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Moo Goo Gai Pan is a classic Chinese-American stir-fry made with chicken and mushrooms stir fried in a light and savory sauce. In this post, I’ll show you how to make restaurant-quality moo goo gai pan at home in 40 minutes or less!
5-Star Reader Comments
This was one of the most successful Asian recipes I have made. It was as good as the best restaurant version we have had. I did not have water chestnuts and used some celery. At this time of year I was able to have snow peas and bok choy from our garden. I marinated the chicken for an hour and it was as tender as could be. This recipe is a keeper.
- Leroy WrightI’m an executive chef for a high-end players club at a casino where we serve many guests lunch and dinner every day. A patron requested MGGP and I’ve never made it, so I found your recipe and made it for 350 people! It turned out fantastically. I love MGGP myself and this tasted just like it does at my favorite Chinese restaurant. Thanks for the help!
– Chef James
Table of Contents
What is Moo Goo Gai Pan?
Moo Goo Gai Pan (móh-gū gāi-pin) translates to “mushroom chicken slices” and comes from the Cantonese names of its primary ingredients.
- moo goo (mòhgū) – mushroom
- gai (gāi) – chicken
- pan (pín) – slices
It is a Cantonese-inspired Chinese-American stir-fry made with sliced chicken and mushrooms in a light stir-fry sauce. What I love most about this recipe is that it is considerably healthier than other popular stir-fries made with deep fried meats or sugary sauces.
Key Ingredients
There are two parts to this recipe, the ingredients for the stir fry and the ingredients for the sauce. It’s easy to make, and I’d bet that you probably have many of the ingredients in your pantry already.
Stir-Fry Ingredients
You can slice your chicken breasts into thin strips or chop them into 1-inch chunks. Remember that chicken breast meat is lean and overcooks quickly if you’re not careful.
- Chicken Breasts
- Vegetable Oil
- Cornstarch
- Garlic
- Green Onions
- White Button Mushrooms
- Carrots
- Snow Peas
- Bamboo shoots + Water chestnuts
Moo Goo Gai Pan Sauce
The sauce is the most important part of this recipe. It’s a light and savory sauce that’s super easy to make. If you like having extra sauce to serve with rice, consider doubling the sauce ingredients.
- Sesame Oil
- Chicken Broth or (homemade chicken stock)
- Soy Sauce
- Oyster sauce
- Shaoxing cooking wine
- Cornstarch
How to Make Moo Goo Gai Pan
For best results, prepare and chop all of the ingredients before you start cooking. You will need the following tools and equipment: a large wok or saucepan, mixing spoons or spatula, mixing bowls, a chef’s knife, and cutting boards.
- Marinate the chicken: Slice your chicken against the grain into pieces approximately 1/4-inch thick. Transfer to a medium-sized mixing bowl and combine with the oil, cornstarch, and salt. Coat the entire surface of the chicken. Marinate the chicken for at least 15-30 minutes.
- Prepare the Sauce: In a medium bowl, whisk together all ingredients for the sauce.
- Sear the chicken: You’re going to very quickly sear the chicken for approximately 30 seconds on each side before cooking any of the vegetables or the sauce. The chicken will still be raw on the inside after this quick sear – that’s ok. It will be going back into the pan to finish cooking in approximately 10 minutes.
- Cook the aromatics and vegetables: Scrape off any burnt pieces stuck to the bottom of your wok or skillet and return to medium heat. Sauté the garlic and green onions for approximately 30 seconds, then add the carrots and mushrooms, mixing well to combine. Cook, stirring often until the vegetables start to turn soft, approximately 3 minutes. Add the snow peas, bamboo shoots, and water chestnuts, mixing well to combine. Continue to cook for an additional 2 minutes or so.
- Add the sauce and return the chicken: Give the sauce a final stir and pour it directly into the pan with the vegetables. Return the chicken to the pan and mix well. Continue to cook until the sauce has thickened and the chicken is cooked through (3 minutes or so).
- Serve: Enjoy with steamed jasmine rice, brown rice, or simple fried rice. Cooked cauliflower rice is a great low-carb alternative.
Cooking Tips
Use thinly sliced chicken: If you’re struggling to get thinly sliced chicken pieces, place the chicken in the freezer for 20-30 minutes, or until partially frozen. It makes slicing so much easier.
Prepare all of the ingredients before you start cooking: Stir-frying happens fast, so have everything chopped, measured, and ready to go before turning on the heat. This includes the chicken, vegetables, and sauce.
