Stir fried chicken with veggies in a pan

Chicken chop suey is a popular item on many Chinese restaurant menus, and for good reason. The mix of vegetables, juicy chicken, and savory sauce comes together in a way that is satisfying and familiar, much like any of the Chinese vegetable stir fry recipes I have shared over the years.

Something I really dislike is throwing away food, which is why I created this chicken chop suey recipe as a Chinese takeout style dish my family loves and a smart way to clear out the fridge before the next grocery run. I make it in just 30 minutes by marinating the chicken, stir frying vegetables in stages, and bringing everything together with a simple sauce made from chicken broth, oyster sauce, and Shaoxing wine.

This recipe makes it easy to get more vegetables on the table, which is great for kids too. I love how flexible it is, with simple veggie variations I use often and share later in the post, and it is cooked the same way I make Chinese food at home for my family. After years of testing Chinese recipes, this is my go-to for busy nights because it also helps me save money. I hope you try it, make it your own, and share it with your loved ones.

Chinese chicken stir fry with veggies close-up

Ingredients

I recommend not being intimidated by the ingredient list. It looks long, but the entire process is very simple. Before you start cooking, your counter should have:

Ingredients for making chicken chop suey

Chicken and Marinade

For the chicken and marinade, I use chicken with Shaoxing wine, salt, and cornstarch. I mix these together before cooking so the chicken is well seasoned and ready for the stir fry.

Sauce

For the sauce, I use chicken broth, oyster sauce, Chinkiang vinegar, Shaoxing wine, and sesame oil as the base, with dark soy sauce added when I want a deeper color. I finish it with brown sugar, salt, white pepper, and cornstarch, mixing everything together before cooking so the sauce is ready to pour straight into the pan.

Cooking and Serving

For cooking, I use peanut oil or another neutral oil (high smoking point oil such as vegetable oil or avocado oil) to stir fry everything in the wok. I serve the finished dish over steamed rice or cooked noodles.

Vegetables

For the vegetables and aromatics, I use onion and garlic along with celery, carrot, baby corn, bamboo shoots and I finish with broccoli rabe or another leafy green.

One tip I always share for making chicken chop suey taste closer to what you get at a restaurant is using canned bamboo shoots, water chestnuts, and/or baby corn. I keep these in my pantry because they add great crunch, last a long time, and make it easy to pull together a satisfying meal using ingredients I already have when the craving hits.

Prepping the veggies

Cutting the vegetables properly is one of the most important steps for making good chicken chop suey. I cut everything into similar bite size pieces so the vegetables cook at the same pace, stay crisp, and do not release too much water into the pan, which helps the sauce stay light and glossy instead of watery.

Celery: I slice the celery on the bias so the pieces are longer and easier to pick up with chopsticks.

Slice celery

Carrots: I tilt my knife to slice the carrot into chunks, place each piece cut side down, and slice again to create rhombus shaped pieces. If you prefer softer carrots instead of a crunchy texture, you can slice them into strips, and a julienne peeler makes this much easier.

How to slice carrots

Broccoli rabe: I use the same approach for vegetables with both stems and leaves, such as Bok choy, Chinese broccoli, or choy sum. I slice the stems on the bias into smaller pieces and cut the leaves into larger bite size pieces so everything cooks quickly and stays balanced in texture.

How to cut broccoli rabe

Other vegetables to use

  • Aromatics: I like using green onions instead of onion and ginger instead of garlic when I want a slightly different flavor base. These are easy changes I make depending on what is in my fridge.
  • Longer cook veggies: I often use sliced water chestnuts, sliced peppers, snow peas, sliced Chinese broccoli, chopped baby bok choy, or sliced mushrooms when I want vegetables that can handle a little more time in the pan.
  • Quick cook veggies: For quicker cooking vegetables, I choose blanched broccoli, green beans, spinach, bean sprouts, or chopped choy sum. I add these at the end so they cook fast and stay pleasant in texture.

How to make

1. Brown the chicken: Add the marinated chicken to a hot pan with oil in a single layer and let it cook until lightly browned on the surface. Then transfer the chicken out of the pan so it stays tender while the rest of the dish is prepared.

Brown the chicken.

2. Saute the onions: Add the sliced onions to the same pan and cook them while stirring until they soften and turn lightly translucent, picking up the flavor left behind from the chicken.

Saute the onions.

3. Cook the crunchy vegetables: Add the vegetables that need more cooking time to the pan and stir while cooking until they begin to soften.

Cook the crunchy veggies

4. Cook the leafy greens: Add the leafy greens to the pan and cook them briefly, stirring just until they wilt and reduce in volume.

cook the leafy greens.

5. Add the sauce and cook until it thickens: Pour the prepared sauce into the pan and stir everything together while cooking until the sauce thickens.

Add the sauce and cook

6. Add the chicken back to the pan: Return the cooked chicken to the pan and stir until the chicken is heated through and well coated with the sauce. Check out how I love to serve this meal below.

Add the chicken back into the pan with veggies

How I serve this dish

I usually serve chicken chop suey with steamed white rice, though boiled noodles work just as well. The sauce sinks into the rice and makes it easy to feed a family of 4, and when friends come over, I like to add a spicy cucumber salad or Chinese spinach salad with peanuts. I made this recently for a quick get together with friends, and they absolutely loved it so much that I regretted not cooking more when they asked for seconds. Oops!

