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    Home » Recipes » Chicken

    Moo Goo Gai Pan

    Published: August 9, 2021 · Updated: August 9, 2021 · By: Krissy · 3 Comments
    This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    If you're craving Chinese food, this Moo Goo Gai Pan recipe with tender pieces of boneless skinless chicken breast, vegetables including mushrooms, snow peas, and bok choy, complete with a savory sauce, is quick and easy dinner to make! This recipe is not spicy and has mild flavors.

    chinese chicken with vegetables and sauce

    Why this recipe is so great:

    • Tender chicken - Moo Goo Gai Pan is similar to Hunan Chicken in that you take very thinly sliced boneless skinless chicken breasts and marinate them in a cornstarch mixture. This process is called velveting and makes every bite of chicken incredibly tender.
    • Mild flavor - Love ordering Chinese takeout but don't like the heat? Although you can always add a little spice, this is the most mile Asian inspired dinner I've ever made.
    • Better than takeout: You may have never made Moo Goo Gai Pan, but you've most likely seen it on the menu at your favorite Chinese-American restaurant. Sliced or cubed chicken (known as gai pin in Cantonese) with button mushrooms (mohgu in Cantonese), with some extra vegetables and sauce mixed in is actually very easy to make at home.

    Ingredients needed:

    Exact quantities are listed in the recipe card below, but here is a summary.

    Marinade:

    • Cornstarch, soy sauce, and rice vinegar are mixed together to coat the chicken breasts

    Sauce:

    • Chicken stock
    • Soy sauce
    • Rice Vinegar
    • Oyster Sauce
    • Sesame oil
    • Cornstarch for thickening

    Moo Goo Gai Pan:

    • Mushrooms - you can use any kind, but I always use regular button or baby bellas that are easily found at any grocery store
    • Snow peas - I had just picked mine from the garden!
    • Baby bok choy
    • Bamboo Shoots and water chestnuts - these are both canned and found in the Asian cooking section of any grocery store
    • Garlic and ginger
    ingredients needed to make Moo Goo Gai Pan

    How to make Moo Goo Gai Pan:

    Detailed step by step instructions are listed in the recipe card below, but here is a summary.

    1. Velvet chicken: Mix together marinade ingredients and coat thinly sliced chicken breasts. Let sit for at least a half an hour.
    2. Prepare remaining ingredients: Stir fry recipes are fast cooking, so it is always best practice to prepare the sauce and chop the vegetables ahead of time.
    3. Cook chicken: In a hot saute or wok pan, cook chicken until golden brown and set aside.
    4. Cook vegetables: Start with the mushrooms and snow peas, then add the bok choy, then finish with the bamboo shoots, water chestnuts, garlic and ginger.
    5. Add chicken: Return chicken to the pan with the remaining ingredients.
    6. Add sauce: Pour sauce over entire mixture, stir, and allow to cook for a couple minutes until it thickens.
    • velvet chicken breast for chinese food recipe
      velvet chicken breast
    • sauce and chopped vegetables in bowls
      prepare ingredients
    • thinly sliced cooked chicken breast
      sear chicken and set aside
    • cooked mushrooms, snow peas, bok choy
      cook vegetables
    • chicken with vegetables in wok pan
      add remaining ingredients
    • Moo Goo Gai Pan sauce
      add sauce and thicken

    Recipe tips for perfect results:

    • To get the best sear: Always ensure the oil and pan are extremely hot, spread ingredients out as much as possible, and only stir to prevent burning.
    • Serve with: short grain white rice or Ramen Noodles.
    • Modify ingredients: This is a versatile dish that can be altered however you wish. Additional ingredients you can add or swap include:
      • sliced carrots
      • fresh broccoli
      • canned straw mushrooms
      • scallions
      • peanuts or cashews
    close up of homemade Moo Goo Gai Pan

    Similar recipes:

    Stir fry recipes are almost always quick, easy, and delicious. If you love cooking Asian inspired dinners at home, you'll love these favorites:

    • Beef Stir-Fry
    • Shrimp Stir Fry
    • Kimchi Fried Rice
    • Pork Fried Rice
    • General Tso's Chicken
    • Teriyaki Chicken
    • Shrimp Chow Mein
    • Perfect Cashew Chicken
    Moo Goo Gai Pan and white rice

    If you’ve made this or any other recipe on my site, let me know in the comment section how it turned out. I love hearing from my readers!

    You can also follow along on PINTEREST, FACEBOOK and INSTAGRAM to see more amazing recipes to satisfy any foodie craving!

