Recipe
Chicken and Zucchini Stir-Fry with Rice
The cut staple: 40 g of protein per serving, little fat, 20 minutes, one pan. Filling enough for a training-day dinner.
1 min read · 17 September 2026 · updated 19 September 2026
- Prep
- 10 min
- Cook
- 20 min
- Servings
- 2
Per serving · makes 2
Approximate values
- Calories
- 440
- Protein
- 40 g
- Carbs
- 50 g
- Fat
- 7 g
Ingredients
- 300 gchicken breast
- 120 gbasmati rice (dry)
- 1 zucchini (approx. 250 g)
- 1 red bell pepper
- 2 clovesgarlic
- 1 tbspolive oil
- 2 tbspsoy sauce
- 0.5 lemon (juice)
- salt, pepper, chilli flakes
Method
- 1
Cook the rice according to the packet. Meanwhile cut the chicken into 2 cm cubes, halve the zucchini and slice into half-moons, cut the pepper into strips, finely chop the garlic.
- 2
Heat the oil in a large pan until very hot. Season the chicken with salt and pepper and sear for 4–5 minutes until browned. Remove from the pan.
- 3
Add zucchini and pepper to the same pan and fry for 4–5 minutes until lightly browned but still firm. Add the garlic for the last minute.
- 4
Return the chicken to the pan, add soy sauce and lemon juice, toss for 1–2 minutes. Season with chilli flakes.
- 5
Serve on the rice. For meal prep, pack both separately in containers; keeps 3 days in the fridge.
Not an exciting dish – but exactly what a cut needs: lots of protein, lots of volume from vegetables, controlled carbohydrates for training, and so little fat that the calories stay in range.
Variations
- More fullness, fewer calories: Reduce the rice to 80 g and double the zucchini. Saves around 60 kcal per serving.
- Training day: Increase the rice to 160 g. Adds around 60 g of carbohydrates per serving.
- Without soy: Replace the soy sauce with a teaspoon of salt and a little more lemon.
Why chicken breast?
Among the usual protein sources it has the best ratio of protein to calories. If you're sick of it: turkey breast, prawns or firm tofu work with the same method; the macros shift slightly.