Chinese food is one of my favorites cuisines to cook. I love the way it balances savory, sweet, and spicy, the speed of a good stir-fry, the payoff of a slow-braised char siu. Here are 38 of my favorite Chinese recipes, from takeout classics to dumplings and noodles I make all the time for my family.
A few to start with if you’re not sure where to begin: Kung Pao Chicken, a spicy-sweet stir-fry with peanuts and dried chiles; Mapo Tofu, a silky, numbing Sichuan classic with ground pork; and Dan Dan Noodles, saucy noodles loaded with chili oil and ground pork. From there, the rest are organized by category below.
Looking for more air fryer options? Many of the recipes below have air fryer instructions built right in.
SPICY SICHUAN KUNG PAO CHICKEN
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This kung pao chicken is just like what you get at your favorite Chinese takeout restaurant. Tender bits of chicken, crunchy peanuts, a salty-sweet sauce, and a hit of spice all come together to make one delicious dish.
Get the Recipe: Spicy Sichuan Kung Pao Chicken
MAPO TOFU WITH GROUND PORK
Mapo Tofu with Ground Pork—tender tofu cubes bathed in a rich and spicy sauce—is one of my favorite dishes to order in a Sichuan restaurant. Made with Sichuan peppercorns, it has a distinctive mouth-numbing quality and is packed with umami.
Get the Recipe: Mapo Tofu with Ground Pork
SPICY SICHUAN DAN DAN NOODLES
Dan Dan Noodles are an irresistible tangle of flavors and textures — slippery, toothsome noodles; fiery spice, meaty ground pork; crisp-tender veg; mouth-tingling Sichuan pepper; a riot of aromatics and spices; and deep, nutty umami. This famously mouth-numbing Chinese noodle dish is utterly irresistible for spicy food lovers.
Get the Recipe: Spicy Sichuan Dan Dan Noodles
CRISPY AIR FRYER SESAME CHICKEN
Sesame Chicken is a Chinese-American takeout classic — crispy chicken is tossed in a glossy soy-sesame sauce that’s sweet, savory, and sticky enough to cling to every piece. This air fryer Asian chicken lightens up the original by cooking the chicken in hot, circulating air instead of deep-frying.
Get the Recipe: Crispy Air Fryer Sesame Chicken
CHINESE SALT AND PEPPER CHICKEN WINGS
Salt and Pepper Chicken Wings is one of my favorite Chinese restaurant orders—and one I thought was best left to the pros. But then I tried making it at home, and now I’m totally hooked.
Get the Recipe: Chinese Salt and Pepper Chicken Wings
AIR FRYER ORANGE CHICKEN
Air Fryer Orange Chicken is crunchy on the outside, tender on the inside, and drenched in an irresistible sweet-savory sauce made with orange juice and zest. The first bite of this dish had me hooked: shatter-crisp coating, tender chicken, then the sauce, sweet and a little sharp from fresh orange zest, catching in every crack of the crust.
Get the Recipe: Air Fryer Orange Chicken
PORK FRIED RICE (THE WAY RESTAURANTS ACTUALLY MAKE IT)
This is the pork fried rice that finally delivers the flavor and texture I love when I get it at a restaurant: grains that stay separate and get a little crisp instead of turning mushy, with the savory depth homemade versions usually miss. It took me years of chasing the right combination of ingredients and technique, plus more than a few dinner fails, to land on it.
Get the Recipe: Pork Fried Rice (The Way Restaurants Actually Make It)
HAR GOW CHINESE SHRIMP DUMPLINGS
Har gow are Cantonese dim sum shrimp dumplings—plump shrimp stuffed into tender, translucent wrappers made with a combination of wheat starch and tapioca starch. My family of three can’t have a dim sum meal without ordering at least three orders.
Get the Recipe: Har Gow Chinese Shrimp Dumplings
CRISPY CRUNCHY AIR FRYER WONTONS
Air Fryer Wontons are crispy, delicious, and totally craveable. They’re filled with a savory mix of shrimp and pork that is perfectly seasoned.
Get the Recipe: Crispy Crunchy Air Fryer Wontons
PORK AND SHRIMP WONTON SOUP
Pork and Shrimp Wonton Soup is my second favorite Chinese soup. I’ll tell you about my favorite later, but for now, let’s focus on this savory broth studded with juicy, flavorful homemade wontons.
