By Vivian Chan-Tam
Published Dec. 13, 2023
- Total Time
- 45 minutes
- Prep Time
- 15 minutes
- Cook Time
- 30 minutes
- Rating
- 4(381)
- Notes
- Read community notes
The basic components of moo goo gai pan, a Chinese-American dish which means “mushrooms with chicken slices” in Cantonese, has remained relatively unchanged over the years: tender chicken and an assortment of vegetables coated in a light, savory sauce served alongside a pile of steamed white rice. The dish, which is inspired by classic Cantonese cuisine, is believed to have first appeared in the United States in the 1800s, when Chinese immigrants prepared it for laborers. While the combination of vegetables varies, here, fresh carrots and canned bamboo shoots and water chestnuts reflect what’s commonly found in Chinese restaurants in the United States. For added texture and flavor, this version includes crunchy sugar snap peas, and the option of substituting shiitakes for traditional button mushrooms. Most often, this dish is prepared with a silky, chicken broth-based white sauce, but here, a tiny bit of soy boosts the flavor.
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Ingredients
Yield:4 servings
- 1pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 3tablespoons oyster sauce
- 5tablespoons neutral oil, plus more as needed
- 2tablespoons cornstarch
- 1cup low-sodium chicken broth
- 1tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
- 1teaspoon granulated sugar
- 1teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- ¼teaspoon ground white pepper (optional)
- 1medium carrot, peeled and thinly sliced into coins
- 1(2-inch) piece ginger, peeled and thinly sliced into matchsticks
- 12ounces white button or shiitake mushrooms, or a mix, stemmed and sliced
- 4ounces sugar snap peas, trimmed and halved crosswise
- 1(8-ounce) can sliced bamboo shoots, drained
- 1(8-ounce) can sliced water chestnuts, drained
- 2tablespoons Shaoxing wine, or dry Sherry
- Steamed white rice, for serving
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
492 calories; 23 grams fat; 2 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 13 grams monounsaturated fat; 6 grams polyunsaturated fat; 39 grams carbohydrates; 6 grams dietary fiber; 8 grams sugars; 33 grams protein; 596 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
Step
1
Pat the chicken dry with paper towels, then cut crosswise into ¼-inch-thick slices. Place in a medium bowl and add 1 tablespoon oyster sauce, 1 tablespoon oil and 1 tablespoon water. Toss, sprinkle on 1 tablespoon cornstarch and toss again until each piece of chicken is fully coated. Let marinate for at least 10 minutes or up to 2 hours; refrigerate if marinating longer than 30 minutes, but bring to room temperature 15 minutes before cooking.
Step
2
In a medium bowl, whisk ¾ cup chicken broth, soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil, white pepper (if using), the remaining 2 tablespoons oyster sauce and the remaining 1 tablespoon cornstarch until combined. Set aside.
Step
3
Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a wok or large (12-inch) cast-iron or nonstick skillet over medium-high. Once the oil starts shimmering, add the marinated chicken in an even layer, cooking in batches and adding more oil, if necessary. Cook until the edges of the chicken are slightly golden brown and the meat no longer sticks to the pan, 1 to 2 minutes. Flip the chicken and cook until golden, about 1 minute more. Transfer to a plate.
Step
4
Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of the oil, carrot and ginger to the wok. Cook, stirring occasionally, until ginger is golden brown, about 30 seconds. Stir in the mushrooms. Add the remaining ¼ cup chicken broth and toss until everything is well combined. Bring to a simmer, and cook until reduced by half. (This happens very quickly, about 30 seconds.) Add chicken and any reserved juices, sugar snap peas, bamboo shoots and water chestnuts, tossing until combined. Increase heat to high. Add Shaoxing wine and scrape up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan.
Step
5
Reduce heat to medium. Whisk the reserved chicken broth mixture once more and add to the wok. Stir until everything is well combined, the sauce is slightly thickened and the chicken is fully cooked, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to a platter and serve alongside steamed white rice.
