Chop Suey – a saucy chicken stir fry loaded with tender pieces of chicken, vegetables and smothered in Chinese brown sauce just like you get at the best Chinese restaurants! Use any vegetables you want in this quick and easy stir fry.
This recipe also shares two little known Chinese restaurant secrets so you can make a stir fry that genuinely is as good as your favourite take out!
Chop Suey – Chicken Stir Fry
Chop Suey is just a slightly westernised version of a classic, basic Chinese stir fry. Because of this, there really aren’t hard and fast rules about what goes in it, but the general characteristic is that the sauce is a fairly light brown colour, there is plenty of it (and you know I love my sauce!!) and it’s pretty thick so it clings to your rice or noodles.
How to make a Chop Suey that’s REALLY restaurant quality
If you’ve ever wondered why your stir fries aren’t quite as tasty as what you get from (good) Chinese restaurants, here are the two things you’ve probably been missing:
Secret 1 – Chinese Cooking Wine
Chinese cooking wine (or Shaoxing Wine) is the secret ingredient in almost every Chinese recipe that’s used by the gallon in Chinese restaurants around the world! It adds depth and complexity of flavour into even the most simple sauces with just a small amount. Read more about it here, including why it’s so important, the difference it makes in recipes and the best substitutes.
Best substitutes for Chinese Cooking Wine – Mirin or dry sherry.
Best non alcoholic substitute for Chop Suey is to use chicken broth (liquid chicken stock) in place of water in the sauce.
Secret 2 – Tenderised Chicken
Have you noticed that the chicken in Chinese restaurants is incredibly soft and almost “velvety”? It’s because restaurants “velvet” the chicken (that’s the term that is used).
There are a few ways to do this, but I like using a simple method where the chicken is coated in a small amount of baking soda (bi-carb), left for 20 minutes to tenderise, then rinsed before cooking in the stir fry. It’s the easiest and least effort for home cooking – and 100% effect.
Velveting is optional if using chicken thighs because it’s a juicy cut. But if you are using chicken breast or tenderloins and you choose to tenderise it, you are going to be amazed how juicy and tender the chicken is.
Read more about this – Velveting: Chinese Restaurant Way to Tenderise Chicken.
What goes in Chop Suey
I’ve make Chop Suey with ingredients that are commonly used by Chinese restaurants – Asian greens (Choi Sum), bean sprouts, carrots and mushrooms. But feel free to use whatever vegetables you want!
How to make Chop Suey
Chop Suey is a 5 minute stir fry that starts off by sautéing garlic and onion before adding vegetables in the order in which they cook. Vegetables that take longer to cook go in first, and more delicate vegetables (like leafy greens) go in last.
Then the sauce is added, simmered for just a minute or two so it thickens, then served immediately over rice to soak up all that tasty sauce!
What to serve with Chop Suey
With all that tasty sauce, Chop Suey demands to be served with rice! Though if you’re looking for a low carb option, cauliflower rice is a terrific alternative.
If you’re making this as part of a larger banquet or you want to make a menu to serve 4+ people, try adding some of these other dishes to your menu:
If you’re new to this Chop Suey recipe, be prepared to be amazed how similar it really is to Chinese takeout.
“It’s just like the stir fries at Golden Century Chinese Restaurant!!”, first timers exclaim.
Or Golden Palace or Golden Pearl or Golden Wheel or Golden Unicorn or Golden Dragon.
Ahh, Chinese restaurant names, they provide much amusement. But that’s a story for another time! – Nagi x
Watch how to make it
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Chop Suey - Chicken Stir Fry
Ingredients
Optional Tenderised Chicken (Note 1):
- 180g (6oz ) chicken breast , thinly sliced
- 1/2 tsp baking soda / bi-carb (optional, Note 1)
Sauce (or use Charlie, Note 2):
- 1 tbsp cornflour / corn starch
- 1 1/2 tbsp light soy sauce , or all purpose soy(Note 3)
- 1 tbsp Oyster Sauce (Note 4)
- 1 tbsp Chinese Cooking Wine OR Mirin (Note 5)
- 1/2 tsp sesame oil (optional)
- Dash of white pepper (or black)
- 3/4 cup (185 ml) water
Stir Fry:
- 1 1/2 tbsp vegetable oil (or other cooking oil)
- 2 garlic cloves , finely chopped
- 1/2 onion , sliced (white, brown, yellow)
- 5 - 6 stems choy sum (or other Asian greens)
- 1 medium carrot
- 1/2 cup sliced mushrooms (shiitake is authentic, but any will do)
- 1 cup bean sprouts
Instructions
"Velvet" Chicken (optional, Note 1)
- Place chicken in a bowl, sprinkle over baking soda. Use your fingers to mix then set aside for 20 minutes, no longer than 30 minutes (can get too tender). Rinse well, pat excess water with paper towels, set aside (see video).
