Julie Clark
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Chicken Chop Suey
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Tender chicken, crunchy carrots, and an amazing sauce creates a must make chicken chop suey!
Chicken chop suey is a Chinese American dish that consists of chicken, vegetables such as bean sprouts and carrots, covered in a sticky and savory sauce.
Similar to our Kung Pao Chicken and General Tso’s Chicken, this chicken chop suey recipe is a take out inspired dish the family will love!
What is chop suey?
Every restaurant will have different variations on his take of chicken chop suey.
For our recipe, chicken chop suey is made with boneless chicken breast that is easily tenderized with our little trick (keep reading for it), simple vegetables that are favored in the Chinese cuisine (fresh chopped mushrooms, crunchy carrots, bean sprouts, and bok choy); and made with a not too thick sticky sauce that is savory and not spicy or sweet!
What does chop suey look like?
Each recipe of chicken chop suey will vary with ingredients, making each stir fried recipe look unique.
A bowl of chicken chop suey looks like cooked chicken that is thinly chopped or cut into chunks without breading, and a light clear like sauce covers the chicken so you can see the tender carrot sticks, bean sprouts, bok choy, and any other vegetable included.
Is chicken chop suey healthy?
Yes, chop suey is a healthy dinner recipe that you can enjoy guilt free! Unlike other favorite Chinese recipes, this chop suey recipe is not made with any honey, brown sugar, or syrup!
Ingredients In Chop Suey
- boneless chicken
- baking soda
- cornstarch
- soy sauce
- oyster sauce
- Chinese cooking wine
- sesame oil, optional
- black pepper
- water
- vegetable oil
- garlic cloves
- white or yellow onions
- bok choy stalks
- thin sliced carrots
- water chestnuts
- shitake mushrooms (or any variation)
- bean sprouts
How To Make Chicken Chop Suey
1. Tenderize the meat:
- Place chicken in a bowl, sprinkle with baking soda. Mix it around and set aside for no longer than 15-20 minutes or meat will get too tender. In a colander, rinse well then pat dry with a paper towel or two. Set aside.
This is the “trick” for tenderizing chicken! Baking powder takes “tough” meat and in a matter of minutes tenderizes it! You can also opt to use boneless chicken thighs, which is a more tender cut of chicken.
2. Prepare The Sauce
- Place cornstarch and soy sauce in a bowl. Mix until lump free.
- Add oyster sauce, Chinese cooking wine, sesame oil, pepper and water. Set aside.
Cornstarch is a gluten free powder that is frequently used in the Chinese American cuisine both for thickening sauces and for creating a crispy chicken breading.
What is Chinese wine?
Shaoxing rice wine is the gold standard Chinese wine for cooking. It has a nutty profile and contains 17-18% of alcohol! Find out more in this article by Viet World Kitchen.
Alternatives to Chinese wine:
- Dry Sherry
- Chicken Broth
3. Make The Chop Suey:
- Heat oil in skillet over high heat. Add garlic and onion, stirring until onion is starting to wilt. (About 1-2 minutes.)
- Add meat and cook 1-2 minutes, until surface changes color from pink to white.
- Add bok choy stems, carrots, water chestnuts and mushrooms. Stir fry for 2 minutes.
- Add bok choy leaves, bean sprouts and sauce.
- Stir fry for 1-2 minutes until the sauce thickens to thick syrup consistency. Vegetables should still be tender/crisp but not soggy or soft.
- Remove from heat and serve immediately over rice or noodles.
What To Serve With Chop Suey
The beauty of chop suey is that it is a one pot meal! You do not have to add anything to the dish to make it a complete meal.
Creating Chinese inspired appetizers, like our easy crab rangoon (cream cheese and crab filled pastry) is the perfect Chinese side recipe to make.
To balance out everything this gluten free angel food cake is a light and airy dessert that goes great topped with fresh strawberries and cool whip!
Can Chop Suey Be Frozen?
Yes, chop suey can be frozen for up to three months. Be sure to place your leftover chop suey in an airtight freezer safe container or Ziploc bag.
More One Pot Recipes You May Enjoy:
Chicken Chop Suey
Tender chicken, crunchy carrots, and an amazing sauce creates a must make chicken chop suey!
Servings 5
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Resting Time 20 minutes
Ingredients
For the meat:
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts (thinly sliced)
- 1 tablespoon baking soda
For the sauce:
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
- 2 tablespoons Chinese cooking wine
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil (optional)
- dash of pepper
- 1 ½ cups water
Stir Fry:
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 4 cloves garlic (finely chopped)
- 1 white or yellow onion sliced
- 8-10 stalks bok choy cut into 1 inch pieces, leaves included (or other Asian greens)
- ¾ cup carrots (cut into thin slices)
- 8 ounces sliced water chestnuts (drained)
- 1 cup sliced mushrooms shitake is authentic, but any will do
- 1 ½ – 2 cups bean sprouts
Instructions
To tenderize the meat:
- Place chicken in a bowl, sprinkle with baking soda. Mix it around and set aside for no longer than 15-20 minutes or meat will get too tender. In a colander, rinse well then pat dry with a paper towel or two. Set aside.
Sauce preparation:
- Place cornstarch and soy sauce in a bowl. Mix until lump free.
- Add oyster sauce, chinese cooking wine, sesame oil, pepper and water. Set aside.
Stir Fry:
- Heat oil in skillet over high heat. Add garlic and onion, stirring until onion is starting to wilt. (About 1-2 minutes.)
- Add meat and cook 1-2 minutes, until surface changes color from pink to white.
- Add bok choy stems, carrots, water chestnuts and mushrooms. Stir fry for 2 minutes.
- Add bok choy leaves, bean sprouts and sauce. Stir fry for 1-2 minutes until the sauce thickens to thick syrup consistency. Vegetables should still be tender/crisp but not soggy or soft.
- Remove from heat and serve immediately over rice or noodles.
Nutrition
Calories: 264kcal | Carbohydrates: 17g | Protein: 24g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Cholesterol: 58mg | Sodium: 1304mg | Potassium: 701mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 4251IU | Vitamin C: 24mg | Calcium: 50mg | Iron: 2mg
