Crunch Time Dinner: Sweet and Spicy Turkey Stir-Fry
A high-flavor, fast, low-ingredient weeknight dinner!
I’m sure many of you have healthy eating goals to kick off 2025, or if you are like me, you were disgustingly sick for five days, thereby accomplishing all of your weight goals in one fell swoop.
To kick off the Crunch Time 2025 year though, I wanted to bring just you lovely Substack readers a new and instantly favorited dinner option. While turkey tends to get a bad rep as being bland or flavorless, this method of cooking it in a slightly sweet and spicy sauce is your answer.
Start with lean ground turkey for this recipe and toss in your favorite mix of crunchy vegetables. I like to use peppers and snap peas, but there are SO many options.
Definitely give this one a shot. I think your family will love it.
Sweet and Spicy Turkey Stir Fry
The key to this dish is to add slightly more sauce than you might think since the turkey meat is so lean. It soaks up the sauce and ends up being really flavorful and delicious. The whole thing is ready in 20 minutes.
Serves: 4.
Total Time: 20 minutes
Ingredients:
- 3/4 cup chicken stock
- 2 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
- 1 tbsp hoisin sauce (optional for a touch of sweetness)
- 1 tbsp sesame oil (or any cooking oil)
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 lb ground turkey (93% lean or leaner)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 red bell pepper, sliced into thin strips
- 1 yellow bell pepper, sliced into thin strips
- 1 cup snap peas, trimmed
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1-inch piece ginger, grated
Chili Crisp, optional garnish
Cilantro, garnish
-YOUR CHOICE -
White rice, for serving
Lettuce wraps, for serving
Directions:
In a small bowl, whisk together chicken stock, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, sesame oil, and cornstarch until the sauce is smooth.
In a large skillet over medium heat, add olive oil and ground turkey. Cook turkey, breaking it apart, for 5-6 minutes until cooked through and starting to brown slightly. Add garlic and ginger near the end of cooking.
Move turkey to one side of the skillet and add the chopped vegetables. If skillet is dry, add a little extra oil and season the vegetables with a small pinch of salt and pepper. Stir-fry the vegetables for 3-4 minutes until bright and colorful, but still crisp.
Toss all ingredients together and pour in sauce. Simmer sauce for a few minutes, tossing it with turkey and vegetables so it thickens slightly. Most importantly, taste the stir-fry. You might want to add an extra splash of soy sauce if it needs more salt or a little more chicken stock if it seems dry.
Serve the turkey stir fry either over rice or in lettuce wraps. It’s great both ways!
If you try this recipe, leave a comment and let me know!
Happy Cooking in 2025!