Prep Ingredients:
- Sauce: Place cornflour and soy sauce in a bowl. Mix until lump free. Then add remaining Sauce ingredients and stir.
- Chop choy sum: Trim end off choy sum. Then cut into 7cm (3") pieces. Separate stems from leaves.
- Chop carrot - Peel then cut into 3cm (1.3") pieces. Then slice the pieces thinly.
Stir Fry:
- Heat oil in a wok or skillet over high heat. Add garlic, stir quickly, then add onion, Cook for 1 minute, moving constantly, until onion is starting to wilt.
- Add chicken, cook for 1 minute until the surface changes from pink to white.
- Add choy sum stems, carrot and mushrooms. Stir fry for 1 minute.
- Add choy sum leaves, bean sprouts and Sauce. Stir fry for 1 to 2 minutes until the Sauce thickens to a thick syrup consistency. Vegetables should still be tender/crisp, not soggy and soft.
- Serve immediately with rice (for low carb, low cal option, try Cauliflower Rice!)
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
Originally published November 2017, modified October 2018, and updated March 2020 with new photos and video! No change to the recipe!
More stir fry favourites!
Life of Dozer
This big furry head was just out of frame in every photo in this post…..
I made this tonight and it turned out so good better then expected. It did take me longer to make because I didn’t have my veggies readily chopped so they all cooked longer till they came together but I like them well cooked. The only thing when trippling the recipe I found not tripling the water content worked best for me so it didn’t dilute the flavour. Plus I went of the colour of nagis video and made sure to stop at a medium brown. This recipe calls for 180g of chicken and 185ml of water and I did my 600g of chicken with 250ml of water. I had the full 600ml ready but I realised it would be too thin and definitely wouldn’t have turned into syrup consistency like this one did in under 2mins. So so good. I was impressed. I did use broccolini and green beans instead of Asian greens to ensure I can freeze it.
Can I freeze this recipe
I’m also wondering if this is freezable. If Nagi leaves out this explanation I wonder if it means maybe best not to freeze? The wilted greens probably don’t freeze well unless they are replaced with something firmer maybe broccolinni?
Hello Nagi
I notice that if you tenderise the chicken with baking powder you say that it should be rinsed after.
I understood that washing raw chicken before cooking is a no no. Why is it Ok in this recipe?
My guess is that people tend to hold a chicken under a running tap to wash it and bacteria splashes easily over sink and worktops. This chicken can be rinsed in the bowl , so contained, ie no splashing.
Yum, yum, yum! Probably the best stir fry I have made! My teenager (and myself when nobody was looking) drank the left over sauce out of our bowls 😀 Too good to waste!
This is so delicious and so easy. Better than takeout!!
Loved this as a quick mid-week meal and would definitely make again!
Is great re-heated the next day for lunch too!
I did change up the veggies, using snow peas, capsicum, carrot, broccolini and water chestnuts and used thin egg noodles instead of rice.
I love that I can change it up and swap rice/noodles and the veggies based on what’s on hand.
All in all, got the tick of approval from the husband and 6yo and will be included on our regular rotation!
This is so good. I make it all the time. Great flavours.
It is a rare thing for me not to give recipes on this site 5 stars out of 5. It is my most used website for recipes and if I’m honest probably 90% of the recipes I cook each week come from this site and as my favourite cooking utensil is my Wok I am always keen to cook any recipe where I can use it.
