Mediterranean Stir Fry

Soft, crunchy veggies and juicy, garlicky and smoky chicken morsels make this Mediterranean stir fry your new go-to dinner under 30 minutes. I love me a stir fry, but a stir fry packed with all my favorite Mediterranean flavors and that doesn’t require a wok? Yes please! 😋

What you’ll love about this recipe

1. Quick and easy: This is cooked in one-pan in under 30 minutes.
2. Healthy: You can bet, in true flexitarian style, is packed with vegetables, lean protein, and healthy fats.
3. Flavorful and Texture: If you love Mediterranean flavors, you are in for a treat: garlicky, smoky, but fresh and clean veggie crunch and the bursting blistered cherry tomatoes.
4. Versatile: Serve it over rice, quinoa, or pasta for a substantial meal.
5. Gluten-free: Perfect if you are looking for gluten-free, just watch the seasoning labels, sometimes they might have ingredients derived from cereals containing gluten.

Ingredients you’ll need

• Chicken breast (mini fillets or thin strips) – they marinate and cook really quick, but skinless thighs also work, just make sure you slice them
• Olive oil – you may want to be liberal with it, after all it is a Mediterranean dish 😉! And always extra virgin!
• Garlic (grated or minced)
• Peri-peri seasoning – or any Mediterranean inspired, think Italian, French, even Greek!
• Salt
• Eggplant or aubergine (thinly sliced)
• Zucchini or courgette (thinly sliced) – I used yellow Zephyr courgettes and the green ones.
• Sweet pepper (thinly sliced) – its thinner walls means it cooks quicker, but bell pepper works just fine.
• Red onion – thinly sliced
• Cherry tomatoes – leave them whole.
• Spinach – fresh spinach works best, the frozen spinach adds too much moisture, it won’t ruin your meal, but it may be too watery.

How to make mediterranean stir-fry (step-by-step)

Pro Tips

• The secret is to keep some of the crunch from the vegetables, but make sure that everything is cooked through. Set the vegetables aside in separate prepared bowls, so that is easy to grab them when you are ready.
• Eggplant (or aubergine) must cook through properly, so you may want to make sure that is sliced thinly and you get good contact with the bottom of the pan.
• Drizzle more olive oil on the veggies as you are starting to turn them, that will keep them from burning. If you fear they are browning too fast, turn the heat down or move them quickly in the pan with a wooden spoon.
• Season the veggies as you go and taste, just make sure to hold the seasoning back until you turn them in the pan, so you can avoid the seasonings burning.
• Spinach cooks down fast, so just move it through the pan until is fully wilted, but no longer so t keeps that beautiful dark green color.
• Meal Prep: I have two suggestions here, One is to double the recipe and store leftovers in the fridge so you can have a quick and easy meal when you don’t feel like cooking, Or just cook extra chicken to add to another meal later in the week.
• Leftovers: Reheat leftovers in a pan or microwave. May I suggest they make the best breakfast omelette or taco filler too 😜!

What to serve with Mediterranean stir fry

• We eat this with wholegrain and wild rice, but you can have it with quinoa, cooked grains, a salad with croutons (if you have any stale bread after you bake my same day sourdough bread), flatbread or fill pita bread, pasta like fussily, penne or orzo, or even top a risotto with it.
• This dish has no separate sauce. Having said that, you do get a nice amount of sauce as the tomatoes release their juices. You can always add a sauce, I am obsessed with this garlicky yogurt tahini sauce from my chickpea and halloumi salad recipe, it is so versatile!
• You can also make a simple aioli, our daughter Iggy made this amazing peri-peri aioli just using the same seasonings. Let me know if you fancy a separate recipe on this 😜.
• If you want to increase the nutrition, feel free to add a heap of freshly chopped parsley.

variations and substitutions

• VEGETARIAN or VEGAN: Skip the chicken or replace it with mushrooms or tofu.
• Protein: Use chicken thighs, shrimp, or tofu instead of chicken breast. Just be mindful that the thighs take longer to cook than the breast strips.
• Vegetables: Add or substitute other vegetables like broccoli, mushrooms, or green beans.
• Flavor: Experiment with different seasonings like Italian seasoning or even herbs de Provence or a flury of Parmesan or crumble feta or goats cheese. I used store bought ready mixed peri-peri seasoning, but if you prefer making your own spice mix you cannot go wrong with a blend of chili flakes, paprika, oregano, onion and garlic granules, your favorite dried herbs and a tinsy bit of sugar and salt. This homemade peri-peri spice mix is my favorite.

