I lightly pan fry my chicken egg foo young instead of deep frying. The end results I get every time: light and fluffy Chinese omelettes packed with veggies, topped with the best gooey, glossy gravy. In fact, the gravy is so good that I make extra just to spoon on a steamy bed of white rice – perfect for those times I’m craving takeout at 2am!
I ate the best egg foo young during the years I lived in Hong Kong. Seriously, I probably popped into a cafe at least once a week to order a fluffy Chinese omelette with a crispy exterior and the most impossibly puffy interior – bursting with things like roast pork, shrimp and veggies. My favorite thing was the glossy gravy the chefs labeled over the top of the fried omelettes just before serving. I loved egg foo young so much that I eventually asked one of the cafe owners how they got the exterior of the eggs to be so crisp while keeping the center fluffy. Turns out, they were deep fried.
I’ve had an outsized fear of deep frying for as long as I can remember. So I must have made a face or something. Because the cafe owner immediately said, “but my mom pan fries egg foo young with just a little oil.” And just like that, I knew I’d have to try at home. This chicken egg foo young recipe has the classic flavors I loved so much in Hong Kong years ago. And it’s ready in just 15 minutes.
Table of Contents
Ingredients
Scroll to the bottom of this page for the full recipe steps and measurements.
- Eggs: I beat a half dozen in a bowl just as I would for an omelette or frittata.
- Chicken Broth: I mix this with the eggs to thin the mixture out, while adding a fantastic savory element.
- Shiitake Mushrooms: Sliced into thin strips.
- Bean Sprouts: Fresh bean sprouts impart a light crispness that contrasts the heavier elements.
- Red Bell Pepper: Thinly sliced, for an understated sweet pop of freshness and burst of color.
- Green Onions: Thinly chopped.
- Cooked Chicken: I use leftover chicken and chop it small.
- Garlic: Minced garlic delivers a funky base of flavor.
- Vegetable Oil: Or any neutral cooking oil.
Gravy Ingredients
The egg foo young pancakes are delicious by themselves or with a splash of soy sauce (or hot sauce – scrumptious!) – but taste best with a good spoonful of gooey Chinese brown gravy. You can buy premixed Chinese brown gravy – but here’s what I use to make mine from scratch at home:
- Chicken Broth
- Soy Sauce
- Rice Vinegar
- Granulated Sugar
- Cornstarch and Water (slurry)
- Sesame Oil
The cornstarch slurry gives the gravy a sticky, thick texture. And the tang of the vinegar peeks through just enough to compliment the savory and umami combination of the other ingredients. It’s addictive!
Recipe Variations
One of my favorite things about this recipe is that I can use whatever I have handy in the fridge.
- Switch up the proteins. Shrimp, roast pork and smoked tofu are all prime contenders.
- Use different veggies. Cabbage, onions, thinly sliced carrots, etc. Use what’s handy in the crisper.
- Make a different sauce. While the brown gravy is my favorite, I’ve also tried it with sweet and sour sauce. That was a hit at my place!
How to Make It
- Prep the batter. Whisk the eggs in a bowl and add chicken broth, mushrooms, bean sprouts, bell peppers, scallions, chicken and garlic. Stir, season with salt and pepper and set aside.
- Make the foo young gravy. Put all the ingredients for the sauce in a small pot and bring to a boil. Then simmer for 2 minutes. Set aside.
- Cook the foo young pancakes. In a pan over medium high heat, add vegetable oil. Ladle in small amounts of egg mixture and make 2-4 little pancakes at a time. Cook on both sides until slightly browned. Transfer to a plate.
- Top with gravy and chopped scallions. Serve immediately.
Expert Tip
The key to making egg foo young is to chop the veggies and chicken thin enough that they properly cook in the time it takes the eggs to firm up in the pan.
Storage and Reheating
Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator (covered) for up to 3 days. Be sure to store the egg pancakes and gravy in separate containers. The Chinese omelettes will be fine. The gravy is another story. That’s the bummer about thickening sauces with cornstarch. The thickening effect doesn’t last more than a couple of hours.
