This Easy Mongolian Chicken is a simple to follow recipe that has amazing results. Crispy chicken simmered in a flavorful ginger-soy sauce with onions and garlic makes for a truly scrumptious dish.
If you like this Mongolian chicken, you should try our tasty Mongolian Beef or our Teriyaki Chicken.
Table Of Contents
Recipe Details
This Easy Mongolian Chicken recipe is the best! I love how quickly it comes together and the absolutely amazing flavors. This simple dish is a real winner when you need a quick dinner.
- TASTE: The chicken is savory and combined with caramelized onions. And the flavor of the sauce is a mix of garlic, ginger, and soy sauce for delicious umami notes.
- TEXTURE: The textures of the sauteed vegetables mixed with the juicy, crispy chicken thighs are really delicious. Everything is covered in a thick sauce.
- TIME: This recipe takes about 30 minutes.
- EASE: This dish is really easy to make. You can do some of the steps beforehand, too, to save time on a busy night.
What You’ll Need
Ingredient Notes
- Chicken- Boneless, skinless thighs are best for moist and juicy Mongolian Chicken. You can also use chicken breasts if you like.
- Onions- We use both white onion and green onion because the first will caramelize and sweeten as it cooks, and the second has a milder oniony flavor.
- Soy sauce- This adds salty, umami flavor to the dish. You can use regular or low-sodium.
- Sesame oil- This potent oil adds sesame flavor that goes well with the other ingredients. A little goes a long way.
- Cornstarch- This coats the chicken and gives it a crunchy outer layer once it cooks.
- Ginger- Use fresh, it has so much more flavor.
- Brown sugar- This will balance out the saltiness of the dish and help caramelize the onions and chicken.
Add-ins and Substitutions
- Substitute other meats- You can make this with pork, beef, or chicken breasts as well.
- Add other vegetables- Make this recipe with broccoli, water chestnuts, peppers, mushrooms, carrots, or zucchini.
- Make it gluten-free- Substitute the soy sauce for tamari sauce to make this Mongolian Chicken gluten-free.
- Substitute the cornstarch- If you haven’t got corn starch, you can use another starch, such as potato starch, arrowroot starch, or tapioca starch.
How to Make Mongolian Chicken
- Prepare the chicken. Cut the chicken thighs into strips and place them in a large bowl with the cornstarch.
- Cook the chicken. Heat the rest of the oil in a large wok over high heat. Cook the chicken in batches, being careful not to overcrowd the wok, so each piece is crispy. Transfer the cooked chicken to another bowl.
- Cook the vegetables. Slice up the onion and mince the leftover garlic, stirring it into the same wok (add oil as needed). Once it’s cooked, add back the chicken.
Pro Tip: Pre-cut the vegetables so you don’t have to reheat the wok before cooking them. This dish comes together quickly, so prep work is key.
- Make the sauce. In a small saucepan, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil and then add the garlic and ginger. Stir for about 10 seconds. Now, add the brown sugar, soy sauce, water, and sesame oil and bring to a boil. Set aside.
- Add everything together. Once the onion is cooked, add the chicken back in, then the sauce. Bring it to a simmer.
- Add the green onion. Slice the green onion and stir it into the Mongolian chicken for a few minutes. Serve.
Recipe Tips
- Cut the meat to a similar size- Keep the chicken slices to the same size so that the meat can cook at the same speed. This avoids overcooking smaller pieces and undercooking larger pieces.
- Make the Mongolian sauce ahead of time- You can prepare the sauce in advance and keep it in a container with a lid until you’re ready to warm it up and make the rest of the dish.
- Cut up the meat and veggies in advance- You can save time by prepping the vegetables and chicken, then putting everything together before dinner.
- Cook the chicken in batches- Chicken cooks fastest when it’s not touching other things, so separate the chicken into batches so each piece cooks quickly and crisply.
FAQs
What is the difference between Szechuan and Mongolian chicken?
Mongolian chicken is a little different than Szechuan chicken because it is less spicy and more tangy. It also has more sauce. Szechuan chicken uses Szechuan peppercorns that are spicy and numb your mouth.
What is Mongolian sauce made of?
The sauce for Mongolian Chicken is made with brown sugar and soy sauce to create contrasting sweet and salty. This recipe also adds sesame oil, garlic, and ginger for added depth of flavor.
Serving Suggestions
This Easy Mongolian Chicken is a versatile dish that makes a great dinner. Serve it with veggies, rice, sushi, and other Asian-inspired dishes.
- Rice: Serve this dish over a bed of Wild Rice, Hibachi Fried Rice, Wild Brown Rice, or Pork Fried Rice.
- Vegetables: Enjoy this chicken with some Sauteed Garlic Asparagus, Chinese Eggplant Salad, Roasted Brussels Sprouts, or Asian Chicken Salad.
