This Chinese Chicken and Mushrooms is so quick and easy to make at home you’ll forget where you put the takeout menu. Delicious, quick and easy!
The chicken is cooked over high heat with mushrooms and green onions, then finished in a wonderful savory Chinese brown gravy. Serve it with fried rice or noodles or with stir-fried veggies for a family dinner that is quick and healthy.
Plus get my tips for the most tender chicken ever just like your favorite takeaway. And how to make an authentic flavored sauce.
I have quite a few takeout style recipes on the blog now, so you probably know everything I am going to say! But for new readers or those over from pinterest (Hiya x), I am going to say them again for you. Feel free to use the jump buttons and skip to the recipe, but I am sharing some top tips up here!
Jump Menu
Do you need a wok?
I love cooking with my wok, it always makes me feel efficient and professional. (I don't like the fact I have to handwash it though!)
BUT you really don't need a wok to make my takeout style Chinese chicken and mushroom. In fact, because most household hobs don't have wok burners on them, you'll find that a large heavy-based skillet or frying pan will do the job better than a wok. This is because you want to use high heat for your stir fry cooking. With a frying pan, the flat base is in full contact with all of the heat source, so it gets really hot. With the shaped bottom of a wok, a small portion of the pan is on the heat source.
Commercial kitchens will have burners that the wok can sit down into, so they get the high heat that way. But for the home cook, a good frying pan can be just as effective, certainly for saucy dishes like this chicken and mushroom.
You can read more about this in my Takeout Style Beef and Broccoli post.
How do Chinese restaurants make chicken so tender?
The Chinese takeaway near you serves the softest and most tender chicken. Am I right?
This is because Chinese restaurants go through a process called velveting chicken. It makes the chicken soft and tender, like velvet. There are a couple of ways to do it, but my favorite way is to use baking soda.
If you sprinkle meat with Baking Soda (also called Bicarb, Bicarbonate of Soda and Sodium Bicarbonate) it will break down the fibers and become so tender. Don’t get it muddled with baking powder, that won’t tenderize your meat.
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 to remove the baking soda. Pat the chicken dry before you fry it to ensure it doesn’t sweat as you cook it.
To read about the science behind this process check out my post for Takeout Style Chicken and Snow Pea.
How to make your stir fry take like a takeout one
The key to great tasting stir fry sauces is the authentic ingredients. These add the special something to your dishes. Don't worry though, these are easy to find in larger grocery stores and are all readily available online or in Asian grocers/supermarkets.
These few ingredients will transform your sauce. If you love Chinese and takeout dishes, then they are worth buying. They will last you several dishes and cannot be beaten for flavor.
Oyster sauce – a thick rich brown sauce that adds so much depth and a good hit of Chinese saltiness. You can buy it in grocery stores across the world now. (Lee Kum Kee Panda brand is my favorite)
Chinese Cooking Wine – Also known as Chinese Rice Wine, Shaohsing Rice Cooking Wine, Shaoxing wine or Shaoxing Cooking Wine. You can find this in most grocery stores in the Asian section. Just don’t get it confused with rice wine vinegar!!! If you can’t find Chinese Cooking Wine, just use dry sherry or sake if you have it.
Top tips for making chicken and mushroom
- Tenderize the chicken in baking soda (see above for detailed pictures)
- Prepare your green onions, mushroom, and garlic before you start cooking. Chinese stir-frying is fast cooking so you need everything prepped before you start.
- For a truly authentic flavor invest in two great Chinese ingredients (you can find them in the grocery store or online). It will make ALL the difference.
- Use cold stock in your sauce to ensure you don't get lumps.
- Mix the sauce ingredients together before you start cooking, but ensure you whisk it well before you add it to the pan.
- For the best heat use a flat bottom frying pan/skillet (see above for why)
What to serve with Chinese Chicken and Mushroom
The savory Chinese gravy in this chicken and mushroom recipe is so delicious that we often just serve this with plain white rice or egg fried rice. We also love it with Mantou steamed buns and some stir-fried veggies. (my Bok Choy recipe is coming soon!)
Enjoy x
Pin this recipe for Chinese Chicken and Mushroom. Pin it here.
Takeout Style Chinese Chicken and Mushroom
Ingredients
For the stir fry
- 1 lb chicken breasts
- 1 ½ tbsp bicarb of soda - see note 1
- 2½ cups sliced mushrooms
- 1 clove garlic
- 2 green onions - see note 2
- 1 tbsp oil
For the sauce
- ¾ cup cold chicken stock/broth - see note 3
- 3 tbsp cornstarch
- 2 tbsp Chinese Cooking Wine - see note 4
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp oyster sauce
- 2 teaspoon sesame oil
- ½ tsp pepper - white is traditional
- 1 tsp sugar
Instructions
Start with tenderizing the chicken
- Cut the chicken into thin strips across the grain.
