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Home » Asian Food » Mongolian Chicken

March 28, 2019 By Sara 104 Comments

Mongolian Chicken

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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.

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Mongolian chicken with green onions in a skillet.

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.

Crispy sliced chicken breast in a pan.

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.

Sliced chicken breast in a skillet with Mongolian sauce and green onions.

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.

Mongolian chicken served over a bowl of rice.

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 with green onions in a skillet.
Print Pin
5 from 61 votes

Mongolian Chicken

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!
Course Main
Cuisine Asian
Keyword mongolian chicken
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings 4
Calories 452kcal
Author Sara Welch

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.

Nutrition

Calories: 452kcal | Carbohydrates: 46g | Protein: 32g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Cholesterol: 90mg | Sodium: 739mg | Potassium: 652mg | Sugar: 27g | Vitamin A: 165IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 44mg | Iron: 1.6mg

Filed Under: Asian Food, Dinner Tagged With: Chicken

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Comments

  1. Donna lowery says

    October 20, 2020 at 3:13 pm

    5 stars
    This is by far the best Mongolian chicken recipe
    I’ve tried. So delicious. Thank you so much. My family and I loved it.

    Reply
  2. Jen says

    October 14, 2020 at 10:03 pm

    5 stars
    This was delicious! Was great with broccoli and steamed rice. I might make a bit more sauce next time and add the broccoli to the pan. My daughter is super picky and usually never eats anything with a sauce, but she loved this! Thank you!!

    Reply
  3. Katie J. says

    September 29, 2020 at 2:32 pm

    5 stars
    Just made this tonight and even my super picky 7yo who doesn’t like anything ate his whole dinner and asked for more chicken!

    Reply
  4. Nikki says

    September 2, 2020 at 3:47 pm

    Going to make this this evening, can I use regular sesame oil instead of toasted?? 🙂

    Reply
    • Sara says

      September 3, 2020 at 5:11 pm

      Yes that’s fine!

      Reply
  5. NJ Hemphill says

    August 14, 2020 at 5:59 pm

    5 stars
    wonderful….i love it, son loves it, littles love it…couldn’t ask for anything more 🙂 thanks!!!

    Reply
  6. Rachel Kefauver says

    August 8, 2020 at 7:35 pm

    5 stars
    GREAT recipe, thank you!!! Did use leeks instead of green onion and added sriracha an wine vinegar. YUM!!!!

    Reply
  7. Karen says

    July 23, 2020 at 7:58 am

    5 stars
    Made this for dinner last night. It was delicious. My husband had seconds. I had some broccoli I decided to throw that in. I served it over soba noodles. Thus is Dey going into the meal rotation.

    Reply
  8. Jen says

    July 15, 2020 at 4:57 pm

    5 stars
    Just made this for dinner tonight for me and my fiance, it was awesome! Followed the recipe exactly, served it over rice and added some broccoli. Will definitely make again and again! Can’t wait to eat the leftovers tomorrow:)

    Reply
  9. Tricia says

    July 8, 2020 at 3:33 am

    5 stars
    I’m making this tonight and don’t have cornstarch- I use arrowroot as a thickener. Do you know how it works for as a coating? Thanks.

    Reply
    • Sara says

      July 8, 2020 at 2:42 pm

      I have not tried this with arrowroot, although I assume it would work in a similar way.

      Reply
      • Trish says

        July 8, 2020 at 6:32 pm

        Just circling back to say it turned out great! I reduced the sugar to 1/3 cup but will use 1/2 next time as instructed. Thanks!

        Reply
  10. Michelle says

    June 17, 2020 at 4:48 pm

    5 stars
    Made this for dinner with jasmine rice and it was hit with huzzy and kids. Simple and delicious! I added onions and bell peppers for the kids

    Reply
    • Michelle says

      June 23, 2020 at 5:53 pm

      5 stars
      I use your recipes quite often. Thanks for the inspiration when I don’t know what to make for dinner. And thank you for the great recipes!

      Reply
  11. Audrey says

    June 15, 2020 at 4:35 pm

    5 stars
    AMAZING!! I am notorious for not being able to cook chicken but I managed to make this and it tastes so good.

    Reply
  12. Shaelyn says

    June 2, 2020 at 9:39 am

    5 stars
    I need to ask as I am new to cooking. I made this and it’s great but my sauce was a lot darker. How come your chicken is so light?

    Reply
    • Ivy says

      June 30, 2020 at 7:47 pm

      5 stars
      Try adding a bit more water! It’ll thin out the sauce, but it’ll still taste great! Also, mushrooms are super yummy in this 😋

      Reply
    • Judyj says

      July 15, 2020 at 2:17 pm

      5 stars
      1 made this tonight too and it was delicious but wanted to comment mine was really dark too.

      Reply
  13. Nancy says

    May 7, 2020 at 6:31 pm

    This was delicious! Had leftover brown sugar carrots I added. Did not have green onions so added dried chives. It was so tasty could have eaten the entire recipe!

    Reply
  14. Maggie says

    April 29, 2020 at 12:32 pm

    I made this the other evening as it hit the spot. This is a true winner in my book.

    Reply
    • Stephanie says

      May 3, 2020 at 5:24 pm

      Thanks to quarantine, I have had more opportunities to cook more Asian inspired dishes. This was perfect! Nice balance of flavors and even my kids loved it. Will make again!

      Reply
  15. CAROL D. says

    April 27, 2020 at 3:58 pm

    5 stars
    I just made this for my family for dinner and I have to say, this is the best recipe I have tried on Pinterest! It is beyond fantastic!!! Thank you so much for sharing. It is perfection!

    Reply
  16. John says

    April 24, 2020 at 9:46 pm

    5 stars
    This was really tasty. A great recipe. But I need you advice on the cooking time and heat level for the chicken. When I fried the “thinly sliced” chicken for 3-4 minutes on each side, the chicken was completely dried out…..like crunchy cardboard. So my question is how thin do you slice the chicken and is 3-4 minutes per side the correct amount of time for high heat? Thanks for your help.

    Reply
    • Sara says

      April 25, 2020 at 4:16 pm

      The chicken is supposed to be crispy, if you prefer a softer chicken just omit the cornstarch coating!

      Reply
    • Lori says

      September 11, 2020 at 6:22 am

      Would love to make this tonight but I only have olive or coconut oil. Would either of those work and which would you recommend? Thanks!

      Reply
      • Sara says

        September 11, 2020 at 7:08 pm

        I’d just omit the oil as neither of those replicate the flavor of the sesame oil!

        Reply
  17. Christine says

    April 16, 2020 at 7:59 am

    5 stars
    Made last night and served it with rice. Delicious! Next time I would add a vegetable, but definitely will make again.

    Reply
  18. Cindy T. says

    April 4, 2020 at 5:29 pm

    5 stars
    I made this recipe with shrimp which was delicious, however, it was a little too sweet for my taste. Next time I will half the brown sugar. But other than that it was delicious with fried rice and pot stickers.

    Reply
  19. Donna Werner says

    April 1, 2020 at 10:34 am

    Oh my gosh!! As we say in the South, This is slap your grandma good.a.k.a. Never gets any better than this.

    Reply
  20. Michelle says

    March 31, 2020 at 9:34 pm

    5 stars
    This was delicious! My husband isn’t a big chicken anything fan, but he loved this recipe. I didn’t have dark brown sugar so I used 1/4c molasses and golden brown sugar.

    Reply
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With 3 young kids, dinner can feel like feeding time at the zoo! I'm a mom on a mission to create easy, healthy and family friendly recipes ...Read More
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