To reheat the egg foo young:
- Place leftover egg foo young in a frying pan on medium low heat with a little oil. This will keep the inside fluffy without scorching the outside.
- Or reheat in the microwave 30-40 seconds, until hot.
For leftover gravy:
- Place in a saucepan and heat it up. The leftover gravy will probably be thinner than when you first made it.
- To re-thicken a thin gravy, stir in a cornstarch slurry and try to coax back the gooeyness. This technique works most times – but (oddly) not every time.
What to Serve With Egg Foo Young
I almost always serve egg foo young with a side of rice. Either steamed jasmine rice – or, when I’m feeling frisky, smoky egg fried rice. But for those times I make a full-on Chinese feast at my place for family and friends, here are a few of the heavy hitters I serve on the side.
- Moo Goo Gai Pan
- Chinese Eggplant With Garlic Sauce
- Szechuan Chicken
- Vegan Dan Dan Noodles
- Dry Fried Chinese Green Beans with Garlic Sauce
Frequently Asked Questions
The heat may be too low. I cook egg foo young on medium-high heat. That seems to be the sweet spot in terms of a high enough temperature that the center cooks through – but not so high that the exterior scorches.
They may not be sliced thinly enough. A big hunk of bell pepper will take longer to cook than thin slices.
I thicken my gravy with a cornstarch slurry made of equal parts cornstarch and water mixed together. If your gravy isn’t thickening up, try adding another tablespoon of cornstarch and a tablespoon of water to the mix. It should thicken up just like the gooey gravies and sauces from Chinese restaurants.
I’d say so. There’s nothing too complex or unfamiliar about this recipe. It’s eggs, chicken and veggies smothered in gravy. If your kids are used to eating Chinese-American food like sweet and sour and General Tso chicken, they will absolutely love egg foo young.
Other popular Chinese egg recipes:
Chinese scallion omelette, Chinese tomato egg stir fry, Egg drop soup, Chinese tea eggs
Did you try this recipe? Are there changes you made that you would like to share? Share your tips and recommendations in the comments section below!
Print
Chicken Egg Foo Young Recipe
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 5 minutes
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 6 small pancakes 1x
- Category: Main
- Method: Pan frying
- Cuisine: Chinese
Description
No deep frying required! I lightly pan fry my chicken egg foo young instead. Make light and fluffy Chinese egg pancakes at home. They’re packed with veggies and topped with the tastiest gooey gravy.
Ingredients
Foo Young Pancakes:
- 6 large eggs
- 1/2 cup chicken broth
- 2 ounces shiitake mushrooms, sliced in to thin strips
- 1/4 cup bean sprouts
- 1/4 red bell pepper, sliced into thin strips
- 1 stalk green onion, finely chopped
- 2 ounces cooked chicken, finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
Foo young sauce:
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 2 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons rice vinegar
- 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch mixed with 1 tablespoon water
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
Topping:
- 1 green onion, finely chopped
Instructions
- Prepare the batter. Whisk the eggs in a bowl and add chicken broth, mushrooms, bean sprouts, bell peppers, scallions, chicken and garlic. Stir until all the ingredients are evenly coated. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.
- Make the gravy. Put all the ingredients for the foo young sauce in a small pot and bring to a boil. Turn the heat to low and simmer for 2 minutes. Turn the heat off and set aside.
- Cook the foo young pancakes. In a pan over medium high heat, add vegetable oil. Using a ladle, pour small amounts of egg mixture into the pan and make 2-4 little pancakes at a time. Cook on both sides for 2-3 minutes, until slightly brown, and transfer to a plate. Work in batches until all the mixture has been used.
- Reheat sauce and serve. If the gravy has cooled, quickly warm it up. Pour over pancakes. Top each serving with scallions and serve immediately.
