Stir-Fried Chicken With Mushrooms and Oyster Sauce Recipe (2024)

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This quick, simple stir-fry features fresh and dried mushrooms for maximum flavor and chicken that's been velveted—an easy technique that guarantees tender meat.

By

Shao Z.

Stir-Fried Chicken With Mushrooms and Oyster Sauce Recipe (1)

Shao Z.

Shao Zhi Zhong is a Chinese-born and Philadelphia-raised food writer and recipe developer who specializes in Chinese home cooking. She's also a web designer.

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Updated August 04, 2023

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Why It Works

  • Marinating the chicken strips in a mixture of cornstarch, egg white, wine, and seasonings—a process known as velveting—guarantees silky, tender meat.
  • Par-cooking the meat in a bath of boiling water with just a little oil is much easier for home cooks than the more traditional hot-oil-bath method, with equally good results.

If you've been reading ourwater-velveting series, then you already know that it's an excellent home-cook technique for ensuring that meats stay extremely tender in stir-fries. Unlike the more traditional method that involves cooking the meat in a hot-oil bath,water-velveted meatuses boiling water with just a little bit of oil added to it. Otherwise, the velveting process is exactly the same, with the meat first marinated in a mixture of cornstarch, egg white, and seasonings.

Today's recipe features strips of chicken stir-fried with a mixture of fresh and dried mushrooms, along with a sauce made from soy and oyster sauces. The crunchy bite of the rehydrated dried wood ear mushrooms, which you can find in most Asian markets, adds a nice texture to the dish. (They are great in other stir-fries as well and also in these deliciouspan-fried vegetable dumplings.) When using oyster sauce, a little goes a long way, so be careful not to pour out too much at once.

I start by marinating the chicken strips in the velveting mixture (a combination of cornstarch, egg white, rice wine, and seasonings) for 30 minutes.

Stir-Fried Chicken With Mushrooms and Oyster Sauce Recipe (3)

Then I get the water boiling in the wok, and drizzle a small amount of oil on top. The chicken takes a quick spin in the boiling water, just long enough to turn the exterior opaque while leaving it still raw inside, about 40 seconds. I drain it and give the chicken a good shake so that it isn't too wet the next time it goes into the wok for stir-frying.

Then I wipe out the wok, and stir-fry the fresh mushrooms in it first until they release their water.

Stir-Fried Chicken With Mushrooms and Oyster Sauce Recipe (4)

I follow that with the rehydrated wood ear mushrooms, and cook all the mushrooms until their excess water is gone and they're starting to brown. Once they're ready I transfer them to a plate.

Stir-Fried Chicken With Mushrooms and Oyster Sauce Recipe (5)

I add a little more oil to the wok, then stir-fry the chicken next. Working in batches like this with wok stir-fries is important since home burners don't put out enough heat to properly stir-fry all of the ingredients at once.

Then I add the mushrooms back in, toss them to combine, and add the sauce. I keep cooking, tossing and stirring, until the sauce thickens and coats the chicken and mushrooms. Then it's ready to serve.

July 2014

Recipe Details

Stir-Fried Chicken With Mushrooms and Oyster Sauce Recipe

Prep5 mins

Cook30 mins

Active20 mins

Marinating Time30 mins

Total65 mins

Ingredients

For the Velveted Chicken:

  • 1 tablespoon egg white(see note)

  • 2 teaspoons cornstarch

  • 2 teaspoons Chinese rice wine orsake

  • 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

  • 1/2 pound chicken breast, sliced 1/8 inch thick

  • 6 cups water

  • 1 teaspoon vegetable, canola, orpeanut oil

For the Sauce and Stir-Fry:

  • 1 teaspoon cornstarch

  • 1 teaspoon sesame oil

  • 2 teaspoons oyster sauce

  • 1 teaspoon soy sauce

  • 1 medium clove garlic, finely minced

  • 2 tablespoons water

  • 2 tablespoonsvegetable, canola, or peanut oil, divided

  • 1/2 pound mixed mushrooms, such as cremini, shiitake, enoki, and/or oyster, sliced about 1/4 inch thick

  • 1/4 cup dried wood ear mushroom, rehydrated in warm water for 15 minutes, then drained and large pieces halved (see note)

  • Cooked white rice, for serving

Directions

  1. For the Velveted Chicken: In a small bowl, thoroughly combine egg white, cornstarch, rice wine, and salt. Place chicken in a bowl and add cornstarch mixture, tossing to combine. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

    Stir-Fried Chicken With Mushrooms and Oyster Sauce Recipe (6)

  2. Fill a wok with water and bring to a boil, then add oil. Add chicken and, separating pieces with chopsticks or a spatula, cook until chicken is white outside but still raw within, about 40 seconds. Drain chicken in a colander and shake off excess water. Wipe wok clean and dry.

    Stir-Fried Chicken With Mushrooms and Oyster Sauce Recipe (7)

  3. For Sauce and Stir-Fry: In a small bowl, mix together cornstarch, sesame oil, oyster sauce, soy sauce, garlic, and water.

  4. Heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in wok over high heat until smoking. Add fresh mixed mushrooms and season with salt. Cook, stirring and tossing, until mushrooms have released their water, about 3 minutes. Add rehydrated wood ear mushrooms and cook until mushrooms begin to brown, about 5 minutes. Transfer mushroom to a plate and wipe out wok.

    Stir-Fried Chicken With Mushrooms and Oyster Sauce Recipe (8)

  5. Heat remaining 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in wok over high heat until smoking. Add chicken and stir-fry until chicken is almost cooked through, about 2 minutes. Return mushrooms to wok and stir to combine with chicken. Stir sauce add to the wok, tossing, until sauce thickens, about 1 minute. Transfer to a platter and serve with white rice.