Make it vegetarian: Add a vegetarian oyster sauce (made from mushrooms so you still get that umami flavor), swap chicken for tofu (or leave out altogether), and skip the chicken broth.
Cook over high heat: A very hot wok or skillet helps sear the chicken and vegetables quickly, preserving their texture and flavor.
Velvet the chicken for restaurant-style texture: “Velveting” is a Chinese cooking method often used in stir-fry recipes to help tenderize meat and lock in its juices. It is most commonly used with chicken breast due to its low-fat content. Velveting chicken can be done in two ways: water velveting (most traditional) or oil velveting (aka flash frying). For moo goo gai pan, I recommend water velveting.
- Marinate the thinly sliced chicken pieces in a mixture of egg whites, cornstarch, and rice vinegar (or soy sauce). For every one pound of chicken, you will need 1 whisked egg white, 1 tablespoon of cornstarch, and a splash of rice vinegar.
- Marinate in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
- At the same time, bring a large pot of water to a gentle simmer with 1 to 2 tablespoons of oil.
- Add the chicken and stir gently for 30 to 60 seconds, until it turns opaque, but not fully cooked. Remove and set aside. The chicken will finish cooking in the stir-fry.
More Easy Stir Fry Recipes
If you make this moo goo gai pan recipe, I’d love to hear how it turned out in the comment section below! Your review will help other readers in the community. And if you’re hungry for more delicious food inspiration and exclusive content, join my free newsletter here.
Moo Goo Gai Pan Recipe
Ingredients
For the Chicken
- 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast
- 2 teaspoon oil
- 2 teaspoon cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon salt
For the Sauce
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- ¾ cup low-sodium chicken broth
- 2 tablespoon soy sauce
- 2 tablespoon Oyster sauce
- 2 tablespoon Shaoxing wine, (substitute with dry sherry or additional broth)
- 3 teaspoon cornstarch
For the Stir-Fry
- 2 tablespoon oil, divided
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 5 stalks green onions, chopped and divided
- 10 ounces white button mushrooms, sliced
- 2 carrots, sliced
- 1 cup snow peas
- 1 (5 ounce) can bamboo shoots, drained
- 2 (5 ounce) cans water chestnuts, drained
- sesame seeds, to garnish
Instructions
- Prepare the chicken– Slice the chicken against the grain into pieces approximately 1/4-inch thick. Transfer to a medium-sized mixing bowl and combine with the oil, cornstarch, and salt. Use your hands to coat the entire surface of the chicken with a thin layer of cornstarch.
- Mix the sauce– Add all ingredients for the sauce (sesame oil, low-sodium chicken broth, soy sauce, oyster sauce, Shaoxing wine, and cornstarch) to a small mixing bowl. Whisk well to combine. Set aside.
- Cook the chicken– heat a large, heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of oil. Once the oil is hot, add the chicken pieces in a single layer and cook for approximately 30 seconds, or until the bottom is golden. Carefully flip each piece of chicken over and cook the other side for an additional 20-30 seconds. Immediately remove to a clean plate (the chicken will still be raw in the middle- that’s ok).
- Sauté the aromatics– return the skillet to medium heat. Add the remaining tablespoon of oil. Once hot, add the minced garlic and half of the green onions to the pan. Mix to combine and sauté for 30 seconds, or until fragrant.
- Cook the remaining vegetables– Add the carrots and mushrooms to the skillet, mixing well to combine. Cook, stirring often until the vegetables start to turn soft, approximately 3 minutes. Add the snow peas, bamboo shoots, and water chestnuts, mixing well to combine. Continue to cook for an additional 2 minutes or so.
- Add the sauce and return the chicken. Give the sauce a final stir to dissolve the cornstarch and pour directly into the skillet with the vegetables. Add back the chicken and the remaining half of the green onions. Mix well to combine and continue to cook until the sauce has thickened and the chicken is cooked through.
- Serve immediately with a side of rice and a sprinkle of sesame seeds, if desired.
Notes
- White button mushrooms are the classic, traditional mushroom used in moo goo gai pan recipes. If you can’t find this particular mushroom variety, that’s ok. Feel free to substitute with whatever you can get your hands on (cremini mushrooms are a popular, easy-to-find, variety).
- Bamboo shoots + Water chestnuts – These fun stir fry additions are actually found in the canned food section of your supermarket.
