This recipe for moo goo gai pan is a classic dish of chicken and vegetables stir fried with a savory sauce. Plus secret tips on how to make your stir fries taste like they came from a restaurant!
Have you ever ordered moo goo gai pan at a Chinese restaurant? It’s a simple chicken and vegetable stir fry that’s super flavorful and also on the healthier side. I first tried this fabulous dish about 15 years ago while on a date with my now-husband. I had never had it before but he insisted we order it and I’m glad that he did.
What is moo goo gai pan?
Moo goo gai pan is essentially chicken with mushrooms, along with some other veggies that seem to vary depending on who is preparing it. When I order a chicken based dish at a Chinese restaurant, the meat is always very thinly sliced and super tender, but I could never figure out how to replicate that at home. Luckily, after a little research, I realized that it’s actually quite easy to get thin and tender chicken pieces in your own kitchen. The first step to getting restaurant-style chicken is to cut your chicken into very thin slices. The easiest way to do this is to freeze the chicken breasts for about 20 minutes, or just until they firm up – you don’t want them frozen solid, but you do want them hard enough to easily slice. Cut your chicken against the grain (width wise) into strips.
The next step in the process is a technique known as velveting – the chicken takes a quick dip in a cornstarch and egg white mixture which makes it extra tender. This extra little step is well worth it for a restaurant style end result.
The sauce for this stir fry recipe is so incredibly simple, but it really ties all of the flavors together nicely. Serve this dish with a side of rice and skip the take out menu tonight!
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Moo Goo Gai Pan Video
Moo Goo Gai Pan
Ingredients
- 1 pound of boneless skinless chicken breasts, thinly sliced
- 1 large egg white
- 2 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon of cornstarch divided use
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil divided use
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon minced ginger
- 2 cups of sliced mushrooms
- 1 cup of snow peas
- 1/2 cup of thinly sliced carrots
- 1 8-ounce can of sliced water chestnuts drained
- 1 8-ounce can of sliced bamboo shoots drained
- 3/4 cup chicken stock
- 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 1/2 teaspoons sesame oil
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a medium bowl whisk together the egg white and 1 tablespoon of cornstarch. Add the chicken slices and toss to coat. Refrigerate for 30 minutes, then strain and discard any excess liquid.
- In a large saucepan, heat 1 teaspoon of oil over medium high heat. Add the carrots and 1 tablespoon of water and cook 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly.
- Add the mushrooms and cook for 3-4 minutes or until mushrooms are browned and tender.
- Add the snow peas and cook 1-2 minutes more or until tender. Stir in the water chestnuts and bamboo shoots. Season the vegetables to taste with salt and pepper.
- Remove the vegetables from the pan and place on a plate. Cover the plate with foil to keep warm.
- Wipe out the pan with a paper towel. Heat the remaining 2 teaspoons of oil over medium high heat.
- Add the the chicken to the pan and season with salt and pepper to taste. Cook, stirring occasionally, until chicken is cooked through, 3-4 minutes. Add the garlic and ginger and cook for 30 seconds more.
- In a small bowl whisk together the chicken stock, sugar, soy sauce and sesame oil. Whisk in 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon of cornstarch.
- Add the vegetables back to the pan and heat through, approximately 1 minute. Pour in the sauce and turn the high to heat. Bring the sauce to a boil and boil for approximately 1 minute or until sauce has just started to thicken, stirring occasionally.
- Serve immediately, over rice if desired.
Josie says
It was so good! Will definitely make again. My husband loved it and said this recipe is a keeper.i couldn’t agree more!
Janet says
This was outstanding. I had to double it because my family are big eaters and I wanted leftovers, and had no problems scaling it up. My youngest took one bite – “not kidding you mom, delicious”. I also added broccoli because my oldest doesn’t like pea pods and that worked out just fine. Thank you for a winning recipe.
Mike says
How long did you let the broccoli cook? I ask because I like firmness and not mushy when I eat moo goo gai pan
Sara says
3-4 minutes!
Shana Redmon says
I have always ordered chicken chow mein. And right now, all the chinese restaurants around me are closed. I have gone onto Youtube desperately looking for chicken chow mein (chicken, veggies, and in a white sauce). I couldn’t find anything. All the ones I found had noodles in it. I had no idea it was called this! Thank you so much for this recipe!!! It sounds exactly like the meal I get from the restaurant. I’m so excited to try this! oh, and a wonderful tip for how to cut the chicken. Thank you again!
