Chop Suey
intro
A glossy, savory stir-fry of tender chicken and crisp vegetables in umami sauce, served over rice for a quick, comforting takeout-style meal at home.
Ingredients
Steps
Prep ingredients and sauce
Pat chicken strips dry with paper towels to encourage better searing. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together 45ml light soy sauce, 30ml oyster sauce, 120ml chicken broth, 16g cornstarch, 5ml toasted sesame oil, and 1g ground white pepper until completely smooth, with no visible cornstarch lumps. Arrange all pre-cut vegetables and minced garlic within arm’s reach of the stove to set up your stir-fry mise en place, as the cooking process moves very quickly once heat is applied.
Sear the chicken strips
Heat 15ml (1 tablespoon) of canola oil in the wok over medium-high heat (190°C / 375°F) until the oil shimmers and just starts to send up faint wisps of smoke. Add the sliced chicken in a single, even layer, leaving small gaps between pieces to avoid steaming, and cook undisturbed for 2 minutes. Flip the chicken strips and cook for an additional 1.5 minutes, until lightly golden on all sides and reaching an internal temperature of 74°C / 165°F. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the seared chicken to a clean plate, and set aside.
Stir-fry firm vegetables
Add the remaining 15ml (1 tablespoon) of canola oil to the same wok, keeping the heat at medium-high. Add the minced garlic, onion wedges, julienned carrot, and sliced celery. Stir constantly with a wok spatula for 2 minutes, until the vegetables are slightly tender but still firm, and the garlic releases a warm, nutty aroma. Watch closely to avoid burning the garlic, which will turn bitter and ruin the dish’s flavor.
Add crisp-tender vegetables
Toss the sliced red bell pepper and packed mung bean sprouts into the wok with the firmer vegetables, continuing to stir-fry over medium-high heat for exactly 1 minute. The bean sprouts will just start to wilt but will retain their signature snappy, crisp texture; do not cook longer, as overheated sprouts turn mushy and watery.
Combine chicken and sauce
Return the seared chicken strips to the wok, tossing once to mix with the vegetables. Give the pre-made sauce a quick, thorough re-whisk to re-incorporate settled cornstarch, then pour it evenly over all the wok contents. Toss non-stop over medium-high heat for 1 to 1.5 minutes, until the sauce comes to a gentle simmer, thickens into a clear, glossy coating, and clings tightly to every piece of chicken and vegetable, with no thin, runny liquid pooling at the bottom of the wok.
Serve over steamed rice
Turn off the stovetop heat immediately once the sauce reaches the correct thick consistency. Divide 600g of cooked long-grain white rice (150g per serving) across four warm dinner plates, then spoon the chop suey evenly over the rice, drizzling any remaining sauce from the wok over each portion. Serve immediately to enjoy the best crisp-tender vegetable texture.
Tips
2.Keep vegetable cook times short: classic chop suey is defined by its crisp-tender veggie texture, so avoid cooking vegetables for more than 3 minutes total to prevent limp, mushy results.
3.Re-whisk your sauce immediately before adding it to the wok: cornstarch sinks to the bottom of mixing bowls quickly, and skipping this step will cause uneven, lumpy sauce thickening.
OMG this tasted EXACTLY like the takeout chop suey I’ve been craving since my favorite spot closed down last year! It came together so fast on a busy weeknight, I didn’t even have to run to the specialty grocery store for ingredients. My kids loved it, even the one who swears he hates all veggies. Total game changer!
Made a big batch of this for my weekly meal prep on Sunday and it held up perfectly all week in the fridge! I added a little extra soy sauce and a pinch of red pepper flakes for a tiny kick, and it was so much better than the sad takeout lunches I usually grab at work. Easy, cheap, and way less greasy than delivery. 10/10.
Took me a little longer than 25 minutes because I was chopping veggies slow, but man was it worth it. Tastes just like the chop suey my grandma used to order for our Sunday family dinners when I was a kid. I almost cried at the first bite, no cap.
Brought this to my neighborhood potluck last weekend and people were asking me for the recipe before I even set the dish down! I doubled the recipe to feed a crowd and it worked perfectly, no weird adjustments needed. Will 100% be making this for every potluck from now on.
I never cook with veggies like celery or water chestnuts but I decided to give this a shot since it looked easy, and holy cow it was SO good. I used chicken thighs instead of breast because that’s what I had in the freezer, and it was so juicy and flavorful. Even my roommate who makes fun of my cooking came back for thirds.
This was a lifesaver on a night when I had 30 minutes to get dinner on the table between soccer practice and piano lessons. I used a bag of pre-chopped stir fry veggies from the grocery store to save even more time, and it still tasted amazing. No complaints from the kids, no complaints from my husband, that’s a win in my book.
Wait a second, this is better than the $17 takeout order I get from the place down the street? For a fraction of the cost? I’m never ordering chop suey for delivery again. The sauce is the perfect balance of savory and slightly sweet, not too gloopy like some takeout versions get.
I’m literally a college student who can barely boil pasta without burning it, and I pulled this off no problem! The steps were super straightforward, no fancy techniques required. I ate the whole pan in one sitting, oops. 10/10 for beginner cooks.
I swapped the regular soy sauce for tamari to make this gluten free, and it turned out absolutely perfect! I’ve been missing takeout chop suey since I went GF a couple years ago, and this hit the spot so hard I almost cried. Thank you for such an easy, adaptable recipe!
Served this over steamed white rice for our weekly Sunday dinner with my parents, and my dad (who swears no homemade stir fry can beat the takeout he had as a kid in Chicago) went back for two helpings. That’s the highest possible praise I can get, tbh.
I added a heaping spoonful of garlic chili crisp to my serving and it was *chef’s kiss*. The base recipe is so solid you can tweak it however you want without messing it up. Added some mushrooms too because I had them lying around, worked perfectly.
The leftovers are even better the next day? I don’t know what it is about stir fry that gets better when the flavors meld in the fridge, but I had this for lunch today and it tasted even better than it did last night for dinner. 10/10, will make again.
I just got my first wok last week and this was the first recipe I tried in it! I was worried I’d mess it up but it came out perfect, even with my terrible wok tossing skills. The veggies were crisp-tender, the chicken was cooked through, the sauce coated everything evenly. So proud of myself right now.
This is such a great high protein, low effort dinner option! I paired it with cauliflower rice to keep it lower carb, and it was so filling I didn’t even crave my usual late night snack after dinner. Way better than the boring grilled chicken and veggies I eat most nights.
I live in a tiny town where the closest Chinese takeout is 45 minutes away, so I’ve been messing around with chop suey recipes for years trying to get it right. This one is the closest I’ve ever gotten, no notes. Tastes exactly like what I’d get if I drove all the way into the city for takeout. Thank you!