    Moo Goo Gai Pan

    Moo Goo Gai Pan

    If you're craving Chinese food, this Moo Goo Gai Pan recipe with tender pieces of boneless skinless chicken breast, vegetables including mushrooms, snow peas, and bok choy, complete with a savory sauce, is quick and easy dinner to make! This recipe is not spicy and has mild flavors.
    5 from 3 votes
    Print Pin Rate SaveSaved!
    Course: Main Course
    Cuisine: Asian
    Prep Time: 15 minutes
    Cook Time: 20 minutes
    Marinate time: 20 minutes
    Total Time: 55 minutes
    Scale: 6 servings
    Recipe Created By: Krissy Allori

    Ingredients

    MARINADE:

    • 1 ½ pounds boneless skinless chicken breast ((sliced thin))
    • 2 tablespoons soy sauce
    • 2 tablespoons cornstarch
    • 1 tablespoon rice vinegar

    SAUCE:

    • ½ cup chicken stock
    • ¼ cup soy sauce
    • 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
    • 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
    • 1 tablespoon sesame oil
    • 1 tablespoon cornstarch

    MOO GOO GAI PAN:

    • 1 tablespoon oil (peanut, avocado, or vegetable )
    • 2 cups mushrooms (sliced (stems removed before slicing, equivalent to about 6 large button or mini bella mushrooms))
    • 2 cups snow peas
    • 1 head baby bok choy (roughly chopped with stem removed)
    • 8 ounces bamboo shoots ((one can, drained))
    • 8 ounces water chestnuts ((one can, drained))
    • 3 cloves garlic (minced)
    • 1 teaspoon ginger (minced)
    • salt and pepper (to taste)

    Instructions

    Marinate (velvet) the chicken:

    • Thinly slice chicken breast against the grain. An extremely sharp fillet knife and almost frozen chicken is recommended for easy slicing.
      velvet chicken breast for chinese food recipe
    • In a shallow dish or resealable plastic bag, whisk together soy sauce, corn starch, and rice vinegar until the corn start dissolves. Add the chicken breast and stir to coat. Allow to sit, refrigerated, for at least 20 minutes.

    Moo Goo Gai Pan sauce:

    • While chicken is marinating, whisk together sauce ingredients and set aside. Since this is a fast cooking recipe, prepare remaining ingredients.
      sauce and chopped vegetables in bowls

    Cook the Moo Goo Gai Pan:

    • In a wok or large saute pan over high heat, add oil. When oil is so hot that it begins to smoke, add marinated chicken and spread out to avoid crowding. Cook for about 5 minutes, turning or tossing occasionally only to avoid burning. Transfer browned chicken to a clean plate and set aside.
      thinly sliced cooked chicken breast
    • Using the same pan, add mushrooms and snow peas and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring only occasionally to prevent burning. When the vegetables start to sear, add the bok choy, stir, and continue cooking.
      cooked mushrooms, snow peas, bok choy
    • Add bamboo shoots, water chestnuts, garlic, ginger, and cooked chicken to the pan. Stir well to combine and allow to cook for a couple minutes minutes.
      chicken with vegetables in wok pan
    • Add sauce, stir well to combine, and allow to cook for a few minutes until sauce thickens. Taste and add salt and pepper, to taste (I found that it definitely needed additional salt).
      Moo Goo Gai Pan sauce
    • Remove from heat and serve immediately.

    Notes

    • To get the best sear: Always ensure the oil and pan are extremely hot, spread ingredients out as much as possible, and only stir to prevent burning.
    • Modify ingredients: This is a versatile dish that can be altered however you wish. Additional ingredients you can add or swap include:
      • sliced carrots
      • fresh broccoli
      • canned straw mushrooms
      • scallions
      • peanuts or cashews

    NUTRITION INFORMATION

    Calories: 254kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 29g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 73mg | Sodium: 1127mg | Potassium: 725mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 402IU | Vitamin C: 23mg | Calcium: 33mg | Iron: 2mg
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Eden

      October 14, 2021 at 2:43 pm

      5 stars
      Made this for dinner and it was excellent! Great flavors and pretty easy. Can't wait to make it again!

      Reply
    2. Lori Cokes

      October 14, 2021 at 2:02 pm

      5 stars
      Delicious! The sauce is divine. I will definitely make this again.

      Reply
    3. Andrea Thueson

      October 14, 2021 at 1:58 pm

      5 stars
      This moo goo gai pan was terrific, and the recipe was super easy to follow. Thank you!

      Reply

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