- Sushi: Pair this dish with a Shrimp Tempura Roll, Dynamite Roll, Volcano Roll, or Spicy Salmon Roll.
- Asian-inspired dishes: Serve this Mongolian chicken with Fried Spring Rolls (VIDEO), Panda Express Mushroom Chicken (copycat), Hunan Chicken, or Roast Duck.
Make This Recipe in Advance
Make ahead: You can prepare the sauce and even cook the vegetables ahead of time. When you’re ready to cook and crisp up the chicken, combine everything and serve.
Storing: To store your Mongolian Chicken, place it in an airtight container in the refrigerator, where it will keep for 3-4 days.
Freeze: If you want to freeze it, it will last for a couple of months. Just place it in a freezer-safe container once cooled. When you are ready to serve it, allow it to defrost and then heat it in the microwave or in the wok.
More Delicious Asian-inspired Dishes!
Full Recipe Instructions
Easy Mongolian Chicken
Crispy chicken and flavorful sauce, this Easy Mongolian Chicken is the best. Simple and tasty, you're going to love how it turns out.
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Servings: 8
Calories: 318kcal
Ingredients
For the sauce
- 2 tbsp corn oil
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1 tbsp ginger minced
- 4 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 cup low sodium soy sauce
- 1/4 tsp sesame oil
- 1/2 cup water
For the chicken
- 2 lb. boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 1/3 cup cornstarch
- 1 large yellow onion
- 1/3 cup corn oil
- 1 cloves garlic minced
- 2 bunches green onion
Instructions
- Now thinly slice 2 lb of boneless skinless chicken thighs into strips. Place the sliced chicken in a large bowl and 1/3 cup cornstarch.
- Heat 1/3 cup corn oil in a large wok over high heat. Cook the chicken in batches to ensure a crispy texture on the exterior. You don’t want to overcrowd the pan.
- Once all of your chicken is cooked, transfer it to a separate bowl.
- Then slice up one large yellow onion and mince 1 garlic clove and stir it in the same wok. Add oil as needed.
- After the onion is cooked through, add the chicken back in. 
- Heat 2 Tablespoons of corn oil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Add 1 minced garlic cloves along with 1 tablespoon of minced ginger. Stir for about 10 seconds.
- Then add 4 tablespoons of brown sugar, 1 cup of low-sodium soy sauce, 1/4 teaspoon of sesame oil, and 1/2 cup water. Bring to a boil then set the sauce aside. 
- Then add the sauce and bring the chicken to a simmer. 
- Slice two bunches of green onion and stir it into the Mongolian chicken for a few minutes. 
Notes
Time-saving tips
- Make the Mongolian sauce ahead of time- You can prepare the sauce in advance and keep it in a container with a lid until you’re ready to warm it up and make the rest of the dish.
- Cut up the meat and veggies in advance- You can save time by prepping the vegetables and chicken, then putting everything together before dinner.
- Cook the chicken in batches- Chicken cooks fastest when it’s not touching other things, so separate the chicken into batches so each piece cooks quickly and crisply.
Nutrition
Calories: 318kcal | Carbohydrates: 14g | Protein: 25g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 108mg | Sodium: 1725mg | Potassium: 376mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 57IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 26mg | Iron: 2mg
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Hi, I’m Dina, so glad you stopped by! I believe life is too short for bad coffee and boring meals. With my easy to follow step-by-step recipes, you’ll be surprised at how quickly a wholesome and delicious meal can come together. I hope you find something you enjoy!
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Vishhal B Anand says
Lovely simple recipe. Wonderful
Dina says
Thank you so much! I appreciate the kind feedback!
SB says
Simple and quick. I actually didn’t have thighs and made it with cut up tenders. It was good! I imagine thighs (as per recipe) would def be better, but still works quite well with tenders. And I did add some sliced bell peppers at the end for a bit more veggie freshness. 🙂
All in all…adding this my repeat list. Thank you!
Dina says
Yay! So happy to hear you loved this Mongolian chicken recipe so much! Exciting to hear this will be a repeat recipe in your home! Thank you so much for your awesome feedback and support! I hope you find more recipes to enjoy on my food blog! 🙂
Kassey Montanez says
I liked this but mine came out a little salty. Ideas of how to decrease the flavor of salt. Also in the ingredients it says four teaspoons of brown sugar and in the instructions it said four tablespoons. I didn’t know how much to put so I guessed and put in four teaspoons.
Dina says
Hi Kassey, I think you might have read the ingredient list incorrectly. It says 4 tbsp which stands for Tablespoons. tsp would be teaspoons. I hope that helps 🙂 Also, did you use low sodium soy sauce as listed in the recipe? If not, that might be why it may have turned out too salty.