10 Deliciously Easy Chinese Chicken Stir-Fries

A few Chinese ingredients can lead to quick meals for busy families

Chicken stir-fry

David Illini / Stocksy United

A chicken stir-fry is perfect for busy weeknights. You can make a quick meal for the family by tossing chicken and vegetables into a skillet with a sauce. Before you know it, a healthy, delicious dinner is ready. 

While it's common to use chicken breasts for stir-fry, thighs or a whole, cut-up chicken work well in most recipes as well. To ensure that your chicken cooks evenly cut it into uniform pieces, marinate to tenderize, and lay the pieces out flat in the wok or skillet.

  • 01 of 10

    Kung Pao Chicken

    Kung pao chicken

     

    xcarrot_007 / Getty Images 

    Kung pao chicken is a favorite order for Chinese takeout and it's surprisingly easy to make at home. This recipe is healthier because the chicken is stir-fried rather than deep-fried, reducing the fat content. 

    The recipe includes red chili peppers and Szechuan peppercorns to give it a nice spice. The marinade is easy, requiring just four ingredients and 25 minutes.

    While you're waiting, fry or toast the recipe's peanuts. If you want to deep-fry the peanuts, start them in cold oil. This will make the peanuts crunchier and reduce the chances of overcooking them.

  • 02 of 10

    Moo Goo Gai Pan

    Moo goo gai pan recipe

    The Spruce

    Another popular Chinese restaurant dish, moo goo gai pan is fantastic when made from scratch at home. It's a great chicken and mushroom dish that relies on common ingredients found in Chinese cuisine.

    For this recipe, you'll marinade the chicken in a soy and rice wine mix. Pick up some whole mushrooms, ginger, clove, bamboo shoots, and water chestnuts. The sauce has a chicken stock and oyster sauce base.

  • 03 of 10

    Ultimate Chicken Stir-Fry

    Ultimate chicken stir fry

    The Spruce 

    Chicken and cashews are a perfect pairing and this ultimate chicken stir-fry recipe is a fantastic introduction. If you don't have chicken on hand, it also works very well with beef.

    You'll begin by toasting the cashews, then stir-fry the chicken. The vegetable blend of your favorite mushrooms, carrots, and water chestnuts are stir-fried as well. From there, it's a simple matter of stir-frying everything with a flavorful sauce of chili oil, garlic, ginger, and soy sauce.

  • 04 of 10

    Garlic Chicken Stir-Fry

    Garlic chicken stir-fry

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    It takes just a few minutes to actually cook this delicious garlic chicken stir-fry. It requires far fewer ingredients than many other Chinese recipes, so even the prep is a breeze.

    To cook this recipe, you'll start with a short marinade of chicken breasts in a mix of soy sauce and sherry. Add that to the wok with fresh garlic and green onions. After a few minutes, you'll add the chili paste sauce and stir-fry it a little more. Serve it with rice and your quick meal is ready.

    Continue to 5 of 10 below.
  • 05 of 10

    Cashew Chicken

    Cashew chicken

     

    Shubhashish5 / Getty Images 

    Toasted cashews add the final touch to this chicken and vegetable stir-fry. It gives the cashew chicken dish a nutty aroma and crunchy texture that is accented with a hint of ginger, garlic, and green onion.

    The sauce is a combination of dark soy and hoisin sauces. The hoisin helps this recipe stand out. You can find hoisin sauce in major supermarkets as well as markets specializing in Chinese and Asian cuisines.

  • 06 of 10

    Fusion Chicken and Asparagus

    Closeup of asparagus stir-fry
    haoliang / Getty Images

    Why not try a dish like this fusion chicken and asparagus recipe? It incorporates Chinese and Thai ingredients and is excellent with potstickers and Thai rice.

    The sauce used in this recipe combines Thai chili paste, fish sauce, black bean sauce, and oyster sauce with chicken stock for balance. The chicken is deep fried and asparagus, garlic, ginger, and Serrano peppers are stir-fried with the sauce.

  • 07 of 10

    Chengdu Chicken

    Chengdu chicken

     

    caoyu36 / Getty Images 

    This spicy Chengdu chicken dish is named after the capital of Sichuan province in western China. It features chili bean paste, which is made with fermented soybeans and crushed chilies and it quickly gives any dish a little zing.

    Like many chicken stir-fry recipes, the chicken needs to marinate in a soy-wine-oil mixture. You'll also love the vegetable mix, which adds spinach to the classic scallion, clove, and ginger combination. 

  • 08 of 10

    Leftover Chicken Stir-Fry

    Chicken stir-dfry with bell peppers

    martinrlee / Getty Images 

    Are you looking for a quick way to use up leftover chicken or turkey? This is the recipe for you and it's actually a great Chinese stir-fry recipe for beginners.

    The ingredient list doesn't require many of the specialties found in other recipes. If you have soy sauce and sesame oil, you're set. Pick up some baby corn, chop a bit of garlic, and cut up a bell pepper. The entire leftover chicken stir-fry dish takes just five minutes to prep and 10 to cook.

    Continue to 9 of 10 below.
  • 09 of 10

    Mongolian Chicken

    Mongolian chicken recipe

    The Spruce Eats / Ulyana Verbytska

    For another unique recipe that is sure to please the family, try this Mongolian chicken. To complete the meal, serve it with a steamed green vegetable and thick noodles pan-fried in soy sauce and sugar.

    What's special about the recipe? Oyster sauce lends flavor to the marinade while hoisin sauce gives a sweet-and-spicy flavor to the stir-fry sauce. You will also need mung bean sprouts, which is another fun thing to add to your list for the Asian market.

  • 10 of 10

    Chicken Mango Stir-Fry

    Mango chicken stir-fry

    Chrakkrit Phuangphila / Getty Images

    When you're in the mood for something lively and truly unique, the chicken mango stir-fry is a fantastic choice. It's a great way to bring fresh fruit into a Chinese dish.

    This recipe features the flavor of tropical mango fruit and star anise. Cider vinegar and ketchup are two of its more unusual ingredients, though you'll also need toasted pecans and a sprig or two of cilantro.