Hunan Chicken

4 Servings
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes

Chinese takeout favorite Hunan Chicken is an easy stir-fry with garlic, ginger, broccoli, and bamboo shoots in a garlic-ginger spicy sauce.

If you love the authentic flavors of Hunan Chicken, you’ll want to pair it with Asian Side Dishes like Chicken Lo Mein or Classic Chinese Chow Mein and Crab Rangoons to make this recipe an easy Chinese takeout meal at home!

Hunan Chicken with chopsticks

When you tell someone you are going to make Hunan Chicken you may get a confused look. Most people are not familiar with the name of the dish, but if they were to eat it they’d recognize the flavors immediately. This is your classic Chinese chicken stir-fry dish. And it’s done in less than 30 minutes!

Many people think of easy stir-fries and even buy “stir fry” sauces that are pre-made. You can adjust the heat more or less to your tastes by the amount of chili paste you add to the dish, but the mixture of broth, soy sauce, garlic, ginger, rice wine vinegar and a touch of sugar are the classic ingredients in a Chinese stir fry.

The stir-fry sauce is so versatile it can be used with chicken, beef, pork, tofu, shrimp, scallops and most fish including salmon, and sea bass. You can make the sauce in larger quantities and freeze in portions as well. Ice cube trays are a great option, 6 standard cubes is plenty for a recipe and the garlic and ginger can be added to the sauce mixture to make cooking even easier when you’re ready for the sauce.

We use chicken breast in this dish because it cooks so quickly that the chicken stays tender. Most people don’t generally use white meat in Chinese food recipes with the exception of noodles or stir-fries. Anything battered and fried is always dark meat chicken unless you’re making Sweet and Sour Chicken which has long been seen as the “healthy” version of Chinese fried chicken recipes.

Hunan Chicken Collage 1

How to Make Hunan Chicken

Making this delicious dish is super easy! Because the chicken is so thin, it will cook quickly making it an easy meal! Check out how to make Hunan Chicken! 

  • Step One: Powder the thin chicken slices with cornstarch (or substitution) in a plastic bag until it’s coated evenly. 
  • Step Two: Cook the chicken pieces then set to the side. 
  • Step Three: Mix the sauce together. 
  • Step Four: In the same pan you cooked the chicken in, cook the rest of the vegetables and aromatics. 
  • Step Five: Combine everything, stir, and serve with Chinese Fried Rice or Chow Mein Noodles once the sauce is thickened. Enjoy! 

More Easy Asian Dinners

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you slice chicken extremely thin?

One of the traditional takeout things about chicken stir fries is how they have chicken that looks like it was almost shaved, similar to Mongolian Beef in restaurants. The trick to this is to freeze the chicken for about one hour. Once you do you can very easily slice the chicken very thinly against the grain. Since the slices are so thin you’ll find that even though it was in the freezer, it will come back to a good cooking temperature very quickly.

What is in Hunan Sauce?

Hunan sauce is made of rice wine vinegar, sugar, chili paste and an oyster and soy sauce based sauce that is made in just minutes. Chicken broth adds some bulk to the sauce and cornstarch helps to thicken the mixture quickly.

Hunan Chicken, while popular, is sometimes just categorized as a Chinese Chicken Stir Fry as the sauce is very similar to most peoples classic stir fries. Because of that it often gets overlooked for more popular items on a Chinese restaurant’s menu. Let’s examine the two other recipes it most often gets mistaken for:

What is the difference between Hunan Chicken and Szechuan Chicken?

Hunan Chicken is a stir-fried dish that is just coated in a dusting of cornstarch with a spicy chili paste sauce coating a mixture of vegetables. Szechuan Chicken is generally battered and fried before being added to a pan of stir fried vegetables and coated in a much sweeter sauce than Hunan chicken.

What is the difference between Hunan Chicken and General Tso’s Chicken?

Hunan Chicken is a stir fried dish with vegetables and a much lighter sauce that is spicy and made with oyster sauce. General Tso’s Chicken is a delicious but battered and fried dish similar to Orange Chicken with is tossed in a very sweet but slightly spicy sauce, normally with no vegetables.

Hunan Chicken process photo

Key Ingredients in Hunan Chicken 

All of these ingredients can be found in the International section of the large grocery stores. It’s highly recommended to go shopping at the local Asian market if possible, but not required. 

