This easy Stir-Fried Oyster Mushrooms with Chicken is a quick vegetable-forward poultry dish that can serve as an entrée or as part of a larger family-style Chinese meal. It imparts big flavors with minimal effort!
(This recipe was originally published in August 2013, but was updated with new photos and content in 2021).
Something I love about Asian cooking is that for the most part it can be very vegetable-centric since meat isn't a major part of most Asian diets. In this particular stir-fry, the oyster mushrooms are front and center with the chicken playing more of a supporting role.
The stir-fried chicken is incredibly tender and has a great background flavor from the Shaoxing wine used to marinate it. Even with slices of ginger and garlic, the flavor of this dish is quite mild and understated. It's not very heavy, and it's not spicy, sour, or sweet, which can be common in some other Chinese recipes, depending on the region.
This is a really simple and lovely dish. It cooks very quickly (much like other stir-fried dishes) as the mushrooms and thinly sliced chicken take just minutes to cook through, making it a wonderful centerpiece to a weeknight meal.
Ingredient notes
- Oyster Mushrooms: Oyster mushrooms are readily available in some grocery stores (sometimes sold in bulk by weight) and don't necessarily require a trip to the Asian market.
- Chicken: Use thinly sliced skinless boneless chicken breast or chicken tenders for this Chinese chicken and mushroom stir-fry.
- Shaoxing Wine: A staple in Chinese cooking, Shaoxing rice wine is available at Asian markets and online. You may substitute dry sherry if it's unavailable.
How to make it
Place sliced chicken in a mixing bowl and add, Shaoxing wine, salt, cornstarch, and water. Mix well.
Slice the scallion on a steep angle/bias into ¼-inch slices, keeping the white and green parts separate. Clean the oyster mushrooms if necessary and tear or cut into bite-sized pieces, discarding any hard bits at the base of their stalks.
Heat a seasoned wok over high heat. Add 1 teaspoon of oil, swirl it around, then add the mushrooms and stir-fry for a couple of minutes until nearly cooked. Set aside.
Reheat the wok over high heat and then add the remaining oil and swirl it around. Add the chicken and stir-fry to separate the slices.
When the slices are separating but still a bit pink, add the ginger, garlic and scallion whites, and continue to stir for a few moments until you can smell their fragrances.
Then return the mushrooms and stir to incorporate, adding salt and pepper to taste. Finally, stir in the scallion greens and serve.
Please scroll to the bottom of the post for the full recipe (in a printable recipe card) including ingredient amounts and detailed instructions.
Expert tips
If you can't find oyster mushrooms, try this Chinese chicken and mushroom stir-fry recipe with other mushrooms such as cremini, shiitake (only use the caps and not the stems) or enoki mushrooms.
This stir-fry doesn't contain any soy sauce so it's naturally gluten-free. It gets salt from the addition of actual salt. Feel free to season with soy sauce at the table if you prefer, or add a little drizzle directly into the stir-fry for a different flavor.
This recipe makes about 2 regular servings, but if you plan to serve this as part of a larger family-style meal it will serve more people if enjoyed in smaller portions.
Other recipes you may like
- Three Mushroom Dumplings
- Honey Sesame Chicken
- Strange Flavor Chicken (Bang Bang Chicken)
- Stir-Fried Greens with Dried Shrimp
- Sichuanese "Send-the-Rice-Down" Chopped Celery with Ground Beef
- Ants Climbing a Tree (Ma Yi Shang Shu)
- Chinese Scallion Pancakes
- Yaki Udon (Japanese Stir-Fried Udon Noodles)
- Browse all Chinese Recipes
Tried this recipe? Please leave a star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating in the recipe card below and/or a review in the comments section further down the page. You can also follow me on social media on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest!
Chinese Stir-Fried Oyster Mushrooms with Chicken
Ingredients
Chicken Marinade:
- 6 ounces (170 grams) boneless skinless chicken breast or chicken tenders, sliced about ¼-inch thick
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon Shaoxing wine
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 2 teaspoons cold water
Stir-Fry:
- 1 scallion (green/spring onion)
- 7 ounces (200 grams) oyster mushrooms
- 1 tablespoon neutral-flavored cooking oil
- A piece of ginger about the size of a large clove of garlic, peeled and thinly sliced
- 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Place sliced chicken in a mixing bowl and add the remaining marinade ingredients. Mix well.
- Slice the scallion on a steep angle/bias into ¼-inch slices, keeping the white and green parts separate. Clean the oyster mushrooms if necessary and tear or cut lengthwise into bite-sized pieces, discarding any hard bits at the base of their stalks (you'll likely yield about 5 ⅔ ounces/160 grams after discarding the thick base).
- Heat a seasoned wok over high heat. Add 1 teaspoon of the oil, swirl it around, then add the mushrooms and stir-fry for a couple of minutes until nearly cooked. Set aside.
- Reheat the wok over high heat and then add the remaining oil and swirl it around. Add the chicken and stir-fry to separate the slices. When the slices are separating but still a bit pink, add the ginger, garlic and scallion whites, and continue to stir for a few moments until you can smell their fragrances. Then return the mushrooms and stir to incorporate, adding salt and pepper to taste. Finally, stir in the scallion greens and serve.
Notes
- Shaoxing rice wine is available at Asian markets and online. You may substitute dry sherry if it's unavailable.
- This recipe makes about 2 regular servings, but if you plan to serve this as part of a larger family-style meal it will serve more people if enjoyed in smaller portions.
- Adapted from Every Grain of Rice
Nutrition
*All nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutritional content will vary with brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes and more.*
Fi says
Loved this recipe! Deceptively simple but super tasty. Was a nice change from my usual heavier soy-sauce flavoured recipes. Will add this one to my weekday rotation ๐
Diana Simmons says
Excellent, delicate flavor and quick. This recipe is a keeper!!
Shirley says
Great tasting recipe. Initially I thought it look quite plain but the taste is good.
Victoria says
Hi Shirley,
I'm glad you enjoyed this recipe. The simplicity is deceiving but it's delicious ๐