Mongolian chicken is a Chinese-inspired American dish that has crispy fried chicken smothered in a sweet-savory sauce. It’s a delicious fast dinner that comes together in under 30 minutes.
Do not forget to check out other chicken stir fry recipes – 15-minutes chicken and broccoli stir fry, Thai basil chicken, Instant Pot General Tso chicken.
Jump to:
- Why you’ll love Mongolian chicken recipe
- Ingredients needed
- How to make
- Useful tips
- Storage and reheating
- Variations
- Common questions
- 📋20 Minutes Mongolian Chicken
Why you’ll love Mongolian chicken recipe
- Easy-to-make chicken dinner recipes that are perfect for busy weekdays!
- Better than your favorite Chinese restaurant takeout!
- You’ll need simple pantry ingredients; I bet you already have most of it!
- Crispy fried chicken smothered in sweet savory sticky sauce. It’s so good!
- Chicken is packed with amazing flavors. It’s sweet, salty, sticky, gingery everything you’ll look forward to in your Mongolian chicken recipe.
- Try it once and I’m sure you’ll be hooked. Most readers have this recipe included in their weekly menu list for rotation.
- Mongolian chicken is made similar to how Mongolian beef is made. It’s got the same flavors, same sauce but leaner meat. Feel free to swap chicken with beef.
- This recipe is quick & easy comfort food that will leave you satisfied!
- Make it your own. Customize to tweak to your preference. Feel free to add veggies like mushrooms, broccoli, bell peppers, and zucchini.
- It’s a great make-ahead dish. Stores well for 3-5 days refrigerated.
Ingredients needed
Here’s what you’ll need-
- 1 pound boneless chicken (breasts will do but highly recommend thighs so it’s juicy)
- ¼ cup corn starch + 2 teaspoons extra for adding to sauce
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil + extra if needed (to fry chicken strips)
- 1 teaspoon ginger, minced
- 1 teaspoon garlic, minced
- 2 green onion (white and green part of onion included) – measured to ½ cup
- ½ cup dark brown sugar
- ½ cup low sodium soy sauce (look for gluten free soy sauce if you are on gluten free diet)
- 1 ½ teaspoons toasted sesame oil
- ⅓ cup water
Ingredients notes:
- Chicken – you’ll need boneless chicken cut into thin strips so they cook fast while stir-frying. Chicken breast will do, but recommend you use boneless chicken thighs so it does not turn hard and rubbery.
- Corn starch is also called corn flour in some countries.
- Green Onions – use both white and green part.
- Ginger – use fresh ginger. Do not recommend ginger powder as a substitute here.
- Garlic – use fresh garlic. Garlic powder won’t give the same results.
- Soy sauce – use low-sodium soy sauce. Substitute gluten-free soy sauce if you have diet restrictions.
- Dark brown sugar – use dark brown sugar for rich colored sauce.
- Toasted sesame oil – adds authentic taste to any Asian dish.
- Cooking oil – use any neutral oils like sunflower oil or canola oil for frying chicken.
Ingredients additions & substitutions
This recipe isn’t spicy. It’s got balanced flavors of sweet, and salty tastes. It’s more of a sweet savory dish than a sweet spicy dish. If you like to make the dish spicy, you can by adding dried whole red chilies to the recipe. You can also add a splash of hot sauce if you like.
Add hoisin sauce to enhance flavors. Note – avoid adding any salt if using both soy sauce and hoisin sauce. Taste and adjust seasoning only in the end.
Add vegetables like mushrooms, broccoli, bell peppers, and zucchini for extra nutrition.
How to make
Cut chicken into thin strips. Add chicken to a zip-lock bag. Add corn starch and a pinch of salt and pepper.
Close the zip lock bag and shake well to coat the chicken strips with corn flour.
Heat oil in a wok or large skillet.
Add chicken strips coated in corn flour to hot oil. Do not crowd the pan. Fry a few strips at a time and do multiple batches. Fry on medium heat until golden brown, then flip and cook on the other side.
Pro-tip: overcrowding the pan with chicken will result in the chicken not getting browned evenly.
Do not cook for more than 2 to 3 minutes on each side or until browned.
Transfer chicken from the pan onto a plate lined with a kitchen towel to absorb excess oil from fried chicken.
Repeat the above steps for the rest of the chicken.
To the same pan add minced ginger, garlic, and ½ of the green onion (reserve the rest of the green onion to be added to the dish in the last step).