However…sometimes a recipe may not live up to expectations and, unfortunately, this is one of them.
We found the flavour a bit bland and the sauce too thin, despite reducing it for double the amount of time suggested in the wok, over a wok burner.
I will admit that I did add some things to the stir fry and the sauce, namely red capsicum (in lieu of mushrooms which my husband doesn’t eat), a chopped red paprika chilli, ginger (I had some left over from another recipe) and substituted half the water for chicken stock. Now you would think this would add to the flavour, but it was still pretty bland, tasted very under seasoned (I did not use reduce salt soy sauce, stock or anything) and the sauce didn’t hold on to the stir fry ingredients as it was still thin.
In the interests of getting this served without completely overcooking the vegetables I decided to stop trying to reduce and thicken it any longer.
I may try this again but instead increase the cornflour or reduce the liquid to try and get a thicker sauce and try with hotter chilli and maybe some more garlic, ginger to get more depth of flavour. My husband and I agreed that this might be a good recipe to serve up to children as and introduction to
Asian food and due to the vegetable content and lean chicken we at least felt like we had eaten something healthy.
Did you use a wok over high heat gas hob?
Hi, yes. We have a dedicated wok burner on our stove. Red hot. I cook loads of Asian food and lots of recipes from this site, however, I believe that the cornflour ratio or time of addition was out. I haven’t had this problem before with Recipetin recipes.
1 tbsp cornflour to 1 cup liquid is the usual proportions to thicken, unless the heat is insufficient to set the cornflour.
I agree. I was very disappointed. There was way too much water in the sauce which made it all quite bland
I might add, that next time I think I will add the cornflour separately after the liquid has reduced down to stop it breaking down too much.
This was so good. Love your recipes. You are the first one I go to when looking for something. Did take me longer than but so what
Excellent thanks for the tenderizing hint!!!
Made this recipe on Monday night as it’s a real family favourite. I added all the onion and garlic and chicken to start then followed with shiitake mushrooms halved, carrot diced, celery diced, broccoli ends and the Asian broccoli leaves at the end with bean sprouts.
The sauce is my favourite part of the whole meal. Lots of jasmine rice to soak up the chickeny goodness. It’s my absolute favourite meal As light and balanced perfectly for me, and I’m making it again tomorrow night for my other family coming for dinner. Please do make this chicken chop suey and thank Nagi for her amazing recipe collection as I do everyday ❤️❤️
Absolutely amazing recipe. So glad I found it, my family keep asking me to make it for them. I serve this 9n medium’egg noodles
So I’ve made this dish several times now…..lunch an for Dinner….and it keeps getting better….. 🙂
Best recipe ever! Delish! Super tasty! So easy! Super tender chicken… Thanks for sharing.
Wow….this has becomes a Monday night fave….so delicious and easy to do…I’m using homegrown Bok Choy as we have an abundance of it at the moment. Hubby loves this dish too.
I just made your chop suey recipe for the 1sr time…. Everyone in my household loves it….this is definitely one of our favorites…. Thank you Nagi
I adapted this to a crockpot and used broth in place of the Chinese Cooking Wine and water and my entire family loved it! I used baby corn, carrots, water chestnuts, bamboo shoots, mushrooms, and onions along with chicken thighs. Then I tripled the sauce to make sure there was plenty. Definitely including this sauce in my regular rotation.
This is a great recipe! Finally, a blast from the past with this Chinese American Chop Suey that’s truly reminiscent of our favorite restaurant that closed it’s doors many years ago. I had baby bok choy that I subbed for the greens, and added celery and water chestnuts. Thank you for posting this, I will go back to it time after time! You have great recipes and are a trusted site for me. All of your recipes that I’ve tried have been fabulous!
Oh my. Had with “Thai-style” noodles & it was juicy and tender.
We just ate this, and wow! I can’t remember the last time I reviewed a recipe, but I couldn’t not. The bicarb trick worked so well, and really gives an authentic Chinese texture. This will become a regular dish for us.
Quick, easy, tasty.
Better than Golden Gates/Walls or Lakes because it was fresh.
Made with Charlie’s sauce as a hack. Served with the Emergency “fried” rice,
Fake-away success.