16 recipes using chicken — Dim sum, Peking duck, kung pao chicken and the world's richest culinary heritage.
These 16 chinese chicken recipes are ready in about 99 minutes on average, with 160–620 kcal per serving, and 25% are rated easy enough for a weeknight. Every recipe includes exact ingredient quantities, step-by-step instructions and full nutrition per serving.
Chinese cooking balances texture, heat and the harmony of flavours — fast wok work and slow braises drawn from a vast regional repertoire. When Chinese cooks work with chicken, they reach for soy sauce, ginger, garlic, spring onion, Shaoxing wine and sesame oil, and the techniques that come up most across these recipes are simmering, frying, steaming and boiling.
The world's most-cooked protein — mild, lean and endlessly adaptable to almost any spice profile or cooking method. In this collection it's most often cooked with soy sauce, shaoxing wine, sesame oil, fresh ginger, light soy sauce and cornstarch. The dishes here span chinese classics ready in as little as 20 minutes to slower, more involved cooking that rewards a relaxed afternoon.
Crispy battered chicken in a bright, tangy sweet and sour sauce — the classic Chinese-American takeaway favourite made fresh at home. This easy sweet and sour chicken recipe is better than takeaway in 35 minutes.
Gut-friendly stir-fry with chicken, bell pepper, and bok choy.
Silky, ultra-smooth Cantonese rice porridge cooked low and slow until the grains dissolve completely into a comforting, nourishing base. Topped with ginger, spring onion, sesame oil and your choice of protein.
Tender chicken pieces wok-tossed with dried chilies, Sichuan peppercorns, and crispy fried aromatics.
Silky rice noodles in a hot aromatic broth with raw protein that cooks table-side — a legendary Yunnan dish.
Tender, gelatinous chicken feet braised in a spiced soy-black vinegar sauce — a dim sum legend.
Stir-fried chicken with peanuts, dried chilies, and Sichuan peppercorns — sweet, sour, spicy, nutty.
Shanghai's translucent soup dumplings — pleated pouches holding pork, gelled broth, and 18 perfect folds.
Shanghai's legendary soup dumplings — delicate pleated parcels filled with seasoned pork and a burst of rich aspic-jelly broth that liquefies on steaming.
Crispy pan-fried noodles tossed with vegetables and meat in a savory sauce — one of Chinese cuisine's most satisfying dishes.
Sichuan Ginger Tofu Rice Bowl brings chinese flavor into a practical home recipe with chicken thighs, soy sauce, ginger, garlic and Shaoxing wine, and a finish of scallions.
Tender sliced chicken stir-fried with a generous amount of fresh ginger and scallions, a fast, fragrant Cantonese-style weeknight dinner.
Chicken braised with potato and peppers in a cumin-spiced sauce, served over wide hand-pulled noodles, a hearty Xinjiang specialty.
A whole chicken baked in a bed of hot salt until the skin turns delicately crisp and the meat stays exceptionally moist and tender.
Rice slow-cooked in a claypot with marinated chicken and lap cheong until a crisp golden crust forms.
Crispy fried chicken thighs glazed in a bright, tangy lemon sauce, served over rice with steamed greens.
Look for plump, pinkish flesh with no grey patches and a clean smell. Thighs stay juicier than breasts and forgive overcooking; bone-in, skin-on pieces deliver the most flavour.
Pat dry before searing for proper browning, and bring it to room temperature for 15 minutes so it cooks evenly. Marinades with acid or yoghurt tenderise lean breast meat.
Cook to an internal temperature of 74°C / 165°F — the juices should run clear and there should be no pink at the bone.
A lean, high-protein choice: a skinless breast delivers roughly 31 g of protein per 100 g with very little saturated fat.
Most of these 16 Chinese chicken recipes are ready in around 99 minutes from start to finish. The quickest, Low-FODMAP Chicken Stir-Fry, takes about 20 minutes, while the slower-cooked dishes run up to 630 minutes.
Across this collection they range from about 160 to 620 kcal per serving, averaging 419 kcal — Hong Kong Chicken Feet (Feng Zhao) is the lightest option at 160 kcal.
Low-FODMAP Chicken Stir-Fry is a great place to start — it's rated easy and comes together in about 20 minutes. 25% of the recipes here are beginner-friendly.
In these recipes, chicken is most often paired with soy sauce, shaoxing wine, sesame oil, fresh ginger, light soy sauce and cornstarch. Chinese kitchens also lean on soy sauce, ginger, garlic, spring onion, Shaoxing wine and sesame oil.
Cook to an internal temperature of 74°C / 165°F — the juices should run clear and there should be no pink at the bone.
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