Skip the take-out because this Easy Mongolian Chicken recipe is fast, easy, and only takes 35 minutes to make! This chicken recipe is packed with flavor, sweet but spicy, and tastes just like what you’d get at takeout; your family will finish every last bite.
Made with kitchen staples, this Mongolian chicken recipe takes less time to make than driving out to get takeout! It’s surprisingly easy to make and every bite is packed with tons of flavor. It’s definitely going to be a family favorite!
My household loves crispy chicken, but then again, who doesn’t?! If you’re looking for more Asian inspired recipes, you have to try my Sweet and Spicy Asian Chicken or my Crispy Korean Fried Chicken.
What is Mongolian Chicken?
Inspired by the popular Chinese-American Mongolian Beef recipe, this chicken version is deep-fried until golden brown and then coated in a delicious sweet and spicy sauce. The popular dish isn’t actually Mongolian but a Chinese-American dish popular in many takeout restaurants. The Mongolian sauce is more savory, sweet, tangy and spicy.
Why You’ll Love This Chinese Mongolian Chicken Recipe
- Sweet but spicy. You’ll love how this Mongolian chicken recipe is the perfect balance of sweet and spicy. The sauce has this heat that is hard to explain – after eating a couple of pieces, you’ll feel the spice at the back of your tongue!
- Easy to make. Most of these ingredients are probably already in your kitchen! If not, you can find all of the ingredients at a local grocery store.
- Household favorite. There’s a reason why this is such a popular takeout recipe! Everyone will love this homemade version.
What is In Mongolian Chicken
- Sauce: to make the sweet and spicy sauce, you’ll need light soy sauce, chicken broth, rice vinegar, brown sugar, sriracha sauce, and red chili flakes.
- Chicken: I use boneless, skinless chicken. I prefer chicken tenders.
- Chicken coating: I coat the chicken with cornstarch, salt, and ground pepper.
- Oil: you’ll need an oil with a high smoke oil to deep fry the chicken in.
- Garlic: I like using freshly minced garlic.
- Ginger: ginger has a slightly peppery and sweet flavor.
- Whole red chili: I used dried red chilies but fresh works as well!
- Green onions: I love the fresh taste green onions bring to the finished dish.
How To Make Mongolian Chicken Recipe
- Make the Mongolian chicken sauce: In a small bowl combine the sauce ingredients and keep it aside.
- Coat the chicken: In a separate bowl with chicken combine cornstarch, salt, and pepper until well coated.
- Fry the chicken: Deep fry the chicken until crispy and golden. Transfer the fried chicken to a paper towel and keep it aside.
- Sauté the aromatics: Heat a medium pan with oil. Add in the garlic, ginger, and red chili.
- Coat the chicken: Add the chicken back to the pan, add the prepared sauce mixture and cook for 4-5 minutes until the sauce thickens. Add the green onions and toss the chicken until the sauce is well coated.
- Serve: serve the Mongolian chicken on top of the rice and enjoy.
Tips To Make Mongolian Style Chicken
- Feel free to leave the whole red chilies and some of the chili flakes to make the chicken less spicy.
- Be sure to use a heavy-bottomed pot to deep fry in as the temperature of the oil does get high.
- Be sure the temperature of the oil reaches at least 350 F. If the chicken is added to the oil too early on, the chicken will be greasy as it absorbs a lot more oil.
- I like using canola oil or vegetable oil to fry the chicken in. Both have high smoking points so they’re perfect for frying. For a healthier option, you can use avocado oil.
- Feel free to add other veggies if you like. Some recommendations are: Zucchini, Carrots, Broccoli, Mushroom, and Red Bell Peppers.
Frequently Asked Questions
Mongolian sauce is made of light soy sauce, chicken broth, rice vinegar, brown sugar, sriracha sauce, red chili flakes.
The two are similar recipes but aren’t the same. Both are Chinese-American restaurant favorites but General Tso chicken is less spicy and more savory and is usually cooked with veggies.
Leftovers can be stored for up to 3 days in an airtight container in the fridge. Be sure to let the chicken cool to room temperature before storing it as it will get soggy from condensation if it’s still warm.
I would not recommend freezing this chicken recipe with the sauce. If you really want to freeze this, you can freeze just the fried chicken before coating it in the sauce and stir frying it with the aromatics.
I love serving this with white jasmine rice but you can also serve this with some cauliflower rice, basmati rice, quinoa, or veggie noodles. I also like to serve this with a side of greens like broccoli or edamame just to make the meal a bit healthier.
More Chicken Recipes to Enjoy
- Chicken Zucchini Enchilada
- Lemon Garlic Chicken Skewers
- Grilled BBQ Chicken Breast
- Creamy Chicken and Mushroom Pasta
I hope you enjoy all the recipes I share with you, including this delicious Mongolian Chicken recipe. I hope you try it, enjoy it, rate it, and share it with your friends and family!
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Easy Mongolian Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 cup cooked rice to serve (optional)
Mongolian Sauce:
- ⅓ cup light soy sauce
- ½ cup chicken broth
- 2 tbsp rice vinegar
- 3 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tbsp sriracha sauce
- ½ tsp red chili flakes
Chicken:
- 1 lb chicken tenders cut into bite size
- ½ cup cornstarch
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp ground black pepper
- Oil to deep fry
Mongolian Chicken:
- 1 tbsp oil
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- ½ tsp ginger chopped
- 4 whole red chili
- 2 stalks green onion chopped
Instructions
- In a small bowl combine the sauce ingredients and keep it aside.
- In a separate bowl with chicken combine cornstarch, salt and pepper until well coated.
- Deep fry the chicken until crispy and golden. Transfer the fried chicken to a paper towel and keep it aside.
- Heat a medium pan with oil. Add in the garlic, ginger and red chili.
- Add the chicken back to the pan, add the prepared sauce mixture and cook for 4-5 minutes until the sauce thickens.
- Add the green onions and toss the chicken until the sauce is well coated.
- Serve the Mongolian chicken on top of rice to enjoy.
Notes
- Feel free to leave the whole red chilies and some of the chili flakes to make the chicken less spicy.
- Be sure to use a heavy-bottomed pot to deep fry in as the temperature of the oil does get high.
- Be sure the temperature of the oil reaches at least 350F. If the chicken is added to the oil too early on, the chicken will be greasy as it absorbs a lot more oil.
- I like using canola oil or vegetable oil to fry the chicken in. Both have high smoking points so they’re perfect for frying. For a healthier option, use avocado oil.
Absolutely delicious!! I made this recipe for my family for dinner last night – 3 of us in the house love spicy food, but my daughter doesn’t. I simply set some crispy chicken aside for her before adding the sauce.
One thing I would say is that the chicken portion sizes are quite small (or would be fine if you were having a 2 or 3 course meal); I made double the amount of chicken required for 4 people and there wasn’t a scrap left!
Great recipe!!
Hi Raianne!
Thanks for leaving a review. Glad you enjoyed the recipe!