Chop Suey

This quick and easy chop suey recipe is great for using up leftover ingredients you have in your fridge. It can be made with a variety of meats and vegetables, and everything is coated in a thick, flavorful, savory sauce.

Chop Suey is a Chinese American dish. It is a stir-fry dish that can be made with a variety of vegetables and meat or seafood, and everything is tied together with a savory sauce thickened with cornstarch.

It’s a popular takeout dish that’s easy to make at home because you can use almost whatever vegetables or meat you have in your fridge. When I have a lot of random leftover ingredients in my fridge, this is a dish I like to make. It’s a super easy and tasty way to use up all those ingredients.

Ingredients

• Garlic
• Vegetable oil
• Boneless, skinless chicken breast
• Baking soda
• Broccoli
• Snap peas
• Cabbage
• Mushrooms
• Carrot
• Water
• Cornstarch
• Soy sauce
• Oyster sauce

Chicken: This is just one option, and other versions of this dish include beef, pork, or shrimp.

Vegetables: For this version, I use broccoli, snap peas, sliced cabbage, mushrooms, and carrots.  But you can use other veggies – any that you would use for stir fry will work well in chop suey. Try celery, bok choy, bell peppers, and chopped garlic.

Baking soda: This is used to tenderize the chicken, also called velveting. While this is optional, if you are making this dish with chicken, velveting it first will make it very tender and juicy. It’s similar to what restaurants do. If you’ve ever made a stir fry without velveting the chicken first, it usually turns out dry and tough. This baking soda method is the easiest way to replicate the texture you get in dishes at Chinese restaurants.

Sauce: The sauce is a combination of soy sauce, oyster sauce, cornstarch, and water. The cornstarch thickens it to a gravy-like consistency. If you don’t want to use oyster sauce, I recommend using chicken broth or stock instead of water.

Recipe Tips

Velveting the chicken is optional, but for the best chicken texture I recommend it. All you need to do is marinate the chicken in the baking soda for 20 minutes before making the dish.

Chop suey is usually served over rice, but I have seen versions served with noodles, too. So it’s really up to you and your tastes. Try serving it with plain white rice, fried rice, pan-fried noodles, or chow mein or lo mein.

You can make this dish ahead and store it in the refrigerator for three to four days. Allow it to cool to room temperature before chilling it. It’s easy to reheat in the microwave for easy lunches and dinners.

You can also freeze it for several months as long as it’s in a freezer-safe container.

More Homemade Takeout Recipes

I love to make my favorite takeout recipes at home – here are a few more you might like to try:

• Garlic Beef
• Honey Walnut Shrimp
• Beef and Broccoli
• Mapo Tofu

Chop Suey

Servings: 4

Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes minutes

Course: Main Dishes

Cuisine: Chinese

A quick and easy stir fry dish that can be made with a variety of vegetables and protein. It's a great way to use up leftover ingredients in the fridge.

5 from 2 votes

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Ingredients

• 1 garlic clove minced
• 1 tbsp canola or vegetable oil
• 8 oz chicken breast thinly sliced
• 3/4 tsp baking soda (optional, for if you are velveting the chicken)
• 1 cup broccoli florets
• 1 cup snap peas
• 1 cup cabbage thinly sliced (about 1/4 inch wide)
• 3 mushrooms sliced
• 1 carrot peeled and sliced

Sauce

• 2/3 cup water
• 1 tbsp cornstarch
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp oyster sauce

Instructions

• If you plan on velveting the chicken, add baking soda and chicken to a medium bowl. Toss chicken evenly in baking soda. Let sit for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, rinse the chicken to remove excess baking soda.
• Add garlic and oil to a large wok or deep skillet and bring oil to medium high heat. Cook garlic until lightly browned.
• Add in chicken and stir fry for about 1 minute. Add in vegetables and stir fry until everything is almost cooked.
• In a small bowl, add sauce ingredients and whisk until smooth. Pour into wok. Stir fry everything in sauce until evenly coated and sauce thickens, about 2 minutes. Serve with rice or your favorite rice substitute.

Notes

• Velveting chicken technique from Recipe Tin Eats
• You can make this dish with other meat and vegetable options.
• If you want to add even more flavor to the sauce, add in a splash of shaoxing rice wine* and fresh grated ginger.
• If you don't have oyster sauce, you can double the amount of soy sauce and replace the water with chicken broth.
• For more information on the sauce ingredients, you can check out my Chinese cooking guide.
• *Some of the links contained in this post are affiliate links. Much like referral codes, this means I earn a small commission if you purchase a product I referred (at no extra charge to you).

The nutrition information provided are only estimates based on an online nutritional calculator. I am not a certified nutritionist. Please consult a professional nutritionist or doctor for accurate information and any dietary restrictions and concerns you may have.

Did you make this recipe?I'd love to see it! Mention @KirbieCravings and tag #kirbiecravings!