My easy and delicious Mongolian chicken recipe is sweet, savory, and nutty. It’s a kid friendly meal that can be served with a side of rice or on top of noodles. The steps are easy to follow and the dish can be made in about 20 minutes.
Why I love this recipe
Stir fries are my go-to time saving dishes and this recipe is no different! Mongolian chicken is one of these easy chicken stir fries I love to make when I want a meal that’s full of flavor, without having to spend too much time in the kitchen.
While the classic Mongolian stir fry is usually made with flank steak, bell peppers, onions, and tossed in a sweet sauce made of hoisin sauce, sugar, soy sauce, and chilis, I prefer something a little lighter and less sweet. My recipe consists of tender and velvety pieces of chicken dressed in a sauce that’s just the right balance of sweet and savory. And I’ve added plenty of vivid green scallions to add a refreshing element.
Table of contents
Ingredients
Scroll down to the recipe card for the full recipe.
- Chicken: I use boneless, skinless chicken breast for this recipe but feel free to use any type or cut of chicken you like.
- Cornstarch: Cornstarch helps in keeping the chicken pieces moist. It also gives the sauce its classic gooey texture that we’ve all come to love when it comes to Chinese food.
- Oil: I recommend a neutral oil with a high smoke point such as vegetable oil or grapeseed oil. Peanut oil also works for this recipe.
- Garlic and ginger: Both the garlic and ginger add a little heat and some aromatics.
- Soy sauce: You can use regular soy sauce or Chinese dark soy sauce (not the Thai type as it’s too sweet). My go-to soy sauce is Yamasa.
- Chicken stock: I use low-sodium chicken stock but regular chicken stock can also be used.
- Sugar: A little light brown sugar or regular granulated sugar is added to balance the saltiness of the other ingredients.
- Toasted sesame oil: Toasted sesame oil is drizzled at the very end to add nuttiness.
- Scallions: Plenty of chopped scallions are tossed into the stir fry to bring a bright and crunchy element.
Recipe Variations
- Make it vegan: Use extra firm tofu or tofu cutlets instead of chicken. And swap the chicken stock for vegetable stock.
- Make it spicy: Add chili oil instead of sesame oil at the very end. Or, add 3 or 4 chopped dried red chilies to the wok, at the same time as the chicken.
How To Make It
- Gather all of your kitchen tools and ingredients.
- Dust the chicken with cornstarch and leave it for a few minutes.
- Stir fry the chicken on medium high heat until it’s fully cooked.
- Add the garlic and ginger and toss them in the wok along with the chicken.
- Add the soy sauce, chicken stock, and brown sugar, and cook until the sauce thickens.
- Drizzle the toasted sesame oil on top and add the scallions. Serve.
Expert Tip
- What makes Mongolian chicken so delicious is partly due to the way the chicken is prepared. Tossing the chicken in cornstarch tenderizes it and gives it a moist and velvety texture.
- Cooking with higher quality chicken such as pasture raised organic chicken not only tastes better, it’s also healthier.
Storage and Reheating
Fridge: Let the Mongolian chicken cool down to room temperature. Transfer the stir fry to an airtight storage container and refrigerate for up to 3 days.
Freezer: Let the Mongolian chicken cool down to room temperature. Transfer the stir fry to an airtight storage container or a storage bag – or bags, if you like to save the dish into individual portions. Store it in the freezer for up to 2 months.
Reheating: To reheat, microwave on medium heat (so the chicken doesn’t get too dry) for a couple of minutes. If the chicken is frozen, let it thaw in the fridge overnight before microwaving.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes you can make this dish gluten-free. Simply swap regular soy sauce for gluten-free soy sauce or tamari. And use cornstarch that’s 100% pure, that’s preferably labeled gluten-free.
Yes you can. You can use beef, pork, shrimp, or tofu for this recipe. But keep in mind that the cooking time for each protein will vary. Beef and pork will take about the same time as chicken, while shrimp and tofu will take less.
Of course you can double it! I would recommend to double it if you are someone who likes to drizzle sauce over your rice or noodles.
What To Serve With My Recipe
Beside pairing nicely with a bowl of white rice or noodles, my Mongolian chicken also goes well with brown rice, cauliflower rice, even quinoa!
The classic flavors of soy sauce and sesame oil means that this dish is the perfect main to serve with Chinese dishes such as eggplant with garlic sauce, Chinese green beans with garlic sauce, mushroom dumplings with dumpling sauce, or a baby bok choy soup. Other Asian dishes like Japanese fried rice (yakimeshi), bihon pancit, miso soup, onigiri, and Korean cucumber salad are also delicious with this stir fry.
Other stir fries you might like: Stir fried napa cabbage, shrimp stir fry, moo goo gai pan, honey ginger tofu stir fry, Singapore chow mei fun, chicken broccoli stir fry, Szechuan chicken.
Did you like this recipe? Did you make changes you would like to share? Share your tips and recommendations in the comment section below!
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Mongolian Chicken
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 2 servings 1x
- Category: Stir fry
- Method: Stir frying
- Cuisine: Chinese
Description
This is a quick and delicious Mongolian chicken recipe that’s both sweet and savory.
Ingredients
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast, chopped bite size
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, or other neutral oil with a high smoke point
- 1/2 teaspoon ginger, peeled and minced
- 1 tablespoon garlic, minced
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 1/2 cup low sodium chicken stock
- 2 tablespoons light brown sugar or granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- 4 scallions, chopped bite size on the bias
Instructions
- Cover the chicken with cornstarch: In a bowl, mix chicken pieces with cornstarch until all the pieces are evenly coated.
- Warm up the wok: Place a wok or a deep skillet over medium high heat. When the wok is hot, add the oil and swirl it around to coat the surface.
- Cook the chicken: Add the chicken and stir fry until it’s cooked through – about 4 to 5 minutes.
- Add the aromatics: Add the ginger and garlic and cook for 2 minutes.
- Add the ingredients for the sauce: Add the soy sauce, chicken stock, and sugar, and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until the sauce thickens.
- Add nuttiness and a refreshing crunch: Turn the heat off and add the toasted sesame oil and scallions.
- Serve: Stir well and serve with white rice or noodles.
Notes
Store the leftovers in an airtight storage container for up to 3 days.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 485
- Sugar: 10.1g
- Sodium: 1971.7mg
- Fat: 15.7g
- Saturated Fat: 4.1g
- Unsaturated Fat: 3.5g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 28g
- Fiber: 0.9g
- Protein: 54.9g
- Cholesterol: 174mg
Questions and Reviews
I added a splash more soy and a splash of mirin. Wish I had cashews that would have been great!
Thank you Dennis! 🙂
Super delicious sauce and tender chicken. I didn’t have fresh ginger so I used what I had on hand, ground ginger. Also, because I made on a whim, didn’t have sesame oil so i toasted some sesame seeds in a bit of olive oil. Other than that made as directed. Simple and tasty over rice with green beans!
Thank you so much Karin! 🙂