extra for the rice. It did seem to be missing something….maybe a tad bit of brown sugar. I noticed you mentioned molasses in your story but it wasn’t in the recipe. Is it supposed to be? Regardless, the flavor was great and I will be making this again.
Hi LaWanda, There should be a touch of molasses or you could use the brown sugar. I will go back and look at my notes and update soon.
Glad you enjoyed it otherwise.
Thanks!
Bill
This was excellent. Thank you. Creative solutions for low sodium is an art. You nailed it.
Thanks Chris!
What do you mean by pre minced garlic that’s listed in the stir fry?
It is a jarred pre-minced garlic that you should be able to find in the produce section of your store. I hate cutting and mincing garlic, this so much easier to use. The only time I might use and cut fresh garlic is when it is un-cooked such as in a salsa.
Bill
Thank you. I always use already minced garlic if I have it. One other question – The recipe didn’t say anything about saving the marinade to add to the dish at the end. It just says add chicken and sauce and I’m trying to find out what the sauce is. Realized it must have meant the marinade and I already threw it out. Had to remake it. Would help if recipe said save marinade for later and in place of saying add “chicken and sauce” it could say add “chicken and remaining marinade.” Just an idea.
Sorry about that I will update. Excellent catch.
Bill
Thank you for making the change. It definitely helps for people like me that just jump to the recipe without reading everything first.