Chop Suey – a saucy chicken stir fry loaded with tender pieces of chicken, vegetables and smothered in Chinese brown sauce just like you get at the best Chinese restaurants! Use any vegetables you want in this quick and easy stir fry.
This recipe also shares two little known Chinese restaurant secrets so you can make a stir fry that genuinely is as good as your favourite take out!
Chop Suey – Chicken Stir Fry
Chop Suey is just a slightly westernised version of a classic, basic Chinese stir fry. Because of this, there really aren’t hard and fast rules about what goes in it, but the general characteristic is that the sauce is a fairly light brown colour, there is plenty of it (and you know I love my sauce!!) and it’s pretty thick so it clings to your rice or noodles.
How to make a Chop Suey that’s REALLY restaurant quality
If you’ve ever wondered why your stir fries aren’t quite as tasty as what you get from (good) Chinese restaurants, here are the two things you’ve probably been missing:
Secret 1 – Chinese Cooking Wine
Chinese cooking wine (or Shaoxing Wine) is the secret ingredient in almost every Chinese recipe that’s used by the gallon in Chinese restaurants around the world! It adds depth and complexity of flavour into even the most simple sauces with just a small amount. Read more about it here, including why it’s so important, the difference it makes in recipes and the best substitutes.
Best substitutes for Chinese Cooking Wine – Mirin or dry sherry.
Best non alcoholic substitute for Chop Suey is to use chicken broth (liquid chicken stock) in place of water in the sauce.
Secret 2 – Tenderised Chicken
Have you noticed that the chicken in Chinese restaurants is incredibly soft and almost “velvety”? It’s because restaurants “velvet” the chicken (that’s the term that is used).
There are a few ways to do this, but I like using a simple method where the chicken is coated in a small amount of baking soda (bi-carb), left for 20 minutes to tenderise, then rinsed before cooking in the stir fry. It’s the easiest and least effort for home cooking – and 100% effect.
Velveting is optional if using chicken thighs because it’s a juicy cut. But if you are using chicken breast or tenderloins and you choose to tenderise it, you are going to be amazed how juicy and tender the chicken is.
Read more about this – Velveting: Chinese Restaurant Way to Tenderise Chicken.
What goes in Chop Suey
I’ve make Chop Suey with ingredients that are commonly used by Chinese restaurants – Asian greens (Choi Sum), bean sprouts, carrots and mushrooms. But feel free to use whatever vegetables you want!
How to make Chop Suey
Chop Suey is a 5 minute stir fry that starts off by sautéing garlic and onion before adding vegetables in the order in which they cook. Vegetables that take longer to cook go in first, and more delicate vegetables (like leafy greens) go in last.
Then the sauce is added, simmered for just a minute or two so it thickens, then served immediately over rice to soak up all that tasty sauce!
What to serve with Chop Suey
With all that tasty sauce, Chop Suey demands to be served with rice! Though if you’re looking for a low carb option, cauliflower rice is a terrific alternative.
If you’re making this as part of a larger banquet or you want to make a menu to serve 4+ people, try adding some of these other dishes to your menu:
If you’re new to this Chop Suey recipe, be prepared to be amazed how similar it really is to Chinese takeout.
“It’s just like the stir fries at Golden Century Chinese Restaurant!!”, first timers exclaim.
Or Golden Palace or Golden Pearl or Golden Wheel or Golden Unicorn or Golden Dragon.
Ahh, Chinese restaurant names, they provide much amusement. But that’s a story for another time! – Nagi x
Watch how to make it
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Chop Suey - Chicken Stir Fry
Ingredients
Optional Tenderised Chicken (Note 1):
- 180g (6oz ) chicken breast , thinly sliced
- 1/2 tsp baking soda / bi-carb (optional, Note 1)
Sauce (or use Charlie, Note 2):
- 1 tbsp cornflour / corn starch
- 1 1/2 tbsp light soy sauce , or all purpose soy(Note 3)
- 1 tbsp Oyster Sauce (Note 4)
- 1 tbsp Chinese Cooking Wine OR Mirin (Note 5)
- 1/2 tsp sesame oil (optional)
- Dash of white pepper (or black)
- 3/4 cup (185 ml) water
Stir Fry:
- 1 1/2 tbsp vegetable oil (or other cooking oil)
- 2 garlic cloves , finely chopped
- 1/2 onion , sliced (white, brown, yellow)
- 5 - 6 stems choy sum (or other Asian greens)
- 1 medium carrot
- 1/2 cup sliced mushrooms (shiitake is authentic, but any will do)
- 1 cup bean sprouts
Instructions
"Velvet" Chicken (optional, Note 1)
- Place chicken in a bowl, sprinkle over baking soda. Use your fingers to mix then set aside for 20 minutes, no longer than 30 minutes (can get too tender). Rinse well, pat excess water with paper towels, set aside (see video).
Prep Ingredients:
- Sauce: Place cornflour and soy sauce in a bowl. Mix until lump free. Then add remaining Sauce ingredients and stir.
- Chop choy sum: Trim end off choy sum. Then cut into 7cm (3") pieces. Separate stems from leaves.
