Homemade Mongolian Chicken is easy to make and always a family favorite!
Lightly crispy chicken coated in a sweet and savory stir fry sauce is a restaurant favorite you can make at home. This Mongolian chicken is easier than you think and faster than waiting for takeout!
I’m back again with yet another restaurant-inspired dinner! I can’t help myself – with a big family, the idea of getting us all to a busy restaurant during the week is enough to make me want to hide under the covers. So, to satisfy those Chinese takeout cravings, I make homemade versions!
This easy Mongolian chicken recipe is the newest dish and I just love it. When I compare the time it takes to make this recipe at home versus wrangling all of the kids to a restaurant and back home again, well the time saved is a lot! And it’s just as delicious, maybe even better, than the takeout version.
Recipe Highlights
Mongolian sauce is sweet and savory with a velvety texture. We love Mongolian beef, but this version with boneless, skinless chicken breasts is a little lighter.
The chicken is lightly fried in a pan so it has a touch of a crispy coating. I’m pretty sure I use way less oil than a Chinese restaurant, so this is definitely a lightened-up twist.
My version is not spicy, but you can easily kick up the heat level by adding some sriracha or red chili sauce.
Sometimes it’s served with cellophane noodles but we love it with cooked rice and vegetables on the side.
It’s such an easy chicken stir fry dish and perfect for weeknight dinners.
Ingredients
- Whisked cornstarch and water
- Canola or vegetable oil
- Minced fresh ginger
- Thinly sliced garlic cloves
- Low-sodium soy sauce
- Dark brown sugar
- Chopped green onions
- Thinly sliced boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- Cornstarch for coating the chicken
- Salt and black pepper
Recipe Steps
Heat the oil in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the ginger and garlic and saute them until they are fragrant about one minute.
Add the cornstarch and water mixture, soy sauce, and brown sugar. Stir and bring the sauce ingredients to a boil over medium-high heat.
Boil it for three to five minutes or until it starts to thicken. Transfer it to a large bowl and set it aside.
Season the sliced chicken with salt and pepper. Place cornstarch in a large resealable bag. Add the chicken to the bag and shake to coat it evenly in the cornstarch.
Heat more oil in a large skillet or wok over medium heat. Add the coated chicken pieces to the pan and cook it until it’s golden brown and cooked through.
Transfer the cooked chicken to the sauce in the bowl. Toss so the chicken is evenly coated and it’s ready to serve.
Garnish and Side Dish Ideas
Garnishes: I love to sprinkle sliced green onions or scallions over the top. If you have some sesame oil on hand, feel free to add a drizzle.
Side Dishes: Cooked white rice or brown rice is our favorite side. I also love to add some chopped fresh bell peppers for color. Steamed veggies like broccoli, snap peas, and carrots would be delicious, too.
Recipe Tips
The cook time is fast for this recipe, so be sure to prep all of your ingredients first so they are ready to go.
The most important tip for this recipe is to not overcook the chicken. Since it’s thinly sliced it won’t take long at all to cook.
I haven’t tried it, but I think it would work great with thinly sliced chicken thighs, too.
Like a lot of my other Asian recipes, this Mongolian chicken keeps well in the refrigerator. Sometimes I double the batch so we have leftovers to reheat for easy meals.
If your family craves Chinese food on a weekly basis as mine does, you need this easy recipe in your dinner rotation! The sauce-coated chicken is so full of flavor, they’ll ask for it every week. Enjoy!
More Easy Recipe Ideas
Don’t forget to pin this dinner recipe to your favorite Pinterest board for later!
Mongolian Chicken
Ingredients
Sauce
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 5 tablespoons oil
- 1 tablespoon minced ginger
- 8 garlic cloves thinly sliced
- 1 cup soy sauce low sodium
- 1 cup dark brown sugar
- 1/2 green onions chopped
Chicken
- 2 pounds chicken thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup cornstarch
- salt and pepper to taste
- 6 tablespoons canola oil
Instructions
Sauce
- Whisk together 1/2 cup of water and 1 tablespoon cornstarch. Set aside.
- Heat 5 tablespoons oil in a sauce pan on medium low. Add ginger and garlic and stir until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Add soy sauce, brown sugar, and water with cornstarch. Bring to a boil while stirring until combined.
- Let it boil for 3-5 minutes or until it starts to thicken. Set aside in a large bowl while you prepare the chicken.
Chicken
- Season the thinly sliced chicken with salt and pepper.
- Place 1/2 cup cornstarch in a large ziploc bag and add chicken. Shake to fully coat each piece of chicken.
- Heat 6 tablespoons of oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add chicken to the pan and cook until golden brown and cooked through to an internal temperature of 165°F.
- Place the chicken in the bowl of sauce and toss together until combined.
- Serve with green onions, chopped bell pepper, and rice if desired.
