Chicken and Pepper Stir Fry

The deep middle of summer. The part where the days blur together and the heat is a constant companion and the kids have exhausted every board game, library book, and screen in the house. Marcus is reading a psychology book that he found at a used bookstore — "Man's Search for Meaning" by Viktor Frankl — and he is twelve years old and reading about existential suffering and I want to take the book away and also I want to let him find what he's looking for, so I let him read and I watch and I wait.

Set the Table is on summer schedule — every other Saturday instead of weekly. The girls are growing. Not just in skill — in confidence, in presence, in the way they walk into the church kitchen now like it belongs to them. Because it does. Monique brought a friend this week — a girl named Tasha, fourteen, who lives in the same apartment complex and who, Monique told me privately, "doesn't eat much at home." I added Tasha to the group without questions. Eight girls now. The table gets wider.

Tasha was quiet, the way Diamond was quiet at first — not shy but watchful, assessing the room for threats before allowing it to be safe. She stood at the counter and watched the other girls cook (we made chicken stir-fry) and didn't participate until Destiny handed her a spatula and said, "You're up." Destiny has become my unofficial assistant, my fifteen-year-old right hand, the girl who sees what needs to be done and does it before I ask. Tasha took the spatula. She stirred the chicken. She didn't say anything. But she stirred, and she stayed, and she ate two plates, and when she left she said, "Same time next time?" I said, "Same time." She nodded. That nod was Curtis's nod. The nod that holds everything.

Made a summer salad this week that Mama would have side-eyed into next week: mixed greens, grilled chicken, strawberries, pecans, goat cheese, balsamic vinaigrette. Southern-adjacent but decidedly modern. Marcus ate it with minimal complaint. Jasmine ate the strawberries and left the greens, which is nine-year-old salad logic and I accept it. Curtis, when I brought him a container on Saturday, looked at it like I'd handed him a riddle. He ate the chicken. He ate the pecans. The greens remained untouched. Baby steps. Not every evolution happens at the table. Some happen in the leftovers.

This is the stir fry we made the day Tasha picked up that spatula. I’ve made dozens of versions over the years, but this chicken and pepper stir fry is the one I keep coming back to for Set the Table—it’s fast, it’s forgiving, and there’s always enough for seconds. When you’re cooking with eight girls in a church kitchen and one of them is deciding whether she belongs, you need a recipe that lets everyone have a job and doesn’t punish you for looking away from the pan. This one does exactly that.

Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cook Time: 15 minutes | Total Time: 30 minutes | Servings: 6

Ingredients

2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into thin strips
1 red bell pepper, sliced into strips
1 green bell pepper, sliced into strips
1 orange or yellow bell pepper, sliced into strips
1 medium yellow onion, sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced
3 tablespoons soy sauce (low sodium)
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon cornstarch mixed with 2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
Salt and black pepper to taste
Cooked white or brown rice, for serving
Sesame seeds and sliced green onions, for garnish

Instructions

Season the chicken. Pat chicken strips dry and season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
Make the sauce. In a small bowl, whisk together soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, honey, and red pepper flakes if using. Set aside.
Cook the chicken. Heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Add chicken strips in a single layer and cook 3–4 minutes per side until golden and cooked through. Remove to a plate.
Cook the vegetables. Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil to the same skillet. Add onion and cook 2 minutes until softening. Add bell peppers, garlic, and ginger. Stir fry 3–4 minutes until peppers are crisp-tender and edges are lightly charred.
Combine everything. Return chicken to the skillet. Pour sauce over the top and toss to coat. Add the cornstarch slurry and stir until sauce thickens, about 1 minute.
Serve. Spoon stir fry over cooked rice. Garnish with sesame seeds and sliced green onions.

Nutrition (per serving)

Chicken and Pepper Stir Fry — The Dish That Made Her Stay