8 Quick Chinese Chicken Stir-Fry Recipes for Easy Weeknight Dinners

When I was a newbie culinary student, I spent two weeks in my introductory butchery class breaking down cases of whole chickens every night, then headed home and practiced until I could cleanly dispatch a bird in under two minutes. The result was a seemingly endless supply of perfectly boned and skinned chicken thighs, neatly portioned in zip-top bags, which my mother gleefully stashed in the freezer, ready for whatever stir-fried, braised, or steamed dish she had in mind. While I have a much smaller, apartment-sized freezer these days, I still keep portioned chicken on hand, ready to thaw whenever I want to toss together a quick stir-fry for dinner—like the ones included here.

We’ve included homey staples like speedy stir-fried chicken variations—one with ginger and scallions, another with mushrooms and oyster sauce—as well as Chinese-American restaurant favorites like General Tso’s, sesame, and orange chicken. There are also two versions of kung pao chicken: a takeout-style version and a Sichuan-style version based on those served in Chengdu. Aside from some passive marinating time, these dishes come together quickly in a hot wok, so stocking your freezer with ready-to-cook chicken is never a bad idea.

01 of 08

Easy Stir-Fried Chicken With Ginger and Scallions

Keeping your wok ripping hot is key to a good stir-fry, so cooking each component separately helps maintain that heat. Infusing the oil with a slice of ginger quickly layers in flavor. To help the chicken retain moisture, marinate it in a mixture of wine, soy sauce, and cornstarch for about 30 minutes while you prep the remaining ingredients.

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02 of 08

Stir-Fried Chicken With Mushrooms and Oyster Sauce

This chicken stir-fry employs a technique called water-velveting or quickly blanching the meat in water with a bit of oil—much easier than the traditional hot oil method — to ensure a tender, silky texture. The par-cooked chicken pieces are then marinated in cornstarch, egg whites, and seasonings. Using a mix of fresh mushrooms and rehydrated dried wood ear mushrooms gives the dish a more complex mushroom flavor.

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03 of 08

Takeout-Style Kung Pao Chicken (Diced Chicken With Peppers and Peanuts)

This Chinese-American restaurant standard is one of the most popular takeout dishes—and not something most people think to make at home. This from-scratch version cooks in about 15 minutes (minus a little prep and marinating time) and delivers everything you love: dark-meat chicken, properly stir-fried peppers and celery, roasted peanuts, and a sweet, sour, and savory sauce.

Get Recipe: Takeout-Style Kung Pao Chicken (Diced Chicken With Peppers and Peanuts)

04 of 08

Gong Bao Ji Ding (Sichuan Kung Pao Chicken)

Inspired by a dish he tasted in Chengdu, Kenji developed this take on Sichuan-style kung pao chicken that’s less fiery and more nuanced than many versions found in the US. Dried red chiles and Sichuan peppercorns infuse the oil, giving the dish its signature má-là (hot and numbing) profile.

Get Recipe: Gong Bao Ji Ding (Sichuan Kung Pao Chicken)

05 of 08

The Best General Tso's Chicken

General Tso’s chicken wasn’t a dish I grew up eating, and it wasn’t until I read journalist Jennifer 8. Lee’s book, The Fortune Cookie Chronicles , that I realized how quintessentially Chinese-American it is; for years, it was virtually unknown in China until its popularity went global. Our home version hits all the right notes, combining supremely crispy, double-fried chicken with a well-balanced sweet, savory, tangy sauce and a spicy kick from dried chiles. Dribbling a bit of the marinade into the dry coating creates craggly bits that fry up extra crunchy.

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06 of 08

The Best Chinese Sesame Chicken

Think of this sesame chicken as General Tso’s sweeter, milder cousin. The process is virtually identical—vodka in the marinade helps inhibit gluten formation in the coating, resulting in a crisper crust, while a lower cooking temperature allows the aromatics to fully develop their flavors in the sauce. A little extra sugar and sesame oil, along with a shower of sesame seeds, give the dish its signature sweet, toasty, nutty flavor.

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07 of 08

Chinese-American Orange Chicken

For this version of the insanely popular Chinese-American restaurant staple, we skip the dried chiles and triple down on orange, adding dried orange peel, fresh zest, and plenty of juice to the sauce. The result is crispy fried chicken coated in a sweet, savory, slightly tangy sauce with bright, layered orange flavor.

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08 of 08

Cashew Chicken Ding With Jicama, Celery, and Red Bell Pepper

Uniformly cut protein and vegetables, each bringing a different texture to the mix, are the hallmarks of a ding dish. Here, diced jicama and celery provide crunch, mushrooms contribute a dense, meaty texture, and zucchini offers a tender-crisp bite, while red bell pepper adds a pop of color. Marinating the chicken with a bit of cornstarch helps create a velvety texture, and adding the cashews at the end prevents them from becoming soggy.

Get Recipe: Cashew Chicken Ding With Jicama, Celery, and Red Bell Pepper

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