Simply seasonal chicken stir fry with butternut squash, ginger, broccoli, carrots, and more! This easy meal comes together in less than an hour and is perfect for busy weeknights.
Life lately is all about stews made in the Instant Pot or stir fry. There’s just something undeniably gratifying about tossing some veggies and meat in a skillet, stirring it around, and calling it dinner.
I’ve posted many-a-stir-fry recipe over the years. I tend to hesitate when posting them because they’re so stinking easy, but I’m finding more and more easy goes a long easy goes a long way in everyone’s life.
We’ll save complicated for things that really count…like jean shopping…kidding…kinda.
This rendition of chicken stir fry is all about the butternut squash. We’re doing the usual suspects like chicken, carrots, bell peppers, mushrooms, and broccoli, for sure. But we’re adding butternut squash to give it that seasonal feel, and, well…carbs.
I go super simple when it comes to flavoring my stir fry. I stick with ginger, coconut aminos (or liquid aminos), fish sauce, and maybe a dried spice/herb or two. I added ground cinnamon (YAS!) and dried basil (hard duh, the sequel) for this go ‘round.
Recipe Adaptations:
- If you don’t follow a low-FODMAP diet, add 1/2 a yellow onion and 4 cloves of garlic.
- Swap out any of the veggies for other veggies. Consider cauliflower, bok choy, cherry tomatoes, parsnips, turnips, kale, etc.
- Use pork or steak instead of chicken.
- For a sweeter stir fry, add 2 teaspoons of pure maple syrup at the same time you add the coconut aminos and fish sauce.
- Use any of your favorite winter squash (acorn, kabocha, pumpkin) in place of butternut squash.
Serve it up as is (that’s how I eat it), with rice, zucchini noodles, cauliflower rice…whatever you like with your stir fry!

Butternut Squash Ginger Chicken Stir Fry
Easy chicken stir fry with butternut squash, ginger, broccoli, carrots and more! A healthy dinner recipe to put on repeat!
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp avocado oil, or algae oil
- 2 cups butternut squash, peeled and chopped
- 2 large carrots, peeled and chopped
- 1/2 red bell pepper
- 2 cups mushrooms, quartered
- 1 large crown broccoli, chopped into florets
- 1 (1.5-inch) nub ginger, peeled and grated
- 1 large chicken breast, cut into strips
- 1 tsp dried basil
- 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
- 3 Tbsp coconut aminos, *
- 2 tsp fish sauce, optional
- 1/2 tsp sea salt, to taste
Instructions
- Heat the avocado oil over medium in a large wok or skillet. Add the butternut squash and carrots and stir well. Cover and cook 4 to 5 minutes, until vegetables begin to soften.
- Add remaining veggies (bell pepper through ginger), cover, cook 1 minute. Remove cover and cook 2 minutes uncovered.
- Scoot veggies off to side to make room for the chicken. Add chicken, basil, and sea salt. Brown chicken 2 - 3 minutes until mostly cooked through then stir into rest of stir fry. Cover and cook 5 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through.
- Add liquid aminos, fish sauce, and sea salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until much of liquid has burned off, about 2 to 3 minutes.
- Serve stir fry with choice of side dish and enjoy.
Notes
*You can also use liquid aminos or light soy sauce.
Nutrition Information
Yield 4 Serving Size 1 of 4Amount Per Serving Calories 335Total Fat 11gUnsaturated Fat 0gCarbohydrates 16gFiber 3gSugar 7gProtein 37g
SandyShores
Monday 7th of December 2020
Hi I used a variation of this recipe using sweet potato, squash, chicken, mushrooms and fresh spinach. Used the same herbs and turned out very tasty. Thanks for sharing your recipes. Sandy
Julia
Monday 7th of December 2020
That sounds amazing, Sandy! Thanks so much for the sweet note! xoxo
Roger Snead
Tuesday 6th of October 2020
When does the cinnamon get added?
Jo's Mom
Wednesday 19th of August 2020
The only indication of size for the squash and carrots are the picture. At that size there is no way that they get even a teeny bit tender in 4-5 minutes. it took at least 15, probably longer but I quit counting.
Ivona Shaver
Friday 3rd of July 2020
You seem to be all about diet low carb etc yet there is no nutritional info ???
Cathy
Wednesday 28th of November 2018
Do you add the fish sauce at the end? I didn’t see it in the instructions
Julia
Wednesday 28th of November 2018
Oops, my bad! You add it with the coconut aminos :D