- Place in a bowl and sprinkle with the baking soda, stir gently to coat all of the chicken. Then cover and let the chicken marinate for 15 minutes.
- Wash off the baking soda and rinse the chicken several times. (See note 5)
- Pat the chicken dry with kitchen paper and set to one side.
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.
For the stir fry
- Pour the oil into a heavy-based frying pan and place over high heat.
- Whilst the oil is heating up remove the roots from the green onions and chop them into 2-inch (5cm) length chunks.
- Add the green onions to the oil (be careful it can spit) and stir fry them for 1 minute to flavor the oil.
- Add the chicken to the pan and cook for 2 minutes stirring constantly.
- Add in the chopped mushrooms and stir fry for a further 2 minutes.
- Add the sliced garlic and stir constantly for a minute.
- Give the prepared sauce another stir and then pour it into the pan. The sauce will thicken quickly so stir it to coat your stir fry. (see note 6).
- Serve immediately.
Notes
- Baking soda is also known as bicarb of soda, bicarbonate of soda and sodium bicarbonate. Don’t get it muddled with baking powder, that won’t tenderise you meat.
- Green onions are also known as scallions in the US. And are known as Spring Onions in the UK and Australia.
- Make sure the broth is cold, this will ensure that the cornstarch/cornflour dissolves fully and doesn’t clump together.
- You can buy Chinese cooking wine in the Asian section of the grocery store, but if you can’t find it then you can use dry sherry. (See bulk of post for more information on Chinese Cooking Wine)
- Make sure you wash the chicken really well to remove any traces of baking soda. It is amazing at tenderizing meat, but has a terrible taste so you want to remove it.
- The sauce thickens quickly to that real thick Chinese takeout style sauce. If you aren’t a fan of the thick coating takeaway style sauces then you can reduce the quantity of cornstarch to 1 ½ tbsp if you just want a thinner sauce.
Nutrition
Michele says
Can I thicken with gravy granules or even flour instead of cornstarch/cornflour as my husband and I can never find it I'm Sainsbury's? And I really want to make this dish.
Claire McEwen says
Hi Michele,
I don’t think that gravy granules would work, as to add enough to make it thick, I think you’d end up with a very strong flavour.
You could potentially use flour, but I would cook the sauce separately first to thicken as it will take longer than cornflour and everything else would overcook.
I am really surprised that your Sainsbury’s doesn’t have cornflour, most stores are usually pretty well stocked. Although it is 10 years since I have been in the UK, but I checked with my sister and she can get it in her large Sainsbury’s (near Chelmsford) so I would definitely be asking in your local store as it is quite a common ingredient and they should be able to stock it quite easily as other stores do.
(It is just called cornflour in the UK)
I hope that helps
Cx
Jenny says
I made this for my lunch the other day and it was delicious! Do you think it could be frozen?
Claire McEwen says
Sadly it doesn't freeze very well.
The sauce goes quite runny and doesn't thicken up again when heated and the mushrooms can sometimes go a bit rubbery.
Sorry.
But you can half the recipe if that helps. On my site if you hover over the serving size you can change it and it will automatically change the ingredient quantities in the list.
Hope that helps a little
Cx
Jeremy Nelson says
We made this tonight. We added sugar snap peas for another vegetable element. The sauce is fantastic. We cut the cornstarch by half and tossed with rice noodles. It was amazing. We used white pepper and the 1/2 teaspoon was a little too spicy for us. I would cut that in half next time.
Julie says
Can you use a chicken stock cube as couldn’t get the right one and also cornflour to thicken it
Claire McEwen says
You could definitely use chicken stock cube (just make it up as directed on the box and then use the required amount for the recipe) I use stock cubes and powder all the time.
You don't need to add any extra cornflour to the stock cube mixture, the cornflour (cornstarch) in the recipe is more than enough to thicken stock cube stock.
Hope that helps 🙂
Cx
Claire McEwen says
Hi Michele,
I don't think that gravy granules would work, as to add enough to make it thick, I think you'd end up with a very strong flavour.
You could potentially use flour, but I would cook the sauce separately first to thicken as it will take longer than cornflour and everything else would overcook.
