Lunch to Go: Joe Wicks springs into action with this saucy chicken recipe

Spice up your day with this punchy, flavour-packed chicken dish that takes 15 minutes to cook 

Joe Wicks, author of Feel Good In 15. Pic: David Loftus/PA

Now on his 12th cookbook, Joe Wicks isn’t the same person he was when his first came out in 2015.

He’s become a global phenomenon, with 4.7m followers on Instagram and is married with three children aged five, three and one. 

While working out is a must for the personal trainer and cookbook author, he finds “staying consistent with my diet much harder than the exercise”.

His diet is remarkably healthy, but that hasn’t always been the case. “As a kid, we were on benefits and we had a very low income, so it was very much ultra-processed food — probably 99% of our food was ultra-processed,” he says.

“It was quite beige and frozen, and I was a very fussy eater.” Recently, he’s been looking into ultra-processed foods a lot more, and while he admits he does use things such as pre-made pestos and curry sauces in his meals — to help get dinner on the table more quickly — he’s becoming increasingly aware of what he puts in his body.

“When you think about things like bread and yoghurts and tortillas and all the condiments we use, in isolation they’re OK — but if you’re eating them every meal, or you’re eating sweet treats every day, biscuits and cookies and things, you’re going to feel a bit lethargic,” Wicks says.

Wicks has channelled his wisdom into his latest book, Feel Good In 15, with a whole host of quick recipes, 15-minute workouts and more.

Releasing a health and wellbeing book in December might seem a little counterintuitive — after all, this is the time of year most of our health goals go out the window – but Wicks is an advocate for balance, all year round.

This Christmas day, he’ll be enjoying all of the festive food on offer, and then on Stephen's Day he plans to “use that energy for a good workout”.

His spring onion chicken recipe is a family favourite. "It went down a storm when I shared it on Instagram. Everyone loved it,” says Wicks.

“It takes spring onions and makes them the star of the dish, which creates so much flavour. It’s halfway between a stir-fry and a curry, with a lovely thick sauce that coats the whole lot and will have you licking the plate clean.” 

Joe Wicks' Saucy Spring Onion Chicken

Taken from Joe Wicks' Feel Good in 15, on shelves now.

Cooking Time

 4 mins

Total Time

 4 mins

Course

 Main

Ingredients

• 1tbsp vegetable oil

• 640g chicken mini fillets

• 40g cornflour

• 5tbsp oyster sauce

• 4tbsp soy sauce

• 2tbsp honey

• 2 bunches of spring onions, finely sliced

• 4 garlic cloves, grated

• Thumb-sized piece of fresh ginger, peeled and grated

• 200–400ml water

• Juice of 1–2 limes, plus wedges to serve

Method

1. Heat the oil in a large frying pan or wok and fry the chicken over a high heat for three to four minutes, so it gets some nice golden colour.

2. While the chicken is browning, whisk together the cornflour, oyster sauce, soy sauce and honey in a small bowl. Set aside.

3. Scatter in most of the spring onions, setting aside some to garnish, along with the garlic and ginger and stir-fry for one minute until fragrant.

4. Pour in the cornflour-soy mixture and coat the chicken and veg, then add the water, bring up to the boil and let the whole thing bubble away and get thick and glossy.

5. Season with lime juice, to taste. Serve with rice and lime wedges and scatter with the remaining spring onions.

• Feel Good In 15 by Joe Wicks is published by HQ, €24. Photography by David Loftus.