    Stir-Fried Chicken With Mushrooms and Oyster Sauce Recipe (9)

Special Equipment

Wok

Notes

To make egg white easy to measure, beat it with a fork until it has a thinner viscosity.

Dried wood ear mushrooms can be found in most Asian markets.

Read More

  • Cantonese Clay Pot Rice With Velveted Chicken
  • Stir-Fried Velvet Chicken with Snap Peas and Lemon-Ginger Sauce
  • Stir-Fried Sweet and Sour Pork
  • Chinese
  • Chicken Stir-Fry
  • Chicken Breast
  • Mushrooms
  • Wood Ear Mushrooms
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
418Calories
23g Fat
13g Carbs
40g Protein

×

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 2
Amount per serving
Calories418
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 23g29%
Saturated Fat 4g21%
Cholesterol 96mg32%
Sodium 600mg26%
Total Carbohydrate 13g5%
Dietary Fiber 2g6%
Total Sugars 3g
Protein 40g
Vitamin C 3mg15%
Calcium 49mg4%
Iron 2mg11%
Potassium 716mg15%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

Stir-Fried Chicken With Mushrooms and Oyster Sauce Recipe (2024)

FAQs

How to stir fry chicken and keep it juicy? ›

Chicken is sliced into thin, even-sized pieces and then marinated briefly in a mix of baking soda, cornstarch, wine, and seasoning. This seals in moisture and tenderizes the chicken. The high heat and constant tossing of a wok or skillet cook the chicken fast to keep it tender and juicy.

Is mushroom and oyster sauce the same? ›

For vegan diets, mushroom broth is the perfect substitute for oyster sauce. Made in a very similar manner as oyster sauce, mushroom broth is thick, creamy, and packed full of umami.

How to spice up oyster sauce? ›

Mix oyster sauce, rice wine, honey, sesame oil, ginger, and chilies to make a dipping sauce that can go with any roast, barbecue, or grilled dish! Got leftovers? Use it to season your next fried rice. Or, make a quick shrimp with oyster sauce out of it.

What is the secret ingredient in stir-fry? ›

Ketchup Is The Secret Ingredient For A Top-Notch Stir Fry.

How do Chinese restaurants get their chicken so tender? ›

How do Chinese Restaurants tenderise chicken? There are actually a few different ways to tenderise chicken the Chinese restaurant way: marinating in a cornstarch/cornflour sludge then deep frying or blanching in water before proceeding to cook in the stir fry.

How much oyster sauce to use? ›

Oyster sauce is a good finishing sauce for any kind of Asian-style fried noodle dish. Try tossing things like rice noodles or chow mein noodles in 1-2 spoonfuls of oyster sauce alone or combined with other ingredients. You could do the same with fried rice instead of fried noodles.

How do you make stir-fry taste like a restaurant? ›

Aromatic ingredients like garlic, ginger, green onions, chilies and spices. These ingredients are typically added to the oil first to infuse it with flavor. You won't need much; a few teaspoons to a tablespoon of total aromatic ingredients per person adds a serious amount of flavor.

What does adding oyster sauce do? ›

Along with a jolt of flavor, oyster sauce adds a dark caramel color to any dish, which, according to assistant food editor Jessie YuChen, is referred to as “the sauce color” in Mandarin. It's a shade you'll notice in many Chinese dishes like stir-fried broccoli, Cantonese beef chow fun, and lo mein.

Can I use Worcestershire sauce instead of oyster sauce? ›

To make it a suitable substitute for oyster sauce, mix Worcestershire sauce with soy sauce and sugar and use it in small amounts. If you're making a stir-fry or marinade, start with mostly soy sauce, mix in a little sugar, then add a few drops of Worcestershire to finish it off.

Is oyster sauce good for you? ›

A salty sauce created from oysters and used often in Asian cuisine, oyster sauce contains little calories, no fat, and a healthy dose of calcium for bone strength. The sodium content comes from its soy sauce component, something individuals on a low-sodium diet should take note of.

Can mushroom sauce replace oyster sauce? ›

Mushroom sauce is a popular topping for various dishes and works well as a stand-in for oyster sauce. It has a white or brown color, depending on the ingredient used.

What is oyster sauce best with? ›

The most common uses for oyster sauce include stir-fry sauces, glazes, and marinades. Oyster sauce flavors chicken, beef, vegetables like broccoli, noodles, and rice dishes. It is an important component to cashew chicken and even a type of radish cake. Make homemade hoisin sauce or teriyaki sauce by using oyster sauce.

What is the best way to use oyster sauce? ›

Oyster sauce is a predominantly salty seasoning that is most commonly used in stir fries, but is also used in stews, soups, marinades, and even straight up as a drizzle over steamed vegetables.

What does oyster sauce taste like in stir-fry? ›

Don't have one on hand or not in the mood to spend extra cash, no biggie, a frying pan does the trick as well. - Oyster Sauce: Earthy, slightly sweet and salty and to many people's surprise, doesn't have a fishy taste.

Why is my stir-fry chicken dry? ›

This often happens because the chicken is cooked too quickly, but there are a few tips and tricks that will level up your chicken stir-fry recipes.

How do you keep chicken from getting watery when frying? ›

Not crowding the number of pieces in the pan is the most effective, followed by searing the meat when you first put it into the pan, then turning down the heat to complete the cooking.

What are the 3 rules of stir-frying? ›

The first is to cook your protein and your vegetable separately, and combine them only after both are fully cooked. A second rule of thumb for stir-frying: Choose one vegetable per stir-fry. Finally, always remember to add liquid only after everything is more or less finished cooking.

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