If pan it too dry add 2 to 3 teaspoons of oil before adding ginger and garlic.
Sauté for 20 seconds.
Add toasted sesame oil, low-sodium soy sauce, and dark brown sugar. Give it a quick stir.
Quickly mix 2 teaspoons of corn starch in ⅓ cup water.
Pour it into the sauce and stir immediately.
Cook for 30 seconds with constant stirring.
When the sauce begins to thicken, add fried chicken strips and the remaining green onion.
Toss well.
Jo’s Tip: If the sauce turns too dry, you can add a splash(about 1 to 2 tablespoons) of water or chicken stock to adjust the consistency of the sauce. Toss well.
Remove pan from heat.
Serve it immediately hot over steamed rice.
Useful tips
- Mise en place. The most important step in any stir-fried dish you get all the ingredients chopped, measured, and ready near the stove to be thrown into the pan and tossed.
- Chicken thighs for juicy chicken. The chicken breast will work, but I highly recommend you to use boneless chicken thighs as it will be moist even if you do tend to overcook your chicken by a few seconds.
- Thin chicken strips. Cutting the boneless chicken into strips will help cook the chicken fast. Cook chicken on medium heat, high heat will brown and dry the chicken fast.
- Don’t overcook the chicken. Do not leave chicken in the pan for long. Remove it from heat as soon as it turns brown.
- High heat.Cook everything on high heat moving it quickly and frequently.
- Keep tossing. Do not let the ingredients sit for long while cooking.
Storage and reheating
The dish will keep for 3 to 5 days. Any leftovers can be stored in air-tight containers in the refrigerator for 3 to 5 days.
To reheat, add chicken to microwave safe bowl and reheat in microwave until hot or reheat on stove top on medium heat in a skillet or wok.
Variations
Substitute chicken with beef to make the popular Mongolian beef recipe.
If you like to make the dish spicy, you can add dried whole red chilies or fresh Thai red chilies. You can also add a splash of hot sauce like sriracha schezwan sauce or chili sauce for an extra kick.
Add hoisin sauce to enhance flavors. Note – avoid adding any salt if using both soy sauce and hoisin sauce. Taste and adjust seasoning only in the end.
Add vegetables like mushrooms, broccoli, bell peppers, and zucchini for extra nutrition.
Common questions
What is Mongolian chicken?
The original dish was Mongolian beef where flank steak is cut into slices and stir-fried with scallions in dark brown sauce that consists of soy sauce, dark brown sugar, and chili peppers. It’s one of the most popular takeout dishes in Asian-American restaurants.
Mongolian chicken is very similar to the Mongolian beef. Boneless chicken strips are deep fried and tossed in dark brown sauce along with scallions.
The sauce usually comprises ginger, garlic, dark brown sugar, soy sauce and or hoisin sauce, and dried red chilies.
Is Mongolian chicken spicy?
No. It’s not spicy at all! Chicken has a sweet savory taste (salty-sweet). It’s a very flavorful dish with loads of savory flavors to it. You can make it spicy or add a bit of kick to the dish by adding dried red chilies to the sauce.
What does it taste like?
It tastes just like those from your favorite restaurants. Sweet and savory! Crispy chicken strips in dark brown savory sauce over steamed rice is just the BEST!
If you have tasted Mongolian beef this is very much similar to that except that crispy fried chicken will be there in place of flank beef strips.
Is this recipe gluten-free?
No, soy sauce used in this recipe has gluten. If you do want to make it gluten-free use gluten-free soy sauce.
Can you add vegetables to the dish?
Vegetables like mushrooms, broccoli, bell peppers, and zucchini go well.
How to serve it?
It’s best served with steamed rice or Thai crispy noodles.
Can you make this dish ahead of time?
Yes, this dish works great to make ahead of time. It keeps well for 3 to 5 days. Cool completely and store in air tight container for 3 to 5 days refrigerated.
Can you air fry chicken?
Yes, you can.
To air fry, spray the basket with vegetable oil. Arrange corn flour-coated chicken strips in a single layer. Lightly spray oil on top and air fry at 400F for 10-14 minutes until chicken is cooked and crispy.
Toss air-fried chicken in the wok with sauce as mentioned in the recipe.
