Chicken breast, a box of white mushrooms, a handful of garlic cloves and the sauces you probably already have in the cupboard. That is all this chicken and mushroom stir fry needs, and it’s one of the recipes from our YouTube channel that people keep coming back to, with more than 23,000 views.
The trick is in the marinade. The chicken cubes are mixed by hand with cooking wine, light soy sauce, oyster sauce, dark soy sauce, pepper powder and a little starch. The starch is what keeps chicken breast soft instead of dry, and it also thickens into a glossy coating once the chicken hits the hot pan.
The garlic goes in whole. The cloves fry in the oil until they are golden, so they turn sweet and mellow instead of sharp, and they stay in the dish as part of the meal. Then the chicken, then the mushrooms, cooked until their water has gone. A handful of chopped green onions on top and it’s done.
It’s a one-pan dinner that fits a weeknight. Serve it over plain rice or noodles so nothing of the sauce goes to waste.
What you need
- Chicken breast, cut into bite-size cubes.
- White button mushrooms, cut into halves or quarters.
- Garlic cloves, peeled and left whole.
- For the marinade: cooking wine (Shaoxing wine), light soy sauce, oyster sauce, dark soy sauce, pepper powder and starch (cornstarch or potato starch).
- Cooking oil for the pan.
- Green onions, chopped, to finish.
Our video shows every ingredient but does not measure them, so we haven’t put numbers on them either. Go by taste: the soy sauces and oyster sauce are salty, so start with a little of each.
Chicken and Mushroom Stir Fry
Ingredients
Method
- Cut the mushrooms into halves or quarters, so they are about the same size as the chicken.
- Cut the chicken breast into bite-size cubes.
- Put the chicken in a bowl and add cooking wine, light soy sauce, oyster sauce, dark soy sauce, pepper powder and starch.
- Mix it with your hands until every piece is coated and the marinade turns sticky.
- Heat oil in a pan and fry the whole garlic cloves until they turn golden brown.
- Add the chicken and stir-fry until it changes colour all over.
- Add the mushrooms.
- Keep stir-frying until the mushrooms let go of their water and it cooks away, and the sauce coats everything.
- Sprinkle with chopped green onions, toss once and serve hot.
Video
Notes
Tips
- Don’t skip the starch. It’s the reason the chicken breast stays tender, and it gives the sauce its shine.
- Brown the garlic first. Whole cloves fried until golden taste sweet and soft. Watch them, because they go from golden to bitter quickly.
- Cook the mushrooms until the water is gone. Mushrooms release a lot of liquid. If you stop too early, the sauce turns thin and the chicken stews instead of frying.
- Dark soy sauce is for colour. It is less salty than light soy sauce and gives the dish its deep brown look.
Questions people ask
Can I use chicken thighs instead of breast?
Our video uses chicken breast. Thighs would work the same way and stay juicy even if they cook a little longer, but that is your own swap, not what the video shows.
What can I use instead of cooking wine?
Cooking wine here means Chinese rice wine, often sold as Shaoxing wine. Dry sherry is the usual swap. If you’d rather skip alcohol, leave it out. The other sauces carry most of the flavour.
What do I serve with chicken and mushrooms?
Plain steamed rice is the easiest match because it soaks up the sauce. Noodles or a simple green vegetable on the side work too.
You might also like
- Air fryer chicken breast bites with garlic, our most-watched chicken video.
- Air fryer chicken breast bites with soy and oyster sauce, the same sauces, made in the air fryer.
- One pot chicken thighs with mushrooms, if you like chicken and mushrooms together.
