Easy chicken chop suey cooked in a delicate savory sauce. This simple recipe is great if you are busy but still want homemade Chinese! Ready in less than 20 minutes.
Chicken Chop Suey Recipe
I read somewhere that chicken chop suey is making a come back. The mild and gooey chicken stir fry, classic American-Chinese dish of my youth is once again becoming trendy.
That’s good news for me since I used to make a beeline straight to the chop suey chafer dish every time we took a trip to Jade Garden – or whatever our local Chinese all-you-can-eat buffet restaurant was called (it was a long, long time ago).
The thing I remember most about chicken chop suey is how tender and extremely moist the meat was. Our restaurant version also came packed with bean sprouts, and coated in a clear, gooey sauce.
The generous pinch of ground white pepper made quite a statement as it stood out from the otherwise, mild and delicate flavors of the dish.
I guess it’s safe to say that chicken chop suey is a pretty bland dish to have when put up against Szechuan flavors, or anything with brown sauce like beef and broccoli. But it’s something I’ve always tremendously enjoyed for the simple reason that the sauce let’s the flavors of each ingredient shine.
It’s a chicken based dish that tastes like chicken – a naked stir fry of some sort.
Plus, I’m a sucker for anything that comes with a sticky, gooey sauce!
Chicken chop suey makes a great take-to-work lunch as it won’t give you crazy breath (like a super garlicky hummus wrap I had on Friday, right before going to a fitting – needless to say I’ve learned my lesson).
You’ll get your Chinese food fix and still be able to hang out with friends 😛
Did you like this Chicken Chop Suey Recipe? Are there changes you made that you would like to share? Share your tips and recommendations in the comments section below!
Serve this recipe with a side of Japanese rice. Watch our video on How To Make Japanese Rice the stove top or rice cooker method!
Easy chicken chop suey cooked in a delicate savory sauce. This simple recipe is great if you are busy but still want homemade Chinese! Ready in less than 20 minutes.
3/4 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast or fillet (chopped bite size)
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 cloves garlic (minced)
3 stalks celery (chopped on the bias)
1 cup red bell pepper (chopped bite size)
1 cup bean sprouts
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1/4 cup chicken stock
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon cornstarch mixed with 2 tablespoons water
ground white pepper
Instructions
Fill a medium pot with water and bring to a boil. Turn the heat off, add chicken, cover and let sit for 10 minutes. Drain, chop chicken (or shred using your finger) into bite size pieces and set aside.
In a large pan over medium high heat, add vegetable oil and garlic and fry for 30 seconds. Add celery and red bell pepper and cook for 5 minutes, until celery softens but still yields a crunch.
Add bean sprout and chicken and cook for 1 minute, until chicken is warm.
Add oyster sauce, soy sauce, chicken stock and sesame oil and stir well.
Add cornstarch and water mix and stir until the mixture thickens.
Turn the heat off, season with a good amount of white ground pepper and serve hot.
Notes
This Chicken Chop Suey Recipe will keep refrigerated for up to 2-3 days.
I prefer using Japanese soy sauce in my cooking to other types because it’s milder and has a flavor that easily pairs well with any dish. Kikkoman is the most well known soy sauce but I prefer using Yamasa for its slightly less salty taste. Plus, it’s the brand that my mother has been using for years - and I trust her palate almost more than my own!
Just read the ingredients list. For those reading this and are not familiar with cooking Chinese style or Cantonese style, I’d like to point out an ingredient and it is oyster sauce. You should use it sparingly as it is very salty. However, should you taste the same dish made without and with the oyster sauce, you would notice a great difference. It is a magical flavoring agent. Used wisely, it is wonderful.
Lastly, the white pepper gives the sauce a touch of peppery bite of peppery heat.
And yes, I will be trying this recipe as it is very similar to my own.
Caroline Caron-Phelps is a Japanese/French Canadian recipe creator, food blogger, and photographer. She showcases delicious, authentic Asian recipes, especially Japanese, vegan, and vegetarian, with beautiful photography, easy-to-follow instructions, videos, and practical recipe variations. Caroline has been featured on Bon Appetit, Shape Magazine, Self, Today Show, and more.
have made this several times and love it. I add about 1/4 lb of cook ground beef or pork the gravy base.
★★★★
That’s great Tom!
Hello Folks,
Just read the ingredients list. For those reading this and are not familiar with cooking Chinese style or Cantonese style, I’d like to point out an ingredient and it is oyster sauce. You should use it sparingly as it is very salty. However, should you taste the same dish made without and with the oyster sauce, you would notice a great difference. It is a magical flavoring agent. Used wisely, it is wonderful.
Lastly, the white pepper gives the sauce a touch of peppery bite of peppery heat.
And yes, I will be trying this recipe as it is very similar to my own.
Love colorful meals. This would be really one of the favorite one.
Thank you.
★★★★★