A delicious dish ready in minutes. Add this chicken and mushroom stir-fry to your meal plan and enjoy its rich flavor and fuss-free prep.
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About the dish
Stir-fried dishes are a cornerstone of Chinese cuisine, loved for their versatility—you can mix and match any proteins and vegetables—and their speed, often taking just minutes to cook. Today’s recipe, Chicken and Mushroom Stir-Fry (Mó Gū Jī Piàn / 蘑菇鸡片), is a delicious jiā cháng cài/家常菜—a home-style dish that frequently appears in our Red House.
It features tender, juicy slices of chicken paired with earthy mushrooms, all brought together by a rich, umami-packed sauce. While it may not be as bold in flavor as Kung Pao Chicken or as colorful as Chicken Chop Suey, its simplicity and comforting warmth always win my heart. I hope you enjoy it too!
Top Tips
- Slice the chicken across the grain for tenderness
- Cook the meat and vegetables separately
- Control the heat when thickening the sauce
Ingredients
To cook this dish, here are the ingredients you need:
- Chicken breasts
- Button mushrooms
- Garlic & scallions
- Soy sauce, both the light and dark versions
- Oyster sauce
- Sesame oil
- Black pepper, or white pepper
- Cornstarch, for tenderizing the meat and thickening the sauce
- Salt & sugar
🌟 Substitutes: I use button mushrooms as they’re the most common type. Other mushrooms work well too, such as fresh shiitake, oyster, or king oyster mushrooms.
Cooking procedure
Step 1: Prepare the ingredients
First, cut the chicken breasts into thin slices against the grain.
In a bowl, mix and rub the meat with cornstarch, salt, and a little water until no liquid remains. Add a small amount of oil to coat the chicken and lock in the moisture.
After cleaning the mushrooms, slice them—stems included if they look fresh.
In a small bowl, mix light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, oyster sauce, cornstarch, ground black pepper, and sugar with a bit of water. Once well combined, stir in the sesame oil. Set aside.
Step 2: Sear the chicken
If using a carbon steel or cast iron wok/skillet, heat it empty over high heat until very hot, then add oil (If using non-stick cookware, add the oil first, then heat it up). Put in the sliced chicken and spread the pieces out so they sear evenly and quickly.
As soon as the bottom side begins to brown, flip and toss until most of the meat has lost its pink color. Transfer the seared chicken to a plate for later use.
🌟 NOTE: For optimal tenderness, be careful not to overcook the chicken. Remember that thin slices of chicken cook quickly and will return to the wok for further cooking in later steps.
Step 3: Stir-fry the mushrooms
Add a little more oil to the wok. First, sizzle the garlic slices to infuse the oil until they become golden on the edge. Then, stir in the sliced mushrooms and fry them over high heat until they just begin to sweat.
Step 4: Combine the dish
Return the chicken to the wok and reduce the heat to the lowest setting (see note below), then pour in the well-stirred sauce mixture.
Toss as the sauce thickens. As soon as it’s thick enough to thinly coat the spatula, remove the wok from the heat. Stir in the chopped scallions, then dish out to serve.
🌟 NOTE: If you’re using an electric cooker that doesn’t reduce heat instantly, remove the wok from the burner before pouring in the sauce. To control the heat, simply move the wok on and off the burner as needed.
How to serve
Since cooked mushrooms release moisture over time, the dish can start to look a bit watery if it sits too long. I recommend serving it right away—paired with steamed rice and a few other proteins or vegetable dishes—for a more complete and satisfying meal.
FAQs
A: To prevent sticking, make sure the wok is scalding hot, but the oil isn’t too hot when adding ingredients. This helps create a non-stick effect without burning the food. In short, heat the empty wok first, then add oil and start cooking.
A: Absolutely! Pork, beef, shrimp, and pressed tofu all work well. For example, the Beef and Mushroom Stir-Fry recipe is a great alternative..
Other quick stir-fries
Looking for more quick and easy stir-fry recipes? Try these popular ones:
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Chicken and Mushroom Stir-Fry
Ingredients
For the chicken
- 10 oz chicken breast
- ½ tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 tablespoon water
- 1 drop neutral cooking oil
For the sauce
- 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
- 1 teaspoon dark soy sauce
- ½ tablespoon cornstarch
- ⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper - or white pepper
- 1 pinch sugar
- 4 tablespoon water
- ½ teaspoon sesame oil
You also need
- 1½ tablespoon neutral cooking oil - divided
- 3 cloves garlic - sliced
- 5 oz button mushroom - sliced, or fresh shiitake mushroom
- 1 stalk scallions - finely chopped
Instructions
Marinate the chicken
- Cut the chicken into thin slices across the grain. Mix them with cornstarch, salt and water until well combined. Stir in oil to create a coating.
Mix the sauce
- In a small bowl, mix light soy sauce, oyster sauce, dark soy sauce, cornstarch, black pepper, sugar, and water. Once the mixture becomes smooth, add sesame oil. Set aside.
Sear the chicken
- Heat an empty wok over high heat until it smokes. Pour in 1 tablespoon of oil and swirl it around before putting in the chicken.
- Spread out the chicken to sear it quickly. Flip and toss to cook further once the bottom side slightly browns. When the chicken is cooked (no more pinkness remains), transfer it to a plate for later use.
Stir-fry the mushrooms
- Add the remaining ½ tablespoon of oil to the wok. Sizzle sliced garlic for 10 seconds or so, then add sliced mushrooms. Keep the heat high and toss constantly until they just begin to sweat.
- Turn the heat down to low (or temporarily remove the wok from the burner if using an electric cooker). Return the chicken to the wok, then pour in sauce-well stirred beforehand.
- Toss everything while the sauce thickens (this takes very little time). Finally, stir in chopped scallions then dish out to serve.
NUTRITION
NUTRITION DISCLOSURE: Nutritional information on this website is provided as a courtesy to readers. It should be considered estimates. Please use your own brand nutritional values or your preferred nutrition calculator to double check against our estimates.
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