  • Chicken: The key to getting very thin slices of chicken is to freeze it for about an hour before cutting. Any cut of chicken will do, but we are using chicken breast here. 
  • Oyster Sauce: This special sauce is literally made from oysters and is critical to obtain the authentic Asian flavors we are going for. There is a vegetarian based oyster flavored sauce that you can easily get online or from your local Asian market. Don’t skip this one! 
  • Cornstarch: This thickening agent helps get a nice breading on the chicken. There are corn-free options available. See the substitutions section below for more info if needed. 
  • Chili Sauce: Almost all Asian food recipes you’ll find have chili peppers added to the dish, even if it is not spicy. The chili adds a yummy pepper taste that really brings all the flavors together. Sambal Oelek is a chili sauce of Indonesian origin and has become a standard in Asian cuisine world wide. 
  • Rice Wine Vinegar: Rice wine vinegar gives a subtle tang to the dish and is used in almost all Asian kitchens around the world. It’s a good one to keep on hand for other yummy Dinner then Dessert recipes. 
  • Bamboo Shoots: Bamboo shoots add a sweet and earthy crunch that is signatory to many Asian dishes. You can prepare them yourself, or simply get them in a can which is what we do here. 
  • Mushrooms: Many Chinese recipes call for all types of mushrooms. You can use any mushroom, like portobello mushrooms, the smaller cremini mushrooms, shittaki mushrooms, or any regular white mushroom from the grocery store. 
  • Sugar: A teaspoon of sugar is all you need to take the sauce over the top. Any sugar you have will work great. You can even use a tablespoon honey if preferred. 
Hunan Chicken collage

Substitutions for Hunan Chicken

  • Meat: You can use any kind of meat you’d like: chicken, beef, pork, fish, etc. Just make sure it’s cut very thin. 
  • Chili Sauce: If you can find Sambal Oelek, feel free to use a similar chili sauce. You can also substitute for Sriracha sauce too. 
  • Rice Wine Vinegar: It’s worth going to the Asian market to get this, but if it’s just not available, you can substitute equally parts of either apple cider vinegar or regular white wine vinegar. 
  • Bamboo Shoots: These add a wonderful crunchy addition to the recipe but we understand that they are not always available. You can substitute with water chestnuts, heart of palm, or even asparagus in a pinch.  
  • Mushrooms: You can substitute tofu, tempeh, or artichoke hearts for mushrooms in this recipe. 
  • Oyster Sauce: Unless you’re specifically allergic to oysters, there really isn’t a good substitute for oyster sauce because of the subtle flavor it gives to the dish, even if you’re not particularly fond of the little sea mollusks. All Asian stores will have a vegetable based oyster flavored sauce that is the best substitute, but keep in mind that they are usually mushroom based. 
  • Vegetables: You can bring in other fresh vegetables like chopped bell pepper and green onions into your dish. If you have a bag of frozen Asian stir fry vegetables, that works as a fantastic substitute as everything is already cut for you. Just give the colorful veggies a quick blanch in hot water and stir-fry according to the recipe.

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How to Store Hunan Chicken

  • Serve: Serve Hunan Chicken hot. Keep covered when not being served. Refrigerate within 2 hours. 
  • Store: You can store your extra Hunan Chicken in the refrigerator for about 2 days because the mushrooms will get soggy after that. Simply reheat on the oven and serve hot.
  • Freeze: Hunan Chicken is great to freeze. Keep it stored in an airtight container for up to 6 months. When you’re ready, thaw in the fridge overnight and reheat until nice and hot. 

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Pin Recipe

Hunan Chicken

Chinese takeout favorite Hunan Chicken is an easy stir-fry with garlic, ginger, broccoli, and bamboo shoots in a garlic-ginger spicy sauce.
Yield 4 Servings
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine Chinese
Author Sabrina Snyder

Ingredients
 

HUNAN CHICKEN

  • 1 pound chicken breasts , shaved thinly
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch
  • 1/4 cup vegetable oil
  • 3 cloves garlic , minced
  • 1 tablespoon ginger , minced
  • 1 green zucchini , cut into half moon shapes
  • 4 ounces mushrooms , sliced thinly, equals just over a cup by volume
  • 3 cups broccoli florets
  • 1 can bamboo shoots , drained

HUNAN SAUCE

Instructions

  • Add the chicken and cornstarch in a large ziplock bag with air in the bag, close tightly.
  • Shake the bag until the chicken is well coated.
  • Add the vegetable oil to the pan on medium-high heat and cook the chicken until cooked through on both sides, about 2-3 minutes on each side.
  • In a small bowl mix the sauce ingredients together.
  • Remove the chicken from the pan and add in the garlic, ginger, zucchini, mushrooms, broccoli, and bamboo shoots.
  • Stir, cooking for 2-3 minutes.
  • Add in the sauce and chicken and toss to coat, cooking 1-2 more minutes until the sauce has thickened.