Get the Recipe: Pork and Shrimp Wonton Soup
MONGOLIAN PORK
If you’re a fan of Mongolian Beef, you’re going to love this Mongolian Pork. It’s got that sweet, savory, slightly spicy flavor profile we all love, but with pork steak as the star.
Get the Recipe: Mongolian Pork
EASY SZECHUAN SHRIMP
Szechuan shrimp is spicy and packed with flavor from ginger, garlic, Szechuan pepper, and other seasonings. This Chinese restaurant takeout classic is quick and easy to make at home, too.
Get the Recipe: Easy Szechuan Shrimp
INSTANT POT CHAR SIU OR CHINESE BBQ PORK
This Instant Pot Char Siu recipe makes it possible to make Chinese BBQ Pork in a fraction of the time the classic recipe takes. The meat is perfect for eating on its own with rice or steamed buns, or in Char Siu Bao, Pork Fried Rice, or Singapore Noodles.
Get the Recipe: Instant Pot Char Siu or Chinese BBQ Pork
EASY CHAR SIU BAO (BBQ PORK BUNS)
Char siu bao, or steamed BBQ pork buns, are one of my favorite foods of all time. Fluffy Chinese steamed buns or Mantou stuffed with sweet-savory Char Siu pork filling are completely irresistible.
Get the Recipe: Easy Char Siu Bao (BBQ Pork Buns)
VEGETARIAN DAN DAN NOODLES WITH TOFU AND SHIITAKES
Vegetarian Dan Dan Noodles defy tradition since the traditional topping for the fiery noodles normally starts with ground pork. But I promise you, this easy meatless version is every bit as delicious and satisfying.
Get the Recipe: Vegetarian Dan Dan Noodles with Tofu and Shiitakes
AIR FRYER SALT AND PEPPER TOFU
Air Fryer Salt and Pepper Tofu is so delicious, it will make even non-believers into tofu lovers! It’s crispy tofu cubes tossed with spicy chile peppers, crispy garlic, and a sprinkling of flavorful spices.
Get the Recipe: Air Fryer Salt and Pepper Tofu
INSTANT POT CONGEE WITH BROWN RICE AND TURMERIC
Congee is my new favorite breakfast food. This thick porridge, also called jook, is a classic Chinese comfort food.
Get the Recipe: Instant Pot Congee with Brown Rice and Turmeric
CHAR SIU CHICKEN
Sticky, sweet, salty, and a little bit charred around the edges—that’s what makes Char Siu Chicken irresistible. The glaze caramelizes just enough in the oven to give you crispy, lacquered bits while the inside stays tender and juicy.
Get the Recipe: Char Siu Chicken
HOISIN BEEF WITH GOCHUJANG SAUCE
Hoisin beef is a favorite weeknight meal in my house. It’s packed with flavor from a combination of sweet-savory hoisin sauce, salty and rich soy sauce, and spicy, umami-packed gochujang and turns simple stir-fried ground beef into a crave-worthy meal.
Get the Recipe: Hoisin Beef with Gochujang Sauce
AIR FRYER KUNG PAO CHICKEN
Air Fryer Kung Pao Chicken is one of my favorite things to make on busy weeknights. It’s so quick, delicious, and makes a full meal if you pair it with steamed rice.
Get the Recipe: Air Fryer Kung Pao Chicken
CRYSTAL VEGETARIAN DUMPLINGS
Crystal Vegetarian Dumplings, or Chiu Chow Dumplings, are packets of jewel-like fillings in a translucent dumpling wrapper. The wrapper is the same as we use for Har Gow Shrimp Dumplings, which are among my family’s favorite dim sum, along with these Vegetarian Crystal Dumplings.
Get the Recipe: Crystal Vegetarian Dumplings
CHICKEN HOT AND SOUR SOUP
Chicken Hot and Sour Soup is my go-to food when I’m feeling a cold coming on. The rich, tangy, spicy brothy, and thick soup filled with mushrooms, bamboo shoots, and tender chicken pieces is seriously nutritious and healing.
Get the Recipe: Chicken Hot and Sour Soup
GENERAL TSO SHRIMP
I like this version of General Tso’s Shrimp because it doesn’t mess around. The shrimp cook fast, get crisp without turning greasy, and the sauce coats them in all the right ways—sweet, salty, and enough heat to keep you reaching for another bite, and then another.
Get the Recipe: General Tso Shrimp
AIR FRYER SALT AND PEPPER CHICKEN
Air Fryer Salt and Pepper Chicken is easy to make without the mess—or extra calories!—of deep frying. This version gets a hit of mouth-tingling spice from Szechuan peppercorns and a topping of stir-fried hot chiles and sliced garlic.