Key Note: One thing I always pay attention to is not crowding the pan when I cook chicken chop suey. When I use a large 12 inch skillet or large wok, I keep the total amount of vegetables at 4 cups or less, using about 2 cups of vegetables that need more time to cook and up to 3 loosely packed cups of quicker cooking vegetables so everything cooks properly instead of steaming.

Frequently asked questions

Why do you cook the chicken separately first?

I always cook the chicken first because it needs different timing than the vegetables. Browning it early keeps the texture tender and also leaves behind flavor in the pan that carries through the onions, vegetables, and sauce later on.

How do you keep the vegetables from getting watery?

I pay close attention to how much I add to the pan at one time and how I cut everything. Cooking in batches when needed and grouping vegetables by cooking time keeps them crisp instead of soggy.

What is the best cut of chicken to use?

I usually choose chicken breast or chicken thigh depending on what is in my fridge. As long as the chicken is sliced thin and marinated briefly, both cuts work very well in this recipe.

Chinese Cooking Made Easy

Are you new to this website? This free email series is a great place to start. I’ll walk you through a few of my most popular recipes and show you how and why they work. You’ll quickly start to cook better Chinese food in your own kitchen.

Tender juicy chicken bites with crunchy veggies in a rich sauce for a classic Chinese takeout-style chicken chop suey no one can resist! It’s a perfect recipe to use up your leftover vegetables. My blog post includes detailed instructions on how to assemble your own chicken chop suey using different veggies. {Gluten-Free Adaptable}

Chicken Chop Suey

By Maggie Zhu
4.88 from 8 votes
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Print
When I want a classic Chinese takeout style meal, I make this easy 30 minute Chicken Chop Suey. My recipe creates tender and juicy chicken with crunchy vegetables in a rich and savory sauce that no one can resist. I love that it helps me use up leftover vegetables so I can skip takeout and save money.

Ingredients 

  • 1 lb chicken thigh or breast , thinly sliced against the grain (or breast)

Marinade

  • 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine (or dry sherry)
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch

Sauce

  • 1/2 cup chicken broth (or water)
  • 2 tablespoons oyster sauce
  • 1 teaspoon Chinkiang vinegar (or rice vinegar)
  • 1 teaspoon Shaoxing wine (or dry sherry)
  • 1 teaspoon sesame oil
  • 1 teaspoon dark soy (Optional), for color
  • 1 teaspoon brown sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon white pepper (or black pepper)
  • 2 teaspoons cornstarch

Stir Fry

  • 2 tablespoons peanut oil
  • 1/2 onion , sliced
  • 3 cloves garlic , minced
  • 1 stalk celery , sliced on the bias (yield 1/3 cup)
  • 1 carrot , sliced (yields 1/3 cup)
  • 5 stalks broccoli rabe , or other green veggies, stems sliced on the bias and tops/leaves sliced into thick strips (yield 2 loosely packed cups) (*Footnote 1)
  • 1/3 cup baby corn , sliced (one 5-oz can)
  • 1/3 cup bamboo shoots , sliced (one 5-oz can)

Instructions

  • In a bowl, combine the sliced chicken, Shaoxing wine, salt, and cornstarch. Mix by hand until everything is evenly coated. Marinate while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.
  • Combine all the sauce ingredients and stir until the sugar and cornstarch are fully dissolved. Set aside.
  • In a large non-stick or carbon steel pan heat 1 tablespoon of oil over medium-high heat until hot. Add the chicken to the pan in a single layer and separate the pieces with chopsticks or a spatula. Cook the chicken on one side until it begins to brown, about 1 minute. Flip and cook on the other side for another 30 seconds, until cooked all the way through. Transfer the chicken to a plate and set aside.
  • Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil and the onion to the pan. Stir and cook for 30 seconds, until the onion just begins to brown. Add the garlic and stir fry for a few more seconds to release the aroma.
  • Add the celery, carrot, baby corn, and bamboo shoots. Stir fry for another 30 seconds to cook off excess moisture.
  • Add the broccoli rabe (or whatever greens you’re using). Cook until the greens are just wilted.
  • Stir the sauce again to redistribute the cornstarch and pour it into the pan. Add the chicken back into the pan and toss to combine everything. Cook until the sauce is thickened. Transfer everything to a serving plate.
  • Serve hot over steamed rice or boiled noodles.

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Notes

  1. You can use many types of green veggies in the dish, for example, spinach, broccoli (blanched), broccolini (blanched), kale, mustard greens, choy sum, Chinese broccoli, and more. See the blog post above on how to prepare the veggies.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving, Calories: 285kcal, Carbohydrates: 13.1g, Protein: 25.9g, Fat: 14.2g, Saturated Fat: 3g, Cholesterol: 71mg, Sodium: 791mg, Potassium: 417mg, Fiber: 1.5g, Sugar: 4.1g, Calcium: 81mg, Iron: 2mg

Did you make this recipe?

I’d love to hear how it turned out for you! Please take a moment to leave a 5-star rating ⭐️ and share your thoughts in the comments further down the page. It really helps others discover the recipe too.