I am really surprised that your Sainsbury's doesn't have cornflour, most stores are usually pretty well stocked. Although it is 10 years since I have been in the UK, but I checked with my sister and she can get it in her large Sainsbury's (near Chelmsford) so I would definitely be asking in your local store as it is quite a common ingredient and they should be able to stock it quite easily as other stores do.
(It is just called cornflour in the UK)
I hope that helps
Cx
Wendy says
I followed the recipe exactly and it was fabulous! Thank you so much for sharing. This will be added to my keepers.
Claire McEwen says
Oh I am so pleased you enjoyed it Wendy. It is a recipe I find so many people love 🙂
Thank you for taking the time to come back and comment!
Cx
Sonny Owen-Starkey says
Hi, I have not tried this yet but will be on Saturday. I just want to know what type of mushroom you use in this? I love your recipes thank you
Regards Sonny
Claire McEwen says
Hi Sonny,
Sorry for the late reply, I just use standard white mushrooms or baby Bellas for the recipe.
Hope that helps 🙂
Cx
Jeremy Nelson says
You can use any type of mushroom. We made this tonight with hen of the woods and it was delicious. We also added sugar snap peas. Added a nice sweet element.
Madel says
I use potato starch to tenderize the pieces of chicken and let it rest in the fridge for a while; no need to rinse and pat dry chicken pieces with kitchen towels; it saves a lot of time and makes the chicken very tender.
Also, I would put slices of fresh ginger, 2 cloves of garlic instead of one and would add more pieces of scallions just before serving. I liked the sauce recipe !
Claire McEwen says
Oh that is really interesting about the potato starch, I will have to try that tip 🙂
Cx
Sharon Jackson says
Hi planning on making this tonight what can I use instead of sesame oil ? or will leaving it out make a difference?
Claire McEwen says
I would just leave it out, it is more for the flavor than the oil.
Hope you enjoy it 🙂
Cx
carol Inciso says
Thank you for sharing, it's light and so delicious .
Stay safe in these rough times.
Claire McEwen says
I am so pleased you enjoyed it Carol.
You stay safe and healthy too!
Cx
Tryn says
I've made this two nights in a row. It is THAT delicious! The second night I doubled the sauce recipe and added chopped, blanched asparagus. Served it over brown Jasmine rice! Absolutely delicious! I used Shaoxing and Pearl River Superior light soy sauce. It tasted better than takeout! Don't skip velveting the chicken! Thank you for the recipe!
Claire McEwen says
Oh thank you!!! I am so pleased you enjoyed it.
I am loving the addition of asparagus! I bet my kids would enjoy that too! (Always looking for ways to get them to eat more veg!)
Thank you for coming back to comment.
Cx
Nebs says
Hi, I don't cook with sherry or wine. Any substitutes? 🙁
Claire McEwen says
I would sub in 2 tablespoons of water mixed with 1 tsp of vinegar (anything but balsamic). It won't be quite the same but it should be pretty close.
Hope that helps
Cx
Alyssa says
Just made this last night and it was fantastic! Everyone loved it - even my 4 year old. Plus, I have never used baking soda that way - learned something new. And it is super low points for those doing Weight Watchers!
Claire McEwen says
Oh I am so happy you enjoyed it!! I love hearing that! So good to know that it works for WW as well!
p.s
Isn't baking soda the best!!!!
Mary J says
Very nice dish that tasted like it came from a restaurant! Thanks for the encouragement to get oyster sauce and cooking wine. (I forgot to add sesame oil but still tasted great). I am not very confident in the kitchen. I appreciate your tip about not using wet chicken and also the baking soda trick! We will be making again! Thanks very much 🙂
Claire McEwen says
Oh I am so pleased you enjoyed it Mary and thank you so much for the wonderful comment. We love Chinese takeout made at home 🙂
Now you have the oyster sauce and cooking wine there'll be no stopping you, they make so much difference don't they!
(Check out my other takeout style recipes for other dishes that use them as well, we especially love the Happy Family Stir Fry.)
Thank you again for coming back to comment and I am so pleased you found the recipe useful.
Cx
Cheri says
We had a "Chinese" night and I made this oh boy oh boy was it ever yummy. I couldn't find the oyster sauce so it wasn't in there and not sure what difference it would make but I won't bother looking for it anymore. This is a definite make again. I also used arrowroot instead of cornstarch and it was fine. I did not add the sugar either.
Claire McEwen says
Hi Cheri!
Thank you for the comment, great to know that it works without the oyster sauce, I know bigger grocery stores stock it, but if you love the recipe without it then even better 🙂
I don't cook with arrowroot very often, so that is an awesome thing that other readers might be interested in.
So happy you loved it
Cx