I am not a fan of Chinese Take Out, but I do LOVE to make my own yummy Chinese-Inspired recipes like this quick Chicken Chop Suey Recipe!
Tender chicken and crisp vegetables cook up in only 10 minutes in this easy Chinese Chicken Stir-Fry.
The reason I don’t go to Chinese Restaurants is actually very simple: I am allergic to seafood. So, I always have to be super careful about where I eat and am never quite sure what ingredients are unless they are in English. LOL!
So, while I love some General Tso Chicken with Fried Rice, I can’t run the risk of it coming into contact with shellfish.
It isn’t as frustrating as it sounds! I can save money, cut back some sodium, and make my own yummy copycat Chinese chicken recipe like this easy stir fry!
Ingredients for This Recipe:
This looks like a ton of ingredients, but if you start breaking it down, you will find that MOST are pantry staples. If you make stir-fry recipes regularly, you will only need to get some meat and veggies at the grocery store.
- Boneless, skinless chicken breast
- Baking Soda
- Cornstarch
- Soy sauce
- Oyster sauce
- Chinese Cooking Wine
- Sesame Oil
- Pepper
- Water
- Vegetable or other cooking oil
- Garlic
- White or Yellow onion
- Bok Choy
- Carrots
- Water Chestnuts
- Mushrooms (shitake is authentic, but any will do)
- Bean Sprouts
If I have them on hand, I will sometimes add in some baby corn or colorful red, green, yellow, & orange bell pepper, too!
Tools Needed to Make Chop Suey:
While any pan will do, I highly recommend a Wok. The wok is deeper than a traditional frying pan and has sloping walls as opposed to straight ones. This traps the heat inside and makes the food cook much faster! So, a wok is much better for stir-fry, though not required.
- Wok
- Mandoline (easiest way to chop all those veggies quickly)
- Garlic Press
Modifications:
The one great thing about a recipe is finding out how much to use and how long to cook it. After that, the recipe is fair game! You can change it out depending on what flavors you prefer.
Change out the meat!
You can use pretty much any meat that you want, just adjust your cooking times for it. Personally, I think the following would taste great in this recipe:
- Shrimp
- Pork
- Shaved Beef Steak
Change out the vegetables!
Not a fan of amy of the listed veggies? No big deal! Change them out.
- I, personally, have bought bags of frozen Asian Stir-Fry vegetables before.
- I have also bought the bags of cole slaw (unprepared, just veggies – in the produce section)
- You can switch in any nice crisp vegetable like: peppers, broccoli, cabbage
Change the flavor!
If you are not a fan of the soy or the Oyster sauce, use Teriyaki or Duck Sauce instead. Just be sure to use the same amount when exchanging and your recipe will still turn out perfectly delicious.
Stir Fry Cooking Tips & FAQs:
In addition to using a wok, as discussed above, there are a few other things you want to be sure you do to be sure you have the best ever Chinese Stir Fry for dinner tonight.
- Slice meats and vegetables as opposed to chopping them. More surface area means it will cook faster. Faster cooking means it will be more tender.
- Prepare EVERYTHING! Make sure all ingredients are at hand. Mix anything you can and chop anything you can before you start.
- Do not walk away! Stir-frying is FAST and requires near-constant stirring (hence the name) to keep things from over-cooking or burning in the high heat.
Make it a meal:
Yes, this is technically just fine as is! But, you could expand on it even more if you wish. The following items would pair very well with this chicken recipe!
Start your dinner off with this simple Side Salad recipe.
This simple pasta salad recipe would be super delicious with this Chop Suey and it isn’t a very light meal – so it won’t overpower the chicken!
Soak up your stir fry juices with this yummy Garlic Cheese Bread.
This Cranberry Kiss Mocktail is one of my go-to drinks when I am trying to be a little fancy.
This Blueberry Cream Pie would be a yummy sweet treat after dinner!
Did you make this recipe? Be sure to rate it below!
Chicken Chop Suey
Equipment
- Wok
- Mixing Bowls
Ingredients
Meat:
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast, thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon baking soda
Sauce:
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
- 2 tablespoons Chinese Cooking Wine
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil optional
- dash pepper
- 1 ½ cups water
Stir Fry:
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil or other cooking oil
- 4 cloves garlic finely chopped
- 1 onion sliced (white or yellow)
- 8-10 stalks bok choy cut into 1 inch pieces, leaves included or (other Asian greens)
- ¾ cup carrots cut into thin slices
- 8 oz water chestnuts sliced & drained
- 1 cup mushrooms sliced – shitake is authentic, but any will do
- 1 ½ – 2 cups bean sprouts
Instructions
Tenderizing meat:
- Place chicken or pork tenderloin in a bowl, sprinkle with baking soda.
- Mix it around and set aside for no longer than 15-20 minutes or meat will get too tender.
- In a colander, rinse well then pat dry with a paper towel or two, set aside.
Sauce preparation:
- Place cornstarch and soy sauce in a bowl.
- Mix until lump free
- Then, add oyster sauce, Chinese cooking wine, sesame oil, pepper and water.
- Set aside
Stir Fry:
- Heat oil in skillet over high heat.
- Add garlic and onion, stirring until onion is starting to wilt. About 1-2 minutes.
- Add meat and cook 1-2 minutes, until surface changes color from pink to white.
- Add bok choy stems, carrots, water chestnuts and mushrooms. Stir fry for 2 minutes.
- Add bok choy leaves, bean sprouts and sauce.
- Stir fry for 1-2 minutes until the sauce thickens to thick syrup consistency. Vegetables should still be tender/crisp but not soggy or soft.
- Remove from heat and serve immediately over rice or noodles.
Nutrition
More Stir Fry Recipes:
This Hawaiian Stir Fry is loaded with sweet flavor and tender beef.
This Crockpot Chicken Stir Fry tastes like stir fry but comes together in the slow cooker!
This Easy Teriyaki Chicken is the easiest stir fry ever according to Play. Party. Plan!
Sounds so simple! Thanks. Visiting from the wonderful wednesday link up.