- Oyster sauce – Dark brown, thick, and not exactly delicious on its own, oyster sauce is one of those condiments that really helps tie a dish together. With a strong umami flavor, oyster sauce gives moo goo gai pan an extra layer of flavor.
- Shaoxing cooking wine – A wine frequently used in Asian and Chinese cooking, this is probably the only ingredient that can be somewhat difficult to get your hands on. Substitutes include dry sherry or additional chicken broth.
- Feel free to add your favorite vegetables. Other delicious veggie examples include baby bok choy, Chinese cabbage, celery, or bell peppers.
- Allow your chicken to marinate for 30 minutes or so (time allowing). This allows your meat to tenderize.
- Struggling to get your chicken thinly sliced? Pop your chicken breasts in the freezer for 15-20 minutes, or just long enough to solidify slightly. Remove from the freezer and slice!
- Make it vegetarian! Add a vegetarian oyster sauce (made from mushrooms so you still get that umami flavor), swap chicken for tofu (or leave out altogether), and swap the chicken broth for veggie broth or water.
- Leftovers store well in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This is a fantastic recipe. It mafe more than we’ll be able to eat before going out of town. Can this be frozen?
I have never tried freezing this, so I can’t speak as to how it will turn out after thawing.
Thanks so much for a very detailed and easy to follow recipe! I have Celiac Disease and live in a small town so Chinese food is something I rarely get to eat. My husband mentioned the other day how it’s been so long since he’d had it. I reminded him it was because of my Celiac Disease and promised him to find a good recipe for his favorite moo goo gai pan. He was overjoyed. Today was the day and he was so happy and I was even happier!!! I can’t wait to try more of your recipes!! This tasted just like restaurant prepared moo goo!!!! Thank you!!!!!!
Thank you so much for the good feedback and rating, Christine 🙂
I am happy that this recipe was able to give your family so much joy.
This was the best Moo Goo Gai Pan I have every had! I can’t eat at many restaurants anymore because I am allergic to a long list of foods. I have been craving this and even though it has a ton of ingredients I thought I would try it. I made it as written except I replaced the Sesame seeds and oil, because yes I am allergic to them. I didn’t have a Wok either but I used a big pot.
It was so delish! I will make it again and again.
Thank You!!!
Thank you for the best feedback T’gra 😀
This was one of the most successful Asian recipes I have made. It was as good as the best restaurant version we have had. I did not have water chestnuts and used some celery. At this time of year I was able to have snow peas and bok choy from our garden. I marinated the chicken for an hour and it was as tender as could be. This recipe is a keeper.
Thanks for the successful feedback and rating, Leroy 🙂
This was so easy and great. Needed to sub the soy sauce with coconut amnions and used rice wine to avoid gluten and soy but it turned out wonderful. Thanks for the recipe.
Nice meal
Thank you for the kind feedback 🙂
Can’t wait to try this!! Been craving Moo Goo Gai Pan and this looks delish! Can I substitute Hoisin sauce in place of the oyster sauce?
Depending on the potency of the Hoisin sauce, yes it can be used at a one-to-one ratio. Hoisin can have a more complex flavor than Oyster sauce, so if yours is strong, you can use a bit less than the one-to-one ratio.
Absolutely loved this recipe, I doubled the sauce, it was really delicious! I’m looking forward to trying more of the recipes on this site😀
Thanks for the delicious feedback Stacey 🙂
Are the calories based on one serving, or is it the total calories (all four servings combined)?
The calories are based on 1 serving Maddy 🙂
Question— Maybe I am just overlooking it in the directions, but I don’t see where you add the remaining half of the green onions. Thank you!
Good question Debbie 🙂 . The other half of the divided onions should be added in step #6:
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Add the sauce and return the chicken. Give the sauce a final stir to dissolve the cornstarch and pour directly into the skillet with the vegetables. Add back the chicken and the remaining half of the green onions. Mix well to combine and continue to cook until the sauce has thickened and the chicken is cooked through.
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Jessica – so excited to try this! Looks amazing and my family LOVES so many of your dishes! We are vegan so wouldn’t add the chicken of course, but we don’t do oyster sauce or any kind of fish sauces either :-/ Can you suggest substitutes that still yield to the ‘umami’ flavor you’re going for in your stir fry dishes? Thanks!
Hi J! Thank you so much! Literally nicest comment ever 🙂 I know that there is a vegetarian oyster sauce alternative. I have not tried it myself, but the reviews look pretty good! And, of course, you can always add tofu and swap the chicken broth for water. Hope it works out! Thanks again!!