Mongolian Chicken

Print Recipe

4.94 from 16 votes

This Mongolian Chicken is so much better than takeout and easy to make at home for your next weeknight meal!

Prep Time20

Cook Time10

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Chinese

Servings:

Author: Chris Joe

Equipment

Ingredients

1 lb chicken thigh boneless & skinless, cut to 2" pieces
2 tbsp light soy sauce low sodium
1 tbsp shaoxing wine
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp white pepper
1/4 tsp baking soda
2 tbsp cornstarch
2 tbsp neutral oil

Sauce

1/3 cup chicken stock
1/2 cup light soy sauce low sodium
2 tbsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp white pepper
1 tbsp cornstarch

Aromatics

6 scallions cut to 3" pieces
7 dried red chilis
1 tbsp ginger minced
5 cloves garlic minced

Instructions

Cut chicken thigh into equal 2" pieces and marinate with light soy sauce, shaoxing wine, kosher salt, white pepper, baking soda, cornstarch, and neutral oil. Mix and marinate for 20 minutes.
Cut scallions into 3" pieces and minced garlic and ginger.
In a small bowl, mix together chicken stock, light soy sauce, brown sugar, white pepper, and cornstarch.
Heat 4 tbsp of neutral oil in a large pan or wok over high heat and cook chicken until golden brown (2-3 minutes) in batches if needed. Remove and set aside.
Remove excess oil, leaving about 2 tbsp then saute garlic and ginger for 30 seconds until fragrant. Add scallions and dried red chilis and stir fry for another minute.
Add back chicken and the premixed sauce. Continue stir frying and mixing over high heat until the sauce has thickened and serve with freshly steamed rice. Enjoy!

Notes

Cut the Chicken into Uniform Pieces

Whether you use chicken breast or thigh, make sure to cut your chicken into uniform pieces to ensure that your Mongolian Chicken cooks evenly.

Velveting: My Favorite Chinese Cooking Technique

Velveting is a key Chinese cooking technique that involves marinating the protein in cornstarch and various seasonings (such as white pepper, salt, shaoxing wine, and oils) before quickly passing it through hot oil. It's one of my favorite ways to guarantee moist and tender meat.

Adjust the Spice to your Preference

The dried red chilis are not super spicy; however, if you want to reduce the heat, you can either use less chilis or remove the seeds from inside. For Mongolian Chicken, I used 7 dried red chilis and the finished dish was a 6 out of 10 for spice; adjust accordingly based on your own spice tolerance.

Success is in the Prep!

Mongolian Chicken is one of those dishes that comes together FAST once you start cooking. For this reason, it's crucial that you prepare your ingredients (chicken and aromatics cut and portioned, sauce mixed, etc) BEFORE you begin cooking. I like to have all of my ingredients in individual bowls, near my cook station so I can easily grab when needed.

Nutrition