This chicken and cabbage stir fry recipe is fast and easy. The chicken is soft and tender, and the onions and cabbage melt in your mouth. Ready in just over half an hour!
I based this chicken and cabbage recipe on my popular sautéed cabbage and kielbasa recipe. It's cooked in a similar fashion, and it's just as delicious.
Since I grew up with plenty of Czech and central European food, it's no wonder that I love cabbage so much. Somehow, I don't manage to eat it that often, though. I'm always so surprised at just how flavorful fried cabbage is. It's just so good.
You really don't need much in the way of seasoning to make this recipe taste delicious. I used your standard mild paprika, some fresh garlic, and an onion, along with the usual salt & pepper. 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.
This low-carb chicken and cabbage recipe is actually pretty healthy.
How to make a chicken and cabbage stir fry
- Cook the chicken until it's just done, then take it out of the pan;
- Sauté the onion in butter for a few minutes;
- Add the cabbage and cook (tossing/stirring frequently) for about 10-15 minutes or until it starts to get nice and tender.
- Add the garlic and paprika;
- Finish the dish by adding the chicken back it into the pan and heating it through. (Full ingredients and instructions are in the recipe card below).
Making chicken sautéed with cabbage is easy. 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. I actually quite enjoyed the leftovers too. The chicken was still tender, even after being microwaved the next day.
Pro tip: You don't have to be super precise with measurements here. 2-3 chicken breasts... whatever you buy or feel like putting in. I say a medium cabbage, but 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.
If you want to add more paprika or garlic or whatever, go ahead. I suggest tasting and adjusting until it's perfect. Keep in mind there's a lot of cabbage in here, so add enough salt to give it flavor.
Optional: Serve with some sour cream.
Want to make a vegetarian version of this dish? Try my simple sautéed cabbage recipe.
Will you make this cabbage sautéed with chicken? I think you should give it a go!
Love cabbage? Give my Crockpot cabbage soup, bacon and cabbage, or my kielbasa cabbage soup a try.
Questions? Let me know!

Easy Chicken and Cabbage Stir Fry
Ingredients
- 2-3 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 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.
- Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy only and should be construed as an estimate rather than a guarantee. Ingredients can vary and Salt & Lavender makes no guarantees to the accuracy of this information.
Chris says
Can I add shrimp to this?
Natasha says
Sure! I'd add them in towards the end since they cook quick.
Penni says
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!
Natasha says
That's awesome!! 😀 Glad you liked it!
Cindy says
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!
Natasha says
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! 🙂
Donna Murphy says
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.
Natasha says
I love your suggestions and need to give some of them a try!!
Shahayla says
Soo good!
Miranda @ Salt & Lavender says
Awesome to hear, Shahayla 🙂
Dimitri says
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.
Natasha says
You're welcome! I'm so happy that you enjoyed it so much, Dimitri! I appreciate your review! 🙂
Dimitri says
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!
Natasha says
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.
Karen says
I LOVE this!!! Thank you for the recipe. It is wonderful.
Natasha says
You're very welcome!! 🙂 Thank you!!
Milissa says
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!
Natasha says
You're very welcome! 🙂 Love your tweaks!
Ronni says
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.
Natasha says
Sounds good to me!! 🙂
Jeanne says
This is delish! Th4 only thing I did was add some homemade bacon bits to the top. So yum!
Natasha says
So happy you enjoyed it!! Thanks for letting me know! 🙂
Jeanne says
Can this be frozen?
Natasha says
Hi! I haven't tested it, but I think it'll be ok. The cabbage will likely go softer when you reheat it.
Judith says
This was a delicious recipe! Very easy and so good!
Natasha says
Glad you enjoyed it, Judith!!
Crystal says
I tried this recipe and found it amazing in both taste and easy of cooking. It is now added as one of our favorite.
Natasha says
I'm so happy to hear that, Crystal! 🙂
Nici says
I made it today and we all likes it very much. Even the kids liked it. Thanks so much for the recipe.
Natasha says
You're very welcome!! I'm so pleased to hear that it was enjoyed by everyone.
