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This chicken and cabbage stir fry recipe is easy, inexpensive, and ready in about half an hour! It has bites of tender chicken, and the onions and cabbage are soft and buttery.
Try my Cabbage Soup with Bacon and Potatoes or Beef and Cabbage Stir Fry next.
Why you’ll love it
Making chicken sautéed with cabbage is easy. You really don’t need much in the way of seasoning to make this recipe taste totally delicious. I used your standard mild paprika, some fresh garlic, and an onion along with salt & pepper. It’s a quick and affordable meal!
I based this chicken and cabbage recipe on my popular Sautéed Cabbage and Kielbasa Recipe. Since I grew up with plenty of Czech and central European food, it’s no wonder that I love cabbage. I’m always so surprised at just how flavorful fried cabbage is. It’s so good.
What you’ll need
- Chicken – we’re using boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into bite-sized pieces
- Olive oil and butter – for sautéing
- Onion – our kitchen likes sweet (Vidalia) onions best
- Cabbage – we use green cabbage here
- Garlic – if you’re a garlic lover, go ahead and use even more than I suggest
- Paprika – mild paprika is a classic ingredient in European dishes with so much flavor
Pro tips
- You don’t have to be super precise with measurements here. Aiming for a cabbage that weighs about 2 pounds (before removing the outer leaves and core) will work. I say a medium cabbage, but last time I made this, I bought half of a MASSIVE cabbage that I cut into half again, and that totaled about what you’d expect from a medium cabbage, so don’t worry about precisely measuring.
- Keep in mind there’s a lot of cabbage in here, so it’s important to add enough salt to draw out the flavors!
How to make chicken and cabbage stir fry
This is an overview with step-by-step photos. Full ingredients & instructions are in the recipe card below.
In a skillet, add the chicken to the olive oil. Season with salt & pepper, and sauté until it’s just done, then transfer to a plate. Sauté the onions in the butter for a few minutes. Add the cabbage and cook, tossing or stirring frequently, until it starts to get tender.
Stir in the garlic and paprika, and finish by adding the chicken back it into the pan and heating it through until it’s fully cooked. Give the stir fry a taste, and add extra salt & pepper as needed. I’m generous with the salt.
Tools for this recipe
Check out Natasha’s favorite kitchen essentials, gadgets, and cookware!
- It’s effortless to mince garlic with a garlic press since there is no chopping or peeling involved.
- Kitchen tongs make it easy to toss the cabbage as it cooks.
- An instant read thermometer ensures the chicken is 165F.
Substitutions and variations
- I don’t feel like this recipe needs anything else, but you could always swap the mild paprika for hot paprika or smoked paprika if you wish. If you want to add more paprika or garlic or whatever, go ahead. I suggest tasting and adjusting until it’s perfect for you!
- Want to make a vegetarian version of this dish? Try my Simple Sautéed Cabbage Recipe.
- You can always use chicken thighs if you prefer, but I find chicken breast is fine since we don’t overcook it. It remains juicy and tender.
- To make it next-level good, add in some crumbled Oven Cooked Bacon.
What to serve with chicken and cabbage
- It’s totally optional, but a dollop of sour cream adds a nice contrast and a little creaminess.
- As written, this is a low-carb chicken and cabbage recipe, but if that’s not your thing, pair it with something like rice to round out the meal.
- A side salad makes a great accompaniment too. Try spring mix with my Creamy Balsamic Dressing. Craving roasted veggies? Go for my Easy Roasted Green Beans or Easy Roasted Asparagus.
Leftovers and storage
- I actually quite enjoyed the leftovers too! The chicken was still tender, even after being microwaved the next day.
- Store in a covered container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
- I don’t really recommend freezing this one since the texture of the cabbage may change, but you’re welcome to experiment.
If you give this cabbage and chicken stir fry a go, I’d love to hear from you in the comments below! Please leave a star rating and review. You can also find me on Instagram.
