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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!
Can I add shrimp to this?
Sure! I’d add them in towards the end since they cook quick.
I literally googled “what to do with left over chicken breast and cabbage” and your recipe popped right up! Quick, easy, and no wasting leftovers! Delicious! Thank you!
That’s awesome!! 😀 Glad you liked it!
I just found this recipe and anxious to try it!
Have you tried putting in individual packages and freezing?
Just wondering as I like to keep a couple of meals in the freezer for nights we don’t feel like cooking.
Thank you!
Hi Cindy! I haven’t tried freezing this one. I’m personally always a bit iffy on freezing chicken breast since it dries out so easily once you thaw and reheat it again. In my experience, thawed cabbage gets very wilted and a bit watery, so I’m not sure this is the best dish to freeze. I’d suggest making it and freezing one to two portions of leftovers to test without having it all go to waste if it doesn’t work out. I’d thaw in the fridge overnight and warm slowly in a covered saucepan over a low heat. In any case, I hope you enjoy the recipe! 🙂
I have been making this dish for years. I also do it many different ways. The basic chicken, cabbage,seasonings is great but try it with broccoli florets(steamed) and julienned carrots strips/I don’t care for cooked carrots and also can use pork or beef pieces and use a sauce made with 1/2 cup soy sauce,1 top grated fresh ginger,1 tsp sesame seeds toasted . If you like heat add some hoisin sauce to taste. The original recipe is great but omg there are many different ways to make and each one is amazing. Oh and don’t forget the bell peppers too or jalapeños for some heat. We could actually make a recipe book for all the idea’s that started out with the original recipe. Thank you and I hope you will give my idea’s a try.
I love your suggestions and need to give some of them a try!!
Soo good!
Awesome to hear, Shahayla 🙂
If there was a sixth star, I would have added it without any hesitation. I’ve just finished my meal, and I had to leave a review right away.
I’m kicking myself for not trying out this dish/cabbage dish before. I’m watching my calories these days after indulging more than I should have during the holidays, and I thought this dish was perfect, but I didn’t think it would be THAT good!
You will have to excuse me though as I made some slight changes to your recipe. I added some carrots and lardons and omitted paprika. Before eating (it was in fact devouring), I added a dollop of Dijon Mustard. That’s how I ate sauerkraut back in France, and thought it would go well with your dish, and it sure did!
Thank you Natasha for sharing this recipe. Absolutely loved it, and I’ll probably make it WEEKLY with some adjustments.
You’re welcome! I’m so happy that you enjoyed it so much, Dimitri! I appreciate your review! 🙂
Hi Natasha,
Just got back from Chinese New Year trip, and after stuffing myself with Chinese food for over a week, I’m craving your dish again.
If I wish to add potatoes, when should I add them, and how long should I cook them for? As you can see, I’m a total rookie when it comes to cooking, and would appreciate some guidance ^^
Have a wonderful day!
Haha that’s too funny. I hope you had an amazing trip! So, for adding the potatoes in, I would say that boiling them in a separate pot until they’re cooked is probably your best bet. Then I’d drain them and mash them in and let them kind of fry up with the rest of the dish… so I’d probably add then in towards the end of step 4. Let me know how it goes! You could probably try that method and then do a little experimenting if it’s not quite what you were hoping for.
I LOVE this!!! Thank you for the recipe. It is wonderful.
You’re very welcome!! 🙂 Thank you!!
Excellent! Just made this with ground chicken and added baked tofu. Simple and easy. I always forget how good sautéed cabbage is. My adult son ate dinner at 3:30 it was so good. Thank you!
You’re very welcome! 🙂 Love your tweaks!
Made this tonight with a few additions. I added small bites of broccoli and some shredded carrots which I cooked with the onion. I also fried some bacon as others had said in their comments and added the bacon grease along with the cabbage, broccoli and carrots. I also added a few splashes of soy sauce. Everything else was the same. This was delicious. Even my picky son who doesn’t like cabbage enjoyed it. Will definitely make again.
Sounds good to me!! 🙂
This is delish! Th4 only thing I did was add some homemade bacon bits to the top. So yum!
So happy you enjoyed it!! Thanks for letting me know! 🙂