MORE ASIAN DISHES YOU’LL ENJOY-
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10 Minutes Garlic Bok Choy Recipe
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15 Minutes Chicken and Broccoli Stir Fry
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Shrimp and Broccoli Stir Fry
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Cantonese Chicken with Mushrooms
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Shrimp Fried Rice
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4.88 from 16 votes
📋20 Minutes Mongolian Chicken
Jyothi Rajesh
Mongolian chicken is a Chinese-inspired American dish that has crispy fried chicken smothered in a sweet-savory sauce. It’s a delicious fast dinner that comes together in under 30 minutes.
Print Recipe Pin RecipeRate this Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes mins
Cook Time 20 minutes mins
Course Dinner, Main, Main Course
Cuisine Asian
Servings 4 servings
Calories 390
Ingredients
- 1 pound boneless chicken breasts will do but highly recommend thighs for juicy chicken
- ¼ cup corn starch + 2 teaspoon extra for adding to sauce
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil + extra if needed to fry chicken strips
- 1 teaspoon ginger minced
- 1 teaspoon garlic minced
- ½ cup green onion white and green part of onion included
- ½ cup dark brown sugar
- ½ cup low sodium soy sauce use gluten-free soy sauce if you are on gluten-free diet
- 1 ½ teaspoons toasted sesame oil
- ⅓ cup water
Instructions
Keep corn flour slurry ready – mix 2 teaspoons of corn flour in ⅓ cup water.
Cut boneless chicken into thin strips. Add chicken strips to a zip-lock bag. Add cornstarch and a pinch of salt and pepper.
Close the zip lock bag and shake well to coat the chicken evenly.
Heat oil in a wok or large skillet.
Add chicken strips coated in corn flour to hot oil. Do not crowd the pan. Fry a few chicken strips at a time and do multiple batches to fry the chicken. Fry chicken strips on medium heat.
Note: Overcrowding the pan with chicken will result in the chicken not getting browned evenly.
Flip the chicken and brown it on both sides. Cook it for 2 to 3 minutes on each side or until browned.
Transfer chicken onto a plate lined with a kitchen towel to absorb excess oil from fried chicken.
Repeat above steps for rest of the chicken.
In the same pan add minced ginger, garlic, and ½ of the green onion (reserve the rest of the green onion to be added to the dish in the last step). If the pan is dry without any leftover oil in it, add 2 to 3 teaspoons of oil before adding ginger and garlic.
Toss well. Add toasted sesame oil, low-sodium soy sauce, and dark brown sugar to the pan.
Toss. Stir the slurry once and pour it into the sauce.
Cook for 30 seconds stirring constantly.
The sauce will begin to thicken. Add fried chicken strips and the remaining green onion.
Give it a quick toss until all the chicken is evenly coated in the sauce.
Jo’s Tip: If the sauce turns too dry, you can add a splash(about 1 to 2 tablespoons) of water or chicken stock to adjust the consistency of the sauce.
Toss until combined.
Remove pan from heat. Serve it immediately hot over steamed rice.
Video
Notes
- Mise en place. The most important step in any stir-fried dish you get all the ingredients chopped, measured, and ready near the stove to be thrown into the pan and tossed.
- Chicken thighs for juicy chicken. The chicken breast will work, but I highly recommend you to use boneless chicken thighs as it will be moist even if you do tend to overcook your chicken by a few seconds.
- Thin chicken strips. Cutting the boneless chicken into strips will help cook the chicken fast. Cook chicken on medium heat, high heat will brown and dry the chicken fast.
- Don’t overcook the chicken. Do not leave chicken in the pan for long. Remove it from heat as soon as it turns brown.
- High heat.Cook everything on high heat moving it quickly and frequently.
- Keep tossing. Do not let the ingredients sit for long while cooking.
Nutritional Info – Please keep in mind that the nutritional information provided is only a rough estimate and can vary greatly based on the products used.
Nutrition
Calories: 390kcalCarbohydrates: 38gProtein: 26gFat: 15gSaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 73mgSodium: 1206mgPotassium: 553mgFiber: 1gSugar: 28gVitamin A: 159IUVitamin C: 4mgCalcium: 45mgIron: 1mg
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Created by Jyothi Rajesh
Thank you for stopping by.
I’m Jyothi Rajesh (Jo for short) and i’m the founder of the food blog, Curry Trail where I share my culinary Adventures. I live in Bangalore, India. I’m a mom of two beautiful kids. My passion is creating and sharing delicious and easy recipes for the home cook. I have been blogging since 2007 and many of my recipes have appeared in both online and print publications over the years.Learn more about Jyothi Rajesh.
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