Equipment
Ingredients
Chicken and Velveting Marinade
- 450 g chicken breast, sliced thinly against the grain
- 15 ml light soy sauce
- 15 ml shaoxing wine
- 5 ml sesame oil, toasted
- 5 g cornstarch
- 2 g baking soda
Stir-Fry Sauce
- 120 ml chicken broth, low sodium
- 30 ml oyster sauce
- 15 ml light soy sauce
- 5 ml sesame oil, toasted
- 5 g sugar
- 1 g white pepper, ground
- 10 g cornstarch
Aromatics and Vegetables
- 30 ml neutral cooking oil
- 10 g fresh ginger, minced
- 10 g garlic, minced
- 200 g button mushrooms, sliced
- 150 g sugar snap peas, strings removed
- 100 g carrots, peeled and thinly sliced on a bias
- 100 g water chestnuts, canned, drained, and sliced
Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition is estimated per serving. Nutrients without complete source data are omitted.
Full nutrition
- Calories
- 372 kcal
- Protein
- 28 g
- Carbohydrates
- 18 g
- Fat
- 21 g
- Fiber
- 3 g
- Sugar
- 6 g
- Sodium
- 960 mg
- Saturated Fat
- 5 g
- Trans Fat
- 0 g
- Monounsaturated Fat
- 5 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat
- 3 g
- Cholesterol
- 73 mg
- Potassium
- 654 mg
- Calcium
- 51 mg
- Iron
- 2.4 mg
- Magnesium
- 54 mg
- Phosphorus
- 293 mg
- Zinc
- 1.6 mg
- Vitamin A
- 256 mcg
- Vitamin C
- 26 mg
- Vitamin D
- 0.6 mcg
- Vitamin E
- 0.8 mg
- Vitamin K
- 13 mcg
- Vitamin B6
- 0.8 mg
- Vitamin B12
- 0.4 mcg
- Thiamin
- 0.19 mg
- Riboflavin
- 0.40 mg
- Niacin
- 13.9 mg
- Folate
- 38 mcg
- Water
- 246 g
Sources: Aggregated Public Data, USDA FoodData Central
Method
In a mixing bowl, combine the sliced chicken breast, 15ml light soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, 5ml sesame oil, 5g cornstarch, and baking soda. Toss until the chicken is evenly coated and let marinate at room temperature for 15 minutes. Wash hands and cutting board thoroughly after handling raw chicken to prevent cross-contamination.
In a separate small mixing bowl, vigorously whisk together the chicken broth, oyster sauce, 15ml light soy sauce, 5ml sesame oil, sugar, white pepper, and 10g cornstarch until no lumps remain. Set the sauce aside.
Heat a large wok or skillet over high heat until smoking. Add 15ml of neutral cooking oil and swirl to coat. Add the marinated chicken in a single layer and sear undisturbed for 1 minute to develop color, then stir-fry until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 74°C/165°F. Remove the chicken from the wok with a spatula and set aside.
Wipe the wok clean if necessary, then add the remaining 15ml of neutral oil over medium-high heat. Add the minced garlic and fresh ginger, sautéing briefly until highly fragrant.
Increase heat to high and add the mushrooms and carrots to the wok. Sauté for 3 minutes until the mushrooms begin to brown and shrink. Add the sugar snap peas and water chestnuts, tossing continuously for another minute until the peas are bright green but still crisp.
Return the cooked chicken to the wok. Give the reserved sauce mixture a quick whisk to reincorporate the cornstarch, then pour it over the ingredients. Simmer while tossing continuously until the sauce thickens and perfectly coats the chicken and vegetables. Serve immediately with steamed white rice.
Chef's Notes
- Velveting the chicken with a touch of baking soda alters the pH of the meat, preventing the proteins from seizing up under high heat. This results in the impossibly tender texture characteristic of restaurant stir-fries.
- Mise en place is critical for stir-frying. The cooking process takes less than 10 minutes total, so having your sauce mixed and vegetables chopped before turning on the stove prevents burning.
- To achieve wok hei, or breath of the wok, avoid tossing the ingredients too frequently in the first minute of searing. Let them sit undisturbed to build a crust before stirring.
Storage
Refrigerator: 3 days — Store in an airtight container. The vegetables will lose some of their crispness over time.
Freezer: 1 month — Freezing is not highly recommended as sugar snap peas and mushrooms will become mushy upon thawing.
Reheating: Reheat gently in a skillet over medium heat with a splash of water until thoroughly warmed, or microwave in 1-minute bursts.
Troubleshooting
Chicken is tough, dry, or rubbery
Cause: The chicken was sliced with the grain instead of against it, or was overcooked in the wok.
Fix: Cannot be fixed once cooked.
Prevention: Always identify the direction of the muscle fibers in the chicken breast and slice perpendicular to them. Ensure the wok is blazing hot for a quick sear.
Sauce is clumpy or gummy in the wok
Cause: The cornstarch settled to the bottom of the sauce bowl and was not re-mixed before pouring into the hot wok.
Fix: Add a tablespoon or two of hot chicken broth or water to the wok and stir vigorously to loosen the sauce.
Prevention: Always give cornstarch slurries a vigorous whisk seconds before adding them to heat.
Vegetables are mushy and have lost their vibrant color
Cause: The wok was overcrowded, leading to steaming instead of frying, or the cooking time was too long.
Fix: Cannot be fixed.
Prevention: Cook ingredients in batches if your wok is small, and respect the short cook times for crisp vegetables like sugar snap peas.
Cultural Context
This dish is strongly inspired by Moo Goo Gai Pan, an Americanized version of a traditional Cantonese dish. The name roughly translates to mushroom, chicken, and slices. It became a staple in Chinese-American restaurants in the mid-20th century, praised for its light, savory sauce and abundance of fresh, crisp vegetables rather than relying on heavy deep-frying.