- Chop carrot - Peel then cut into 3cm (1.3") pieces. Then slice the pieces thinly.
Stir Fry:
- Heat oil in a wok or skillet over high heat. Add garlic, stir quickly, then add onion, Cook for 1 minute, moving constantly, until onion is starting to wilt.
- Add chicken, cook for 1 minute until the surface changes from pink to white.
- Add choy sum stems, carrot and mushrooms. Stir fry for 1 minute.
- Add choy sum leaves, bean sprouts and Sauce. Stir fry for 1 to 2 minutes until the Sauce thickens to a thick syrup consistency. Vegetables should still be tender/crisp, not soggy and soft.
- Serve immediately with rice (for low carb, low cal option, try Cauliflower Rice!)
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
Originally published November 2017, modified October 2018, and updated March 2020 with new photos and video! No change to the recipe!
More stir fry favourites!
Life of Dozer
This big furry head was just out of frame in every photo in this post…..
This was great! I had to make substitutions based on what I had and what was available. The sauce wasn’t exactly what I was expecting but it was still good. I only had dark soy sauce so I wonder how much light soy sauce changes the sauce taste.
I am very full.
Unfortunately it came out way to watery even when I left it on longer. Then the veggies got super soggy. I used mushrooms, pakchoi, carrot and brandspiritus. Also mirin in stead of cooking wine. Why is it sooo watery?
Hey! I’m not associated with this website, I just browse for ideas and twists (there is good stuff on here!). But I saw your comment and wanted to provide some professional advice. If it is too watery then chances are you have overcooked the sauce. This recipe mentions combining the sauce with cornflour prior to cooking but this poses a risk of overcooking as it will cause the starch to breakdown and your sauce will thin out.
If you try this again, make your sauce without the cornflour. Then make a separate cornflour slurry (the best bet is 1:1 ratio with flour and cool water. For this recipe I would suggest 1tbsp flour / 1tbsp water). Add this slurry to your dish just before you finish cooking. It should thicken within 20-30 seconds. Then turn off the heat to prevent overcooking. Do this with any Chinese sauce, gravies, and even soups to thicken them.
Hi again Nagi! This recipe has become one of my family’s (many) favourite recipes of yours. You are truly a star! I was wondering if adding some prawns to this would work?
As per every recipe of yours I have tried, this was amazing, I didn’t use Asian greens, just broc, cauli, mushies, carrot & baby corn so good I made 1 1/2 amount of sauce as I made enough for 2 meals, That trick of velveting chicken OMG so.good made a big difference
Yum.
I used a small amount of bok choy, snow peas and red capsicum. Julienned the carrots and added them in with the leafy tops of the bok choy Quite a pretty looking meal and will definately make it again.
Just love Chinese recipes
What could i use instead of the Asian greens/choy sum. I have broccoli and spring onion would either of those work?
Hi Bonnie, you can really add anything you like here – some broccoli or spring onion would work perfectly! N x
Nagi, I would like to have you canonised as the patron saint of food. “SAINT NAGI”
I started with chopsuey about 9 mths ago & my cooking is almost all your recipes.Love them all. You are the greatest.
Ps hope Dozer recovers well.
😂 I love this Patrick!! N x
Nagi your recipes are the best! This is so nice, like my favourite Chinese (long gone sadly). Made with chicken stock the first time but went to the Chinese supermarket last week for rice wine and it’s even better now
So simple and yet so delicious – Healthy but super tasty. Big winner in our house. Thanks Nagi once again for another amazing recipe!
I love chinese food & always trying to find good recipes that actually turn out good, I made this one & was very impressed! I’m going to try more of your recipes
Nagi, everything I make has been sensational. This is no exception, so simple yet full of flavour. Thanks again.
Thanks so much Heidi, that’s great to hear! N x
Hi Nagi, I can only get the tinned version of bean sprouts from my local shop, are these still good? would I need to do anything differently in prepping them?
I just found your youtube vids and subbed. In future, would you mind listing the songs in your vid description pretty please? Love those little jazz tunes. 🙂
Kind regards.
Hi Nagi. This, like all of your recipes look amazing ! Can’t wait to make this one. I usually place my bean sprouts in a bowl of cold water to keep them crispy before i make chop suey. Do you think this is necessary to keep them from being soggy and soft or is the fact that you only stir fry for 1-2 minutes the reason they don’t get soggy and soft ?
Hi Nagi. Debbie T here. I did crisp my bean sprouts as usually needed for chop suey and definitely did not need to. My chop suey came out a little too watery but it was delicious. Family had it over rice with broccoli on the side. I had it like soup. Yummy ! Thanks for another great recipe !
Never in my whole life my dad told me I cook delicious, not until I made the Honey garlic chicken and this! Nagi, you are heaven sent! I never liked cooking until Ive tried all your great recipes! Now, I am happy whenever I cook food for my family, because I got your brilliant recipes! Thank you Nagi!
Hi! can this be done with pork? if so, can it be tenderised the same way as the chicken?
kind regards!
Yes definitely! Same method Fernando! N x