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.
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More savory than sweet-and-sour dishes, this Mongolian Chicken recipe also gets a kick of spice from dried red chiles.
Mongolian Chicken has become one of my family’s favorite quick weeknight meals.
Ingredients you need
For the complete list of ingredients with quantities and detailed prep and cooking instructions, please see the recipe card that appears at the end of this post.
The list may seem a little long, but you probably have most of the ingredients in your pantry already. Here’s what you need to make this Mongolian Chicken recipe:
- Chicken: Use boneless skinless chicken breast, or substitute skinless, boneless chicken thighs.
- Seasonings: Salt and pepper, ginger, garlic, dried red chilies, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, brown sugar, and sesame oil.
- Cornstarch: Use this to coat the chicken before frying it to give it a crispy, golden brown crust. Use it again, mixed into a slurry with water, to thicken the sauce.
- Cooking oil: You can use any neutral-flavored, high smoke point cooking oil.
- Green onions: These add a splash of color and freshness to the dish.
How to make it
For the complete list of ingredients with quantities and detailed prep and cooking instructions, please see the recipe card that appears at the end of this post.
This easy Mongolian Chicken recipe is super quick, making it a perfect choice for a busy weeknight. Here’s how to make Mongolian Chicken
- Toss the chicken breast pieces in cornstarch, salt, and pepper to coat.
- Mix the Mongolian sauce ingredients, except for the cornstarch slurry, together.
- Fry the chicken pieces in oil in a skillet until they are browned and crisp. Remove them to a plate.
- Saute the garlic, ginger, and red chili in the skillet until fragrant.
- Return the chicken to the skillet, along with half of the green onions, and then add the sauce mixture. Bring to a boil.
- Add the cornstarch slurry to the skillet and cook, stirring, until the sauce thickens.
- Stir in the remaining scallions and serve hot.
How to serve it
I love to serve Mongolian Chicken over rice or noodles. If you’re feeling fancy, serve it with Instant Pot Coconut Rice or Sesame Noodles or Burmese Garlic Noodles.
Chinese Dry Fried Green Beans make a great vegetable side. Or serve a Spicy Cucumber Salad.
More Chinese dishes you’ll love
If you love this Mongolian Chicken recipe, try my other recipes for making Chinese food at home. Don’t miss my Crispy Beef, Szechuan Shrimp, Salt and Pepper Chicken, Char Siu, Har Gow, Fried Wontons, Wonton Soup, or Pork Fried Rice.
Other takeout favorites include Sesame Chicken, Singapore Noodles, and Kung Pao Chicken.
Mongolian Chicken
Ingredients
For the chicken
- 1 pound chicken breasts cut into bite-size pieces
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 3 tablespoons cooking oil divided
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 ½ teaspoons chopped ginger
- 3 to 4 dried red chilies or substitute 1 teaspoon of dried red pepper flakes
- 8 green onions cut into 2-inch pieces, divided
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch mixed with 1 tablespoon water
For the sauce
- ¼ cup water
- 3 tablespoons dark soy sauce or substitute low-sodium soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
Instructions
- In a bowl combine the chicken, salt, pepper, and 1 tablespoon cornstarch. Stir to mix well.
- In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil over medium-high heat. When the oil begins to shimmer, add the chicken and stir fry, turning occasionally, until crisp and golden on the outside and cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a plate.
- Heat the remaining tablespoon of oil in the pan and add the garlic and ginger. Cook, stirring, over high heat for several seconds, until garlic becomes fragrant. Add dried red chilies and half of the green onions.
- Next, add the fried chicken pieces. Mix well and cook, stirring, over high heat for 1 minute.]In a bowl, mix together the water, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, brown sugar, and sesame oil. Add the sauce mixture to the chicken. Bring to a boil and then add the cornstarch slurry. Cook, stirring, until the sauce thickens a bit. Stir in the remaining green onions and remove from the heat.
- Serve hot.
Notes
- You can store the Mongolian in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- You can use chicken thighs instead of chicken breasts if you like.
- You can add vegetables of your choice (broccoli, mushrooms, zucchini, bell peppers, etc).
- Make sure you cut the chicken into roughly similar size pieces so they cook evenly. Overcooking will make them chewy and rubbery instead of juicy and tender.
I was so excited to make this Mongolian beef recipe. Always one of my favorite things to order out. But now I can make it perfect at home!