Bernadette says
Easy and delicious!!
Natasha says
Thank you!!
Helen L says
Easy to make in my wok, plenty of room for all the cabbage. Tonight added some red pepper and a couple of rashers of smoked back bacon. Lovely.
Natasha says
Fabulous!! I'm so glad you liked it. 🙂
Mary P. says
I want to make this tonight. Would doing the bacon thing ruin the integrity? I think chicken and bacon are meant to be. I'm going to try it but easy on the grease and skip the butters.
Natasha says
Hi! What do you mean by "doing the bacon thing"? I think adding some bacon would be delicious if that's what you mean. I'd fry the chicken in the bacon fat. I have a bacon and cabbage recipe (similar to this one) you could take a look at as well... that may help give you some ideas: https://bit.ly/2QQpl3B
Mary P. says
Hi again!! I did the bacon thing... OH MY! This was amazing. My roommate does the vegetable misfit deliveries and he gets cabbage often and so today I made this!! I put some celery in there too. I fried the chicken in the bacon grease. I didn't want it tooooo greasy so I only left about a 1/2 tbsp of that. I used a whole onion and I had some celery so I threw that in there. I think there's possibly 1/2 cup leftover.... It disappeared. Needs a warning label. This dish seems to evaporate and may cause disputes over leftovers. Thank you again. I will definitely be searching your site for more great dinner ideas that make me the hero in 15 minutes... 🙂
Natasha says
Hi!! That's awesome!! I'm so glad it worked out for you and you liked it so much hehe. Thanks for letting me know how it went! Let me know if you try anything else.
Ashley says
Made this tonight. Super easy to make. So far, family approved! We love cabbage, and needed a new chicken idea. Thanks!
Natasha says
Fab!! You're welcome, Ashley!
Ashley says
Very simple, quick, and delicious! Thank you for sharing. Nice to have something different with the chicken breast so we are always looking for something new and I’m glad we did.
Natasha says
I'm so happy you got to try this, Ashley!! Thanks for taking the time to write me a review. XO
Caroline Michell says
I had a huge cabbage to use and found this recipe! Couldn’t believe how delicious it was and how easy.....loved it!
Natasha says
I'm thrilled to hear that!!
Amy says
Very good! Simple & delicious!
Natasha says
Excellent! So happy to hear that. Thanks!
Gloria Steward says
This was a delicious meal. My family loved it. The only thing I need to do next time is add more flavor.
Was so easy to make..
Thanks
Natasha says
I'm glad you all enjoyed it, Gloria!
Kristen says
I'm not sure why all the rave reviews as it was very bland. Definitely won't be making it again, but interested in what other recipies the site has as this came up through a random search
Tina Boyd says
I add soy sauce to mine... so good
Natasha says
Excellent!!
Trudy says
I love simple recipes like this, I don't eat enough cabbage. I have tons of frozen meats in the frig I need to cook healthy and creatively . This sounds perfect for my needs.Thank you.
Natasha says
Great! Enjoy.
laurie says
where does the sugar come from -- in the nutrition section??
Natasha says
Hi! I believe it comes from the cabbage. I just did a quick Google search and cabbage apparently has 3.2g of sugar per 100g.
R. Holloway says
So delicious!!! I added mushrooms, green and red peppers. I served on top of flavored chicken rice. It was delicious!!! Thank you! I had cabbage..and didn't know what to do with it!
Natasha says
So happy you liked it and were able to use up that cabbage! 🙂
Dana says
This looks great! I’m planning on making it tonight and putting it over some whole wheat pasta. Any suggestions on what kind of sauce I should use? I feel like a standard red marinara-type wouldn’t go well with this. Would a lemon sauce work? TIA!
Natasha says
Hi! I think that an olive oil-lemon juice-garlic sauce would be delicious! Hope you enjoy the recipe! 🙂
Lynn says
Delicious. Thanks for sharing the recipe
Natasha says
You're welcome!
debby says
sounds amazing, i will definitely use this recipe for dinner. thank you
Natasha says
Great! Let me know how you liked it. 🙂