Ratings
4
out of 5
381
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Cooking Notes
Tom 190
Egg whites are traditionally used in velveting chicken, but are not necessary. Starch and oil are necessary.The chicken needs to be lightly par-cooked, then set aside to rest, as in this recipe. The par-cooking step can also be done in boiling sauce or broth, as long as even a small amount of oil is present.Don’t overcook the chicken, or par-cook too long.
vacciniumovatum
To make this vegan, use plant based chicken, vegan oyster sauce (yes, it exists--no oysters!) and vegetable broth.
George W.
I made this basically following the recipe. The only deviation was adding two tablespoons of Shaohsing wine with the marinade as I had a bit more than a pound of chicken. I stir-fried the veggies and chicken separately in order to get the proper sear on the chicken. It was excellent!
johnrf
I always thought the chicken is coated with whipped egg whites mixed with cornstarch. "Velveting" the chicken.
Powell
I bought it from Amazon.
Susan
You can substitute medium sherry. I can only get the "cooking wine" version of Shaoxing wine, i.e., bad wine with lots of salt. Sherry is the better choice.
JonCanadian
If you want restaurant-tender chicken slices, add 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda to the chicken slices. Let it sit for 20 minutes, rinse and dry and then add the other marinade ingredients
KKW
I love this dish. It tastes just like it came from our local Chinese joint circa 1978 To velvet the chicken, 1 tb water, .5 oyster sauce, sesame oil, and potato starch. Mix it up and let it sit 10 min. There's no need to par-cook the chicken. Instead, heat up your wok or skillet add oil, chicken. Let it sit for 2 min until seared then flip over. Add veggies, make the sauce and voila dinner. So easy and delicious relatively healthy.
Cindy
Followed recipe but doubled the "broth". Excellent served over rice. I always have a chuckle at the recipes with 15 min prep times.
Mitch
This was really good. I'm used to spicy Chinese food and remember Cantonese more from my childhood, but this was really good. Only changes I made were using rehydrated Chinese black mushrooms that I had, and I realized I had less oyster sauce than I thought so I ended up using about 2T oyster sauce and about 1T hoison sauce instead. Served with stir fried baby bok choi instead of rice.
Zeldie
made exactly as written and it is totally delicious and wonderful.
KitchenWitchoftheWest
This can be successfully prepared with far less oil at every step if you are looking to cut some calories. I supplemented fresh mushrooms with some dried shiitakes rehydrated and then used the liquid, too. With all the slicing and dicing, this took far longer than suggested, but I went with the flow. We enjoyed it.
Lisa McDonakd
Very good Sunday night meal! I had some vegetables to use up-zucchini, a red pepper so I added that. Good flavor. Would make again.
JonCanadian
If you want restaurant-tender chicken slices, add 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda to the chicken slices. Let it sit for 20 minutes, rinse and dry and then add the other marinade ingredients
Does it just need more salt?
Maybe the lack of flavor reported in some comments is due to not enough salt and using a nonstick pan which prohibits the development of a good fond for deglazing. I used regular chicken broth and soy sauce and cooked as directed in a stainless steel pan, deglazing the mushrooms before adding back chicken and veg, and end the result was very flavorful. Adding more white pepper at the end didn’t hurt either.
Kat
Not a great dish. Lacks flavor
bobrt
I’ve always made mine with big honking straw mushrooms?
Ron
What would be a good substitute for oyster sauce? Sorry, I'm just not into filter feeders.
LarryK
Had half the mushrooms (sh*take) and twice the snap peas; used vegan oyster sauce; Cholula hot sauce on top (had no white pepper), and toasted cashews. No sherry so used dry white wine. Short-grain brown rice. Tasted great.
Gary
Sources for Shaoxing wine? Hard to find in Portland Oregon, even our Asian sources.
Powell
I bought it from Amazon.
Susan
You can substitute medium sherry. I can only get the "cooking wine" version of Shaoxing wine, i.e., bad wine with lots of salt. Sherry is the better choice.
Bobbi
It seemed a little under seasoned. The 2nd time, I added a 1/2 teaspoon of Better Than Broth. I will decrease the amount of ginger by a tiny bit.
Pat
Followed this to the letter, but we found it very boring. Too used to spicier foods - sichuan, hunan, thai, I guess. It needs something else.
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