Notes
Keep the sauce and pancakes separate if you decide to save some for later. Leftover egg foo young can be covered and refrigerated for up to 2 days. When reheating, microwave pancakes for 30-45 seconds. For the sauce, reheat in a pot along with 1 tablespoon cornstarch mixed with 1 tablespoon water to bring back the gooey texture.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 133
- Sugar: 2.6g
- Sodium: 714mg
- Fat: 8g
- Saturated Fat: 2.3g
- Unsaturated Fat: 1.7g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 5.3g
- Fiber: 0.6g
- Protein: 10g
- Cholesterol: 200mg
Questions and Reviews
For your gravy, if you pre make it, just put it in the microwave on high for around 1 min. It will reactivate the cornstarch and your gravy will be nice and thick. Make sure you keep an eye on it, if it goes too long in the microwave, it get thick enough to stand a spoon in.
Can’t wait to try, I make a simpler recipe and it’s addicting, but I can’t wait to try this recipe. Thank you
I never put in red pepper, replace that with peas, a lot more bean sprouts and green onions too and diced water chestnuts and I put sesame oil in my egg mixture and then you will not need gravy. Yummy. I got my recipe from Wok with Yan back in the early 1980s.
I believe such vegetables as onion or red pepper, in no matter what form (strips, chopped) need to be cooked longer than, say, bean sprouts or (shredded) cabbage. I prepared this recipe mostly as written except I gave the paper-thin pepper slices a quick stir fry first. This allowed them to match the über delicate bean sprouts in texture once everybody jumped into the pan. I also added a sprinkling of shredded cabbage because I like cabbage in my Chinese dishes. Delicious sauce.
My husband just gave a rave review of this recipe. If dinner is good, I don’t usually hear anything but I do when things are a bit off. That’s why a compliment from him is extremely impressive. Will definitely make this again.
Thank you for sharing this Lynn! 🙂
Very tasty! Lots of prep! Next time I’ll use only 5 eggs so the pancakes don’t wander so much!
I originally thought this recipe had the wrong amount of chicken stock and was so disappointed in how mine turned out even though the flavor was AMAZING! It turns out that I misread how much chicken stock was for the egg mixture and the rest was for the gravy…My Bad! Now that I’ve reviewed the recipe, I am determined to make this again. This was so delicious, I used browned ground pork for. Other than that I used all of the same ingredients listed, Thank you!
I’ve tried making Egg Foo Young a few times since my favorite restaurant for it closed some time ago. Since I don’t care for mushrooms or peppers, I chop up broccoli really fine instead and add chopped cherry tomatoes sometimes. I’m not a fan of frying anything, only because of grease splattering, and I found a recipe for BAKED Egg Foo Young. So, I might try it in a round pan instead of the 9×13 pan it recommends, or even in a muffin pan to get the nice round shape that I don’t seem to get frying in the skillet. Plus, then I won’t have to make only a couple at a time, and can get it all done in one swift move.
Cant wait to try this recipe it looks so delicious
Really good, I served it with fried rice on the side and it was really delicious. Thanks.
I made this and it was delicious! I recommend that a double batch of sauce should be made as it it so good over the rice and egg foo tungsten!
Excellent as written but for weight watchers use 3whole eggs and 3 egg whites and only a splash of chicken broth to the eggs. No gravy needed. I think the trick is getting the outside crispy brown. I only had asparagus, spinach, green onions,mushrooms, and bean sprouts…no meat is really needed unless you have some leftover.
Can’t wait to make this. One of my favourite meals. Love the recipes you share here.
Thank you so much Christine! 🙂
My husband came home and asked for egg foo young for dinner. I found your recipe and it was awesome. I will definitely try this again.
Had this for dinner tonight. We liked it very much. I only used 1 1/2 Tbsp soy sauce and added 1Tbsp of oyster sauce. It was really good. We will be enjoying this again! Thank you.
Thank you Gretta!
I made a double batch and my family ate every bit of it.. We all had to have seconds..
I love it! The gooey gravy makes it pretty hard to resist 😉
Morning Caroline, Feel like making chicken egg foo young for dinner. Thanx for the recipe.
Jude
Love your recipe. Looks so easy and good! Thanks for sharing! 🙂
Thank you Sylvie Ann!
This looks soon good! I’ll make this for breakfast tomorrow. Thank you so much!
This recipe for Chicken Egg foo young looks so delicious! I will have to make this for my family! Thanks for sharing.