This Hoisin Chicken is everything you love about your favorite Chinese takeout dish - Juicy chicken, tender-crisp veg, and a glossy, flavor-packed sauce - but made fresh at home in under 30 minutes!
We use hoisin sauce as the base for the stir-fry, adding layers of flavor with soy sauce (light and dark!), honey, vinegar, and Chinese cooking wine. A bit of white pepper brings gentle warmth, and a clever baking soda trick makes sure the chicken stays meltingly tender.
This stir-fry is so colorful with red and green bell peppers, onions, garlic, and spring onions all sizzling together. It is sure to become a go-to in your dinner rotation. It's speedy, satisfying, and packed with flavor-what more could you want?
Ingredient Notes
These notes are here to help make this recipe a success; they cover some but not all ingredients. For a complete ingredient list, check out the recipe card below.
Chicken breast: Chicken breast is perfect for stir-fry recipes as it cooks quickly. Check out my top tip below for making it meltingly tender just like takeout!
Baking soda: This is also known as bicarb of soda, bicarbonate of soda, and sodium bicarbonate. This is what will tenderize the chicken. Don't get it muddled with baking powder!
Light soy sauce: This adds an extra salty flavor. You can just use more all-purpose if that is all you have.
Dark soy sauce: This adds color and flavor to the dish. If you don't have it available, just use more regular soy sauce.
Chicken broth: Use a low-sodium broth to avoid an overly salty sauce. It also wants to be cold so that the cornstarch dissolves smoothly without lumps. You can sub in veg broth.
Hoisin sauce: I recommend the Lee Kum Kee brand as I think it has the best flavor. But use what you can find in your local grocery store.
Chinese cooking wine: This is also known as Chinese Rice Wine, Shaohsing Rice Cooking Wine, Shaoxing Wine, or Shaoxing Cooking Wine. You can find it in most grocery stores in the Asian section. It is also readily available on Amazon, or you'll find it cheapest in your local Asian grocery store. You can use dry sherry or sake if you can't find Chinese Cooking Wine.
Cornstarch: This is called cornflour in some parts of the world. This thickens the sauce. If you want a very thick sauce, you can add another teaspoon. Or if you prefer a thinner sauce, use half the amount suggested.
Honey: Any honey works, or you can use sugar.
White pepper: White pepper adds a more authentic flavor, but you can substitute it with black pepper.
Spring onions: Also called green onions in some places. Look for ones that have a long white part and thin green tops.
Onion: I use a regular brown onion, but you can use a red, yellow, or white onion.
Bell Peppers: We like to do a mixture of colors here. Red and Green look pretty, but red and yellow would also be great. Or use two red bell peppers if you like.
Tenderizing Chicken
If you sprinkle the chicken with Baking Soda (also called Bicarb, Bicarbonate of Soda and Sodium Bicarbonate) it will break down the fibers in the meat and become so tender, just like your favorite takeout!
To do this you sprinkle just a small amount of baking soda over the chicken and then stir to coat. Let the chicken sit for 15 minutes before washing it really well in cold water to remove the baking soda.
Recipe Tips
We've tested this recipe at least 3 times to ensure it works well for you. Have a look at our tips for getting the best dish you can!
- After you tenderize the chicken, ensure you rinse it really well. Baking soda is wonderful for tenderizing, but it tastes awful, so you want to rinse the chicken thoroughly.
- Ensure the broth/stock is cold when you make the sauce, this stops your cornstarch from becoming lumpy.
- Have everything chopped and ready to go before you start cooking, as this is a quick cook.
- Chop the onion and bell peppers into large chunks so that they don't lose all their crunch when cooked.
- Before adding the sauce to the pan/wok, give it a final stir, as the cornstarch often sinks to the bottom.
- You don't need a wok to make this dish. If you have an electric stove top, a large, heavy-based skillet is better for the job as it will get hotter.
Why You'll Love This Hoisin Chicken
- It cooks quickly, so that you can have dinner on the table in under 30 minutes.
- It's easy to adapt and add extra veg if you like.
- It tastes like your favorite takeout.
- Perfect for the whole family; my kids love the tender chicken and crisp veggies.
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Recipe Adaptations
These are all just suggestions and things that have worked in our test kitchen, but it is your dinner, so adapt it to suit your family. That is the beauty of cooking; we can all create our own delicious meals.
- If you prefer, you can use chicken thighs instead of chicken breast, but then skip the tenderizing steps.
- Instead of chicken, you can use some beef strips (skirt steak is perfect) or stir-fry pork strips. They can be tenderized in the same way.
- Add extra veg to the stir-fry. Carrot, bean shoots, mushrooms, sugar snap peas, baby corn, or green beans all work well.
- If you like it spicy, add some red pepper flakes or a spoonful of garlic chili sauce to the sauce.
FAQ'S
Some of the questions that our testers have asked. If you have any other questions, please drop us a comment below and we'll get back to you as soon as we can.
Yes! Chicken thighs work beautifully in this recipe. They're naturally more juicy and flavorful, so you don't need to tenderize them. Just be sure to slice them thinly so they cook quickly and evenly.
It tenderizes it! A small amount of baking soda helps break down the proteins in the chicken, making it extra soft and tender, just like in your favorite takeout stir-fries.
If you don't have it, you can use dry sherry or mirin in a pinch. Or just leave it out-the hoisin sauce still brings a ton of flavor on its own.
The hoisin and honey do add some sweetness, but they are balanced out by the soy sauces, vinegar, and aromatics. If you prefer it less sweet, you can reduce the honey or use a low-sugar hoisin.
Absolutely! This stir-fry is very adaptable. Try adding mushrooms, snow peas, broccoli, baby corn, carrot, bean shoots, sugar snap peas, or green beans-whatever your family loves or whatever's in the fridge.