Nutrition

Calories: 337kcal | Carbohydrates: 16g | Protein: 30g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 73mg | Sodium: 786mg | Potassium: 967mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 555IU | Vitamin C: 75.7mg | Calcium: 58mg | Iron: 1.7mg
Keyword: Hunan Chicken
Hunan Chicken Pin 1

Photos used in a previous version of this post:

Chinese Hunan Chicken Stir-Fry
Easy Chinese Stir Fry with Hunan Sauce
Hunan chicken Stir Fry bite
Quick and Easy Chinese Chicken Stir Fry
Hunan Chicken Stir-Fry

About the Author: Sabrina Snyder

Sabrina is a professionally trained Private Chef of over 10 years with ServSafe Manager certification in food safety. She creates all the recipes here on Dinner, then Dessert, fueled in no small part by her love for bacon.

Sabrina Snyder is a professionally trained personal and private chef of over 10 years who is the creator and developer of all the recipes on Dinner, then Dessert.

She is also the author of the cookbook Dinner, then Dessert – Satisfying Meals Using Only 3, 5 or 7 Ingredients, published by Harper Collins.

She started Dinner, then Dessert as a business in her office as a lunch service for her coworkers who admired her lunches before going to culinary school and becoming a full time personal chef and private chef.

As a personal chef Sabrina would cook for families one day a week and cook their entire week of dinners. All grocery shopping, cooking and cleaning was done along with instructions on reheating. As a private chef she cooked for private parties and cooked in family homes in the evenings for families on a nightly basis after working as a personal chef during the day.

Sabrina has been certified as a ServSafe Manager since 2007 and was a longstanding member of the USPCA Personal Chef Association including being on the board of the Washington DC Chapter of Chefs in the US Personal Chef Association when they won Chapter of the year.

As a member of the community of food website creators Sabrina Snyder has spoken at many conferences regarding her experiences as a food writer including the Indulge Food Conference, Everything Food Conference, Haven Food Conference and IACP Annual Food Professionals Conference.

Sabrina lives with her family in sunny California.

Dinner, then Dessert, Inc. owns the copyright on all images and text and does not allow for its original recipes and pictures to be reproduced anywhere other than at this site unless authorization is given. If you enjoyed the recipe and would like to publish it on your own site, please re-write it in your own words, and link back to my site and recipe page. Read my disclosure and copyright policy. This post may contain affiliate links.

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Comments

  1. One of our favorite Asian dishes! This hunan chicken is irresistibly delicious! Even the picky like it!

  2. This Hunan Chicken is so delicious! I used Kikkoman Manjo Aji Mirin for a more flavorful twist of taste. Yummy! Best paired with Vitasoy Lychee Flavor Vita Juice Drink.

  3. Yum!!!!I have wondering how to make hunan sauce…and this is it! I will probably adjust to my presences but thank you so much!This will get me to eat more vegatables

  4. The Ingredients for the Hunan Sauce that you list in the main instructions section do not seem to agree with what you list in the section called …What is in Chinese Hunan Sauce…

    1. So sorry, your comment got stuck in my spam filter. Thank you for catching that. I made a few variations and it looks like it never was adjusted.

  5. This was amazing! I followed the recipe as written, but, doubled the sauce. My kids & husband said to “put it on the list”….. Definite keeper

  6. This is a good recipe. Easy to make, the only substitution I made is using frozen oriental mix vegies for the fresh. I blanched the vegies first then cooked in pan as directed.

  7. I have spent years looking for a recipe to taste just like this. I NEVER comment on any recipe but I have to today. This is just perfect. It tastes just like our favorite go to Chinese dish that we’ve eaten for about 8 years. Thanks so much! We’ve made it with pork tenderloin, steak and chicken. It’s awesome.

  8. I want to make the Hunan Chicken what can I substitute the oyster sauce with. My husband and children has a sea food allergy.

    1. They do make a vegetarin oyster sauce that you might be able to find in an Asian market. If not, just omit it knowing it’ll change the flavor.

    2. I too have a shellfish allergy. We use the vegetarian version of Oyster sauce, which is made from mushrooms. All Asian grocers carry it; worth your time to find it. If no grocer, there’s always Amazon.

  9. Hi Sabrina! I live in a small town with a small grocery store. What should/could I use in place of the sambal oloek chili paste? Thanks?

  10. This is a deliciously easy recipe! My family loves it! I do have one question… Can it be made in a crockpot?

    1. I think the chicken would dry out so if you’re going to try it in a slow cooker, my recommendation is to use chicken thighs knowing that it’s changing the recipe but still getting the same flavors. Good luck!

  11. I made this last night, along with your Panda Express Mandarin Teriyaki copycat. Both were easy recipes, and tasted great!