Easy Chicken and Cabbage Stir Fry
Ingredients
- 2 large chicken breasts cut into bite-size pieces
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 1 medium green cabbage cored & chopped
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- Salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
- Add the olive oil and chicken to a skillet. Sprinkle with salt & pepper. Turn the burner to medium-high heat and sauté for about 5-7 minutes (stirring fairly often), or until the chicken is just cooked through.
- Take the chicken out of the pan and set aside.
- Add the butter and onion to the pan and sauté for 3 minutes.
- Add the cabbage to the pan and cook for about 10-15 minutes uncovered, stirring fairly often, until the cabbage is nice and soft (or cooked to desired tenderness). The cabbage at the bottom of the pan will start to wilt after a few minutes and it will become easier to stir. The onions will also start to lightly brown and become more flavorful.
- Stir in the garlic and paprika.
- Add the chicken back in, and cook until it’s heated through, stirring fairly often. This should only take a few minutes.
- Taste and season with salt & pepper as needed (there’s a lot of cabbage so I used a fair amount of salt). Serve immediately.
Notes
- You can use smoked paprika or hot paprika if you prefer.
- You don’t need to be too precise, but aiming for a cabbage that weighs about two pounds will work for this recipe. By the time you discard the outer leaves and core it, you’ll have plenty of cabbage for this recipe.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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This recipe was originally published on October 26, 2018. It’s been updated with new photos and better instructions but is the same great recipe!
Made this for dinner tonight and it was amazing!!!!! I added garlic powder and paprika (regular…I don’t like smoked paprika) to the chicken before removing it to cook the onions and cabbage which I cooked with Amish butter. Also upped the minced garlic, used about 6 cloves because I adore garlic but otherwise followed the recipe exactly. 10/10 would recommend and this is definitely going in the rotation!! Thanks for yet another quick easy delicious recipe!!
I’m so happy you enjoyed it, Jennie!! Thanks so much for taking the time to write me a comment! 😀
So simple, so easy but so good. We have so much bell peppers so I added some to mine.
So glad you liked the recipe! Bell peppers sound like a great addition!
This was surprisingly delicious. I used smokey paprika. So easy. Took about 25 minutes.
So pleased you enjoyed it, Mary!
Was looking forward to making this recipe and my chicken was spoiled. Bleck! Grabbed a package of smoked sausage to substitute. I only had smoked paprika so used that as well. Delicious!!! Thank you! My husband (who swears he hates cabbage) couldn’t get enough.
I’m glad that the improvising worked out haha. 🙂
This sounds wonderful and I plan on trying it. However do you have any tips on how to tell when the chicken is just done and still juicy but not still raw in the middle? I’m always worried about serving undercooked chicken. Thank you.
Hi Karyn! I will usually cut into it and if I don’t see any pink, then I am pretty confident that it’s ok. I cook a lot of chicken, so I guess just using experience. Getting one of those quick read thermometers and ensuring it’s 165F in the middle is the safest way to do it, though. Let me know if you try this recipe!
This tasted so good and was easy to make. Kids enjoyed it too which is always a plus! Thank you!
Awesome! So happy everyone liked it. 😀
What do you put this chicken and cabbage??rice or noddlez.
I just eat it by itself, but either of those would work.
I add red pepper flakes since hubby and I like a little spicy. Delicious
Good idea! So glad you liked it.
This is a new family favorite! Thanks for sharing! I followed your recipe exactly as written and added some shredded carrots for a pop of color! I used the cabbage and carrots from my garden so that makes this meal extra special! It’s going into our meal rotation! Thank you again!!!!
Excellent. Love the carrots idea!! You’re very welcome, Jillian! 😀
We really enjoyed your recipe. I used smoked paprika and followed your recipe exactly, other than adding about 2 tablespoons of chicken broth to help soften the cabbage quicker. I will be making this again. Might even have some more later this evening if I am hungry for a snack.
Excellent, so pleased you liked it, Diane!