Get the Recipe: Air Fryer Salt and Pepper Chicken
FRIED PORK AND SHRIMP WONTONS
These fried pork and shrimp wontons are savory, crunchy, and so good. A savory filling combines pork and shrimp with classic Chinese seasonings.
Get the Recipe: Fried Pork and Shrimp Wontons
MONGOLIAN CHICKEN
Mongolian Chicken, like its sibling Mongolian Beef, is a restaurant favorite, and for good reason. Tender chicken pieces are fried to a golden-brown crisp and then tossed in a sweet-savory, gingery hoisin-based sauce studded with fresh green onions.
Get the Recipe: Mongolian Chicken
CHINESE SESAME NOODLES
Easy Sesame Noodles are even better than takeout. They’re quick to make and have a short ingredient list.
Get the Recipe: Chinese Sesame Noodles
CHICKEN POTSTICKERS
Chicken Potstickers with homemade Chili Oil make a great appetizer, snack, or even a meal. These homemade chicken potstickers are nice and crispy on the bottom and filled with a simple mix of chicken and seasonings.
Get the Recipe: Chicken Potstickers
CHINESE STEAMED BUNS (MANTOU)
Chinese steamed buns are the stuff dreams are made of. They are light and fluffy and filled with the most delicious fillings, from Char Siu, or Chinese Roast Pork, to vegetables sautéed in hoisin sauce.
Get the Recipe: Chinese Steamed Buns (Mantou)
CRISPY SCALLION PANCAKES
Scallion pancakes feature in one of my foundational food memories: My little-kid legs sticking to the red vinyl of the restaurant chair, my stomach growling, as I wait eagerly for the dim sum cart to clatter by piled high with my favorite—flaky pastry rounds loaded with green onions and deep-fried to a crispy golden brown.
Get the Recipe: Crispy Scallion Pancakes
DRAGON CHICKEN
Dragon Chicken is coated thick, glossy sauce that leads with the heat of fresh chile, settles into garlic and soy sauce, and finishes with a hint of sweetness. I love how the sauce clings to the pieces of chicken and the peppers maintain their snap.
Get the Recipe: Dragon Chicken
CHINESE DRY FRIED GREEN BEANS WITH BACON
Chinese dry fried green beans is a classic Szechuan dish: Green beans are charred in a hot wok along with savory bacon, garlic, ginger, and chiles. Chinese Dry Fried Green Beans is a Perfect Side Dish These Chinese Dry Fried Green Beans are my take on the classic Sichuan dish that is usually studded with ground pork.
Get the Recipe: Chinese Dry Fried Green Beans with Bacon
EASY VEGAN SWEET AND SOUR TOFU
Sweet and Sour Tofu perfectly balances sweet and savory flavors with crispy tofu. It’s a delicious vegetarian takeout classic that is easy to make at home.
Get the Recipe: Easy Vegan Sweet and Sour Tofu
SALT AND PEPPER SHRIMP
Salt and Pepper Shrimp is one of those dishes that delivers on every level—crispy, salty, spicy, and just a little messy in the best possible way. The shrimp are juicy inside and crackly outside, and they’re tossed with hot chilies, garlic, and scallions that cling to every bite.
Get the Recipe: Salt and Pepper Shrimp
CHICKEN CONGEE
Steam rising from a pot of chicken congee smells like comfort to me—ginger, broth, and rice melting into thick, savory porridge. It’s what I cook when I’m tired, when someone’s sick, or when I just need a meal that takes the edge off.
Get the Recipe: Chicken Congee
CHINESE BEEF AND NOODLE SOUP
What’s better on a cold night than a bowl of deeply savory Chinese Beef and Noodle Soup? The answer is nothing.
Get the Recipe: Chinese Beef and Noodle Soup
POTSTICKERS
Potstickers are one of my favorite kitchen projects because the process is almost as enjoyable as eating them. I love sitting down with a stack of wrappers and a bowl of filling, folding dumplings while I chat with family or listen to a podcast.
Get the Recipe: Potstickers
SHRIMP IN BLACK BEAN SAUCE
Shrimp in Black Bean Sauce starts with the sharp sizzle of garlic hitting hot oil, and within a minute my whole kitchen smells like my favorite Chinese restaurant. The shrimp turn pink and plump almost immediately, and they stay tender even after they go back into that thick, garlicky black bean sauce.
Get the Recipe: Shrimp in Black Bean Sauce
