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Mongolian Chicken

Mongolian chicken is a sticky soy-ginger glaze stir-fried until the chicken develops crisp, golden edges. This weeknight Asian dinner coats thinly sliced chicken in a dark, glossy sauce with charred green onion pieces and sesame seeds over steamed white rice.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: Asian-American
Calories: 720
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

chicken breasts
  • 1.5 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, thinly sliced
cornstarch
  • 0.25 cup cornstarch
  • 0.5 tsp cornstarch mixed with 1 tablespoon water
salt and pepper
  • 0.25 Salt and pepper to taste
vegetable oil
  • 3 tbsp vegetable oil
garlic
  • 5 garlic, minced
ginger
  • 1 tsp fresh ginger, grated
soy sauce
  • 0.5 cup soy sauce
brown sugar
  • 0.33 cup brown sugar
water
  • 0.25 cup water
hoisin sauce
  • 1 tbsp hoisin sauce
sesame oil
  • 1 tsp sesame oil
red pepper flakes
  • 0.5 tsp red pepper flakes
green onions
  • 4 green onions, cut into 2-inch pieces
sesame seeds and steamed rice
  • 1 Sesame seeds and steamed rice for serving

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan
  • 1 cast iron skillet

Method
 

Coat the chicken
  1. Toss the thinly sliced chicken with cornstarch, salt, and pepper until evenly coated and the pieces look lightly dusted.
Make the Mongolian sauce
  1. Whisk together soy sauce, brown sugar, water, hoisin sauce, sesame oil, and red pepper flakes until the sugar dissolves and the mixture turns dark.
Stir-fry and glaze
  1. Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet or wok over high heat, then cook the chicken for 3-4 minutes per side until deeply golden and cooked through; remove to a plate.
  2. Add the minced garlic and grated ginger to the same pan and stir-fry for 30 seconds until fragrant.
  3. Pour in the sauce and bring it to a boil, bubbling as the mixture deepens to a glossy dark amber color.
  4. Stir in the cornstarch slurry and cook for 1-2 minutes until thickened and glossy, watching for the sauce to cling to the spoon.
  5. Return the chicken to the pan, add the green onions, and toss until the onions are warmed and lightly charred and the chicken is evenly glazed.
Serve
  1. Serve the Mongolian chicken over steamed white rice and top with sesame seeds so every bite is coated in sauce.

Notes

For the crispiest, sticky-edged chicken, make sure the pan is really hot before adding the chicken and don’t overcrowd the skillet. Store leftovers in the refrigerator up to 3 days; reheat in a skillet over medium heat until hot, adding a splash of water or soy sauce if the glaze tightens. Freezing is not recommended because the onions lose texture. For a gluten-free option, use gluten-free soy sauce and check that hoisin sauce is gluten-free.