Matthew Novak says
Loved this recipe. Thank you for the tips on slicing chicken and the velveting process. The meal turned out fantastic and both kids ate which is always a plus!
Kim Suiter says
Is the sesame oil called for in the recipe toasted sesame oil ?
Sara says
Yes it is!
Guitar Pro says
I usually don’t review recipes and use multiple recipe sites to make each meal but this recipe is simply a great base recipe by itself. Always my “go to” recipe to make Moo Goo Gai Pan. I usually change it up a little just to make it different each time by either adding 5 spice powder, more Garlic, sometimes add Gochujang… Simply a great recipe! Love your recipes and hope you will continue to add more. 🔥🎸🔥
Old_MK says
You know how some people can ONLY cook when they have a recipe to follow, and they follow it religiously, making NO deviations whatsoever? Well, I’m the polar opposite. I need recipes to get an idea of what makes the dish have the flavor it does, but I rarely refer to only one recipe for a dish, and I can’t bring myself to measure almost anything! 😀 Having said all that, I used this recipe & one other as my guides, and it was delicious! A REALLY big hit! I did add some bok choy, broccoli, and baby corn, as well as some weird sake (sock-ee) and some oyster sauce, and measured almost nothing, but it was fabulous. Thank you!
Amy says
I’m so happy I found this recipe! I had to cut gluten from my diet about four years ago and it’s been that long since I’ve had Chinese because it’s hard to find those options in the restaurant. All I had to do is make sure to use soy sauce and chicken broth that is gluten free, and I was able to enjoy this. SO good. You made my day!
Sandy says
Made this tonight – it was a hit!! Hubby went back for seconds!
Thank you for such a great recipe.
Bea says
Easy yummy recipe! I use what ever vegetables I have in the house and it always tastes so good!
Cristina says
Delicious! I will definitely do this recipe again!!!
Kimberly says
This tastes like we carried it out of a restaurant. Very good! Will make this again soon. Thanks for sharing!
Sara says
So happy to hear you enjoyed it, I appreciate you reporting back!
Melody Howes says
This is an excellent recipe.I used 3 large chicken breast,3 egg whites,3tablespoons of corn starch,I also doubled the chicken both to get extra sauce. It is very delish. I hope everyone tries this recipe. Thank you for your research and learning how to make it.🥰👍👩🍳
Sara says
So glad to hear you enjoyed it, thanks for reporting back!
Amanda says
I made this tonight for supper and ….Oh my goodness, this was DELICIOUS! And the first thing I’ve ever made that actually tastes like something that actually would be served at a Chinese restaurant. I’ve tried other recipes and they’ve never hit the mark. Velveting the chicken is a game changer. I doubled the sauce since I like to have extra. Definitely will be added to the meal rotation. Thanks for the great recipe!
Sara says
So glad to hear you enjoyed it, thanks for reporting back!
Lee Milton says
Just made this tonight! So legit! Best Moo Goo I have eaten in years!!! Thank you!
Sara says
So glad to hear you enjoyed it, thanks for coming back to comment!
Erin says
Made it for dinner tonight and it was wonderful! I had previously tried a different version which was not like this at all. I loved it so much, thank you!
Sara says
So glad to hear you enjoyed it, thank you for reporting back!
Tommy says
Made this for lunch today. Was so incredibly delishious. We used bok choy and yu choy and topped it with roasted cashews. Will deffiently make it again.
Sara says
So happy to hear you enjoyed it, I love the idea of adding cashews!
Gauri says
I tried this recipe today it was loved by all the family members. It is a keep . I had a query Can the water in which the chicken has been boiled be used as stock . Thank you for the recipe.
Sara says
Glad you enjoyed it! I’m not quite sure about the question as this recipe doesn’t call for boiling chicken, can you clarify? Thanks!
Valerie says
Super easy and tasty dinner. Thanks for the great recipe!
Sara says
So glad you enjoyed it!
Sylvia says
I made this and loved it. I always throw extra vegies in and I found it wasn’t saucy. Can I double the sauce recipe only to give it a saucier finish?
CC says
I double the sauce every time and it works great. I like to have extra sauce. 😁