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Mongolian Chicken

Mongolian chicken with crispy-edged, deeply golden chicken pieces glazed in a dark, sticky sauce that turns glossy and clingy in the pan. Charred green onion pieces and sesame seeds finish every bite, served over steamed white rice for a takeout-style weeknight Asian dinner.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: Asian-American
Calories: 720
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

chicken breasts
  • 1.5 lb chicken breasts boneless skinless, thinly sliced
cornstarch
  • 0.25 cup cornstarch
  • 1 tsp cornstarch mixed with 1 tbsp water (slurry)
salt and pepper
  • 0.5 salt and pepper to taste
vegetable oil
  • 3 tbsp vegetable oil
garlic
  • 5 clove garlic minced
fresh ginger
  • 1 tsp fresh ginger grated
soy sauce
  • 0.5 cup soy sauce
brown sugar
  • 0.333 cup brown sugar
water
  • 0.25 cup water
  • 1 tbsp water for the cornstarch slurry
hoisin sauce
  • 1 tbsp hoisin sauce
sesame oil
  • 1 tsp sesame oil
red pepper flakes
  • 0.5 tsp red pepper flakes
green onions
  • 4 green onions cut into 2-inch pieces
sesame seeds and steamed rice
  • 1 sesame seeds and steamed rice for serving

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan

Method
 

Coat the chicken
  1. Toss the thinly sliced chicken with cornstarch, salt, and pepper until every piece is coated with a dry, starchy layer.
Make the Mongolian sauce
  1. Whisk together soy sauce, brown sugar, water, hoisin sauce, sesame oil, and red pepper flakes until the sugar looks mostly dissolved.
Stir-fry and glaze
  1. Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet or wok over high heat; add the chicken and cook 3-4 minutes per side until deeply golden and cooked through, then remove to a plate.
  2. Add the garlic and ginger to the same hot pan and stir-fry for 30 seconds, until fragrant and lightly sizzling but not browned.
  3. Pour in the sauce and bring it to a boil, watching it turn darker and more syrupy as bubbles break across the surface.
  4. Stir in the cornstarch slurry and cook for 1-2 minutes until thickened and glossy, with a smooth glaze that coats the back of a spoon.
  5. Return the chicken to the pan and toss to coat, then add the green onions and toss briefly until they look charred at the edges.
Serve
  1. Serve the glazed Mongolian chicken over steamed white rice with sesame seeds scattered on top.

Notes

Pro tip: keep the pan hot during the chicken sear so the cornstarch develops crisp, golden edges before you glaze. Store leftovers in the fridge up to 3 days in a sealed container; reheat gently in a skillet or microwave until hot and saucy. Freeze chicken with sauce for up to 2 months, then thaw and reheat until glossy. For a lower-sugar option, use a 1:1 brown-sugar substitute that measures like sugar (it preserves the sticky glaze texture).