This Mongolian chicken is crispy slices of chicken breast stir fried in a sweet and savory sauce. A restaurant favorite that tastes even better when you make it at home!
I’m a huge fan of Mongolian beef, but I have to say, I think I may like this easy Mongolian chicken even better. The chicken is perfectly crispy on the edges and the sauce has the perfect balance of flavors.
I recently ordered Mongolian chicken at my local Chinese restaurant instead of my go-to Mongolian beef, and boy am I hooked. I decided I needed to learn how to make this dish at home, and it’s been on constant rotation in our house ever since.
How do you make Mongolian chicken?
This recipe starts with thin pieces of chicken breast. I recommend partially freezing your chicken breasts to make them easier to slice. You can cube your chicken if that’s easier, but I think the long thin slices are better because they have more surface area for the sauce to cling to. The chicken is coated in cornstarch and stir fried until crispy.
What is Mongolian sauce made of?
The crispy chicken pieces are coated in Mongolian sauce which is a combination of soy sauce, sesame oil and brown sugar. This dish also gets its flavor from the garlic, ginger and green onions that are added in during the cooking process.
Tips for Mongolian chicken
I keep this dish true to the restaurant version by just including chicken and green onions in the sauce. You can absolutely add more vegetables if you like, some great choices are
- Zucchini
- Water chestnuts
- Sliced carrots
- Broccoli
- Mushrooms
- Red peppers
I typically serve Mongolian chicken over steamed rice, but it’s also great over zucchini noodles or cauliflower rice if you’re looking to watch your carbs. If you’re not watching your carbs, try it with a side of chow mein.
If you’re not a fan of chicken breast, feel free to use chicken thighs in this dish. Or try something completely different and use shrimp instead of chicken, I’ve done that before and it’s fabulous. Regardless of how you choose to serve it, Mongolian chicken is sure to be a hit! My kids like it so much that they even ask to have it for lunch the next day.
More asian dishes you’ll enjoy
- Sweet and Sour Chicken
- Chicken Lettuce Wraps
- Pepper Steak
- Slow Cooker Orange Chicken
- Homemade Egg Rolls
Mongolian Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 pounds boneless skinless chicken breast thinly sliced
- 1/4 cup + 2 teaspoons cornstarch divided use
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon minced ginger
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- 1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce
- 1/3 cup water
- 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
- 1/2 cup green onions cut into 1 inch pieces
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Place the chicken and 1/4 cup cornstarch in a resealable plastic bag, shake to coat evenly.
- Heat the vegetable oil in a large pan over high heat
- Add the chicken to the pan in a single layer and season to taste with salt and pepper (keeping in mind the sauce has plenty of salt in it!).
- Cook for 3-4 minutes per side or until browned. Cook in multiple batches if needed.
- Remove the chicken from the pan and place on a plate lined with paper towels
- Add the garlic and ginger to the pan and cook for 30 seconds. Add the soy sauce, sesame oil, water and brown sugar to the pan and bring to a simmer.
- Mix the 2 teaspoons of cornstarch with 1 tablespoon of cold water. Add the cornstarch to the sauce and bring to a boil; boil for 30-60 seconds until just thickened.
- Add the chicken and green onions to the pan and toss to coat with the sauce. Serve over rice if desired.
This recipe was so delicious, I added mushrooms and water chestnuts will do this again
Would you recommend using a stainless steel or nonstick pan for the Mongolian chicken? I’ve made your slow cooker Mongolian beef dozens of times and it’s always been a big hit! Can’t wait to try this recipe! Thanks
I always use a nonstick pan!
This was outstanding!! I did cut down on the brown sugar to about 2TB after reading the reviews and added broccoli. Will absolutely make this again soon.
Delicious! Pretty quick and easy to make. Chicken was tender with the best crispy edges. Added zucchini and mushrooms to use up (cooked first and set aside, added cooked chicken to same bowl while making the sauce). Cut sugar in half and was still too sweet for our taste, will reduce further to 2 Tbls and add some heat, probably a little garlic chili paste. Thanks for sharing another delicious recipe!!
As other comments suggested the sweetness was too much, I reduced sugar to 1/4C. I also added a little msg but no salt of any kind.
It was perfect for us and truly Chinese carry out delicious! Pinned to use repeatedly. Thank you!
I love this recipe- simple and delicious. I make it with dark meat. 10 prep time is a nonsensical outright lie however. Chopping the chicken and mincing the garlic and ginger will take most people a lot longer
wow
Wow! This might be one of the best things I have made in a long time. A good and accurate recipe.
A bit time consuming, usually I am more of a one pot dump and go person, but worth it! I am lazy, so I used jarred minced garlic and ginger powder – still tasted great. I added some Hoisin sauce to the sauce (I love the sweetness of it), and at the end, I added red pepper flakes for some extra spice (both not required, though).
I put mine over lo mein store bought noodles. I put the leftovers in the fridge, and a few days later, I think it was even better than the first day!
Thanks for sharing!
My family loves this They seem to not want to go out for Chinese food anymore.
So this is perfect instead. !
Very good! Added onions and broccoli and it was a huge hit. My husband rarely raves about things I make, but said this was the best Chinese I’ve ever made. 🙂
Easy to make, I think it would taste better with chicken broth or something to cut the salt. Believe me I like salt, but the sugar did not cut it enough.
Would this be ok to use for meal prepping for 5 days in advance?
I typically recommend storing cooked meat for no longer than 3 days for food safety!