This Mediterranean stir fry is packed with vibrant vegetables, lean protein, and Mediterranean flavors. It’s gluten-free, can be made in one pan, and is perfect for meal prep!

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recipe FAQ

Mediterranean stir fry

Flossie

There's no soy sauce in this stir fry, but plenty of garlic and chili and gorgeously soft and crunchy Mediterranean veggies.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

marinading time (optional) 30 minutes mins

Total Time 30 minutes mins

Course dinner, Main Course, main meal

Cuisine Mediterranean

Servings 4

Equipment

• 1 medium frying pan
• 1 large glass dish to set aside the chicken and vegetables
• 4 bowls or plates for vegetables prep
• 1 wooden spoon, tongs or spatula for stir frying
• 1 knife
• 1 Chopping board

Ingredients

  

• 500 g chicken breast mini fillets or breast sliced into thin strips
• 4 tbsp olive oil
• 2 cloves of garlic grated or minced
• 2 tsp peri- peri seasoning
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 eggplant sliced thinly
• 2 medium zucchinis sliced thinly
• 1 sweet pepper or bell pepper sliced thinly
• 1 red onion
• 150 g cherry tomatoes
• 200 g spinach

Instructions

 

Marinade the chicken

• In a medium bowl, add 1 tbsp of olive oil, garlic, 1 tsp of seasoning and the salt and add the chicken strips. Leave to marinade for 30 minutes or even overnight if you make ahead, or at least until you have finished preparing the vegetables.

Prepare the vegetables

• Wash, peel, core, top and tail all of the vegetables accordingly.
• Slice them thinly and then cut them in thin short strips, so that they cook evenly and fast.
• The secret is to keep some of the crunch, but make sure that everything is cooked through. Set the vegetables aside in separate prepared bowls, so that is easy to grab them when you are ready.

Saute and brown the chicken

• In a frying pan, add 1 tbsp of olive oil and add the marinated chicken strips. Turn the chicken on the other side after 2.5-3 minutes. Saute until golden brown and cooked through. This should take 5-6 minutes. Remove the chicken strips from the pan and set aside.

Stir fry

• In the same pan, add another tablespoon of olive oil and add a handful of each of the sliced vegetables. Allow the heat to create a little caramelisation for a minute or two before you start to stir fry the vegetables. Stir fry in 2 batches, making sure the pan is not overcrowded. Add a pinch of salt and a pinch of seasoning, making sure not to oversalt. Taste as you go, then set them aside next to the chicken.
• Add the last of the olive oil and toss the cherry tomatoes until they blister and sizzle a little. Add the spinach and mix gently until wilted.
• Add the stir fried vegetables and chicken back to the pan mixing gently for a few moments to combine all the flavors.

Serve

• Serve immediately on its own or over rice or cooked grains.

Notes

• The secret is to keep some of the crunch from the vegetables, but make sure that everything is cooked through. Set the vegetables aside in separate prepared bowls, so that is easy to grab them when you are ready.
• Eggplant (or aubergine) must cook through properly, so you may want to make sure that is sliced thinly and you get good contact with the bottom of the pan.
• Drizzle more olive oil on the veggies as you are starting to turn them, that will keep them from burning. If you fear they are browning too fast, turn the heat down or move them quickly in the pan with a wooden spoon.
• Season the veggies as you go and taste, just make sure to hold the seasoning back until you turn them in the pan, so you can avoid the seasonings burning.
• Spinach cooks down fast, so just move it through the pan until is fully wilted, but no longer so t keeps that beautiful dark green color.

Keyword mediterranean chicken stir fry, mediterranean stir fry chicken, mediterranean stir fry recipe

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