Yes! The chicken can be sliced and tenderized in advance, the veg can be cut, and the sauce can be mixed ahead of time. It reheats well, so leftovers are great for lunch the next day.
Unfortunately not. Sauces that have been thickened with cornstarch don't freeze well. They end up very runny when defrosted.
If you like a bit of heat, there are a few easy ways to spice things up! You can add a teaspoon (or more!) of chili garlic sauce, sriracha, or sambal oelek to the sauce mixture. A pinch of red pepper flakes or a dash of hot sauce will also do the trick. Start small and adjust to your taste-you can always add more heat, but you can't take it out!
Serving Suggestions
What to eat with Hoisin Chicken
This Hoisin Chicken is perfect for serving with rice or noodles. We often have it with plain white rice that I stir corn and peas through at the end of cooking (plus a sprinkle of Chinese cooking wine and some light soy sauce).
As there is a lot of delicious sauce, I dooften make a batch of Steamed Mantou Buns for dipping. Or I might make some fried rice but only if I am feeling super organised! 😉
What to drink with Hoisin Chicken
Hoisin Chicken has that wonderful sweet-salty-savory profile with rich umami from the hoisin and soy, a bit of sweetness from honey, and some tang from the vinegar.
A Gewürztraminer balances the salty-sweet hoisin sauce and won't clash with the soy or garlic. Or if you want something crisp, clean, and refreshing, go for a Pinot Gris.
If you prefer a red, go for a lighter red like a Pinot Noir; it works nicely with the sauce's sweetness and won't clash with the umami.
A crisp and cold Pilsner is perfect for balancing the sweet and salty sauce.
And if you're skipping alcohol, an Iced Jasmine Tea is super refreshing alongside bold hoisin flavors.
Enjoy x
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Get the Recipe
Hoisin Chicken
Ingredients
For the chicken
- 14 oz chicken breast thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon baking soda (Note 1)
- 1 tablespoon light soy sauce (Note 2)
For the sauce
- ½ cup chicken broth cold (Note 3)
- ¼ cup hoisin sauce
- 3 tablespoons Chinese cooking wine (Note 4)
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch (Note 5)
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon honey
- ½ tablespoon dark soy sauce (Note 6)
- 1 teaspoon rice wine vinegar
- ¼ teaspoon white pepper
For the stir-fry
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 3 green onions cut 2-inch/5cm chunks (Note 7)
- 1 onion thickly sliced (Note 8)
- 1 red bell pepper chopped into chunks (Note 9)
- 1 green bell pepper chopped into chunks (Note 9)
- 3 cloves garlic thinly sliced
Instructions
Start with tenderizing the chicken.
- Place the chicken in a non-metallic bowl and sprinkle with the baking soda. Stir gently to coat all of the chicken. Then cover and let it marinate for 15 minutes.14 oz chicken breast1 tablespoon baking soda
- Wash off the baking soda and rinse the chicken several times. (See note 10)
- Pat the chicken dry with kitchen paper, sprinkle it with light soy sauce, and set it to one side.1 tablespoon light soy sauce
Next, make the sauce.
- Add all the sauce ingredients into a large measuring cup/jug and stir well. Ensure the broth is cold to stop the cornstarch from clumping.½ cup chicken broth¼ cup hoisin sauce3 tablespoons Chinese cooking wine2 tablespoons cornstarch1 tablespoon soy sauce1 tablespoon honey½ tablespoon dark soy sauce1 teaspoon rice wine vinegar¼ teaspoon white pepper
For the stir-fry
- Pour the oil into a heavy-based frying pan or wok and place over high heat.2 tablespoons oil
- Once the oil is smoking, add the green onions (be careful, it can spit) and stir fry them for 1 minute to flavor the oil.3 green onions
- Add the chicken to the pan and cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly.
- Add the chopped onion and bell peppers to the pan and cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly.1 onion1 red bell pepper1 green bell pepper
- Add the sliced garlic and stir constantly for 30 seconds.3 cloves garlic
- Give the prepared sauce another stir, then pour it into the pan. The sauce will thicken quickly, so stir it to coat your stir-fry and cook for 30 seconds. (see note 5).
- Serve immediately.
Notes
- Baking soda is also known as bicarb of soda, bicarbonate of soda, or sodium bicarbonate. Don't get it muddled with baking powder that won't tenderize your meat.
- Light Soy Sauce adds extra seasoning to the chicken; you can just use more all-purpose if that is all you have.
- When making the sauce, make sure the broth is cold; this will ensure the cornstarch/cornflour doesn't clump together. You can sub in veg broth.
- You can buy Chinese cooking wine in the Asian section of the grocery store, but you can use dry sherry or sake if you can't find it. (See bulk of post for more information on Chinese Cooking Wine)
- Cornstarch is called cornflour in some parts of the world. This thickens the sauce. The sauce thickens quickly to that authentic, thick Chinese takeout-style sauce. If you aren't a fan of the thick coating takeaway-style sauces, you can reduce the quantity of cornstarch to 1 tablespoon if you want a thinner sauce.
- Dark soy sauce adds color and flavor to the dish. If you don't have it available, just use more regular soy sauce.
- Green onions are also known as scallions in the US. They are known as Spring Onions in the UK and Australia.
- I use a regular brown onion, but you can use a red, yellow, or white onion.
- We like to use a mixture of colors here. Red and Green look pretty, but red and yellow would also be great. Or use two red bell peppers if you like.
- Ensure you wash the chicken well to remove any traces of baking soda. It is incredible at tenderizing meat, but it tastes terrible, so you want to remove it.
Nutrition
Nutrition is per serving
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