Chicken with Chinese Mushrooms

4.65 from 65 votes

Chicken with Chinese Mushrooms

Tender chicken, shiitake and wood ear mushrooms are tossed in a savory garlic-ginger sauce in this quick and easy stir-fry. Serve it over rice to catch every bit of that glossy sauce.

Course Dinner

Cuisine Chinese

Keyword Chinese Chicken, Chinese Food Recipes, Chinese Mushroom Recipe

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 8

Soaking Mushrooms 20

Total Time 38

Servings people

Calories 237

Author Erren Hart

Ingredients

1 cup dried wood ear mushrooms black fungus
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 cloves garlic finely chopped
1 2-inch/5cm piece fresh ginger peeled and grated
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast or thighs cut into bite-sized pieces
8 oz fresh shiitake mushrooms
3 tablespoons oyster sauce
3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce divided, plus more to taste
2 tablespoons Shaoxing wine or dry sherry
¼ cup reserved mushroom soaking liquid
1 tablespoon cornstarch
3 tablespoons water
2 green onions thinly sliced

Instructions

Soak the mushrooms. Place the dried wood ear mushrooms in a bowl and cover generously with boiling water. Let them soak for about 20 minutes, or until completely rehydrated and tender.
Drain and prepare. Lift the mushrooms from the soaking water and gently squeeze out excess liquid. Reserve at least ¼ cup (60ml) of the soaking liquid and strain it through a fine-mesh strainer to remove any grit. If the mushrooms are very large, tear or slice them into smaller pieces.
Start the stir-fry. Heat the oil in a wok or large skillet over medium-high to high heat. Add the garlic and ginger and stir-fry for about 30 seconds, just until fragrant. Don't let the garlic brown.
Cook the chicken. Add the chicken and spread it into an even layer. Stir-fry for 2 to 3 minutes, tossing occasionally, until lightly golden in spots but not completely cooked through.
Add the mushrooms. Add the fresh shiitakes and rehydrated wood ear mushrooms. Stir-fry for another 2 to 3 minutes, until the shiitakes soften and the liquid they release begins to cook away.
Make it saucy. Mix the cornstarch and water until completely smooth. Add the oyster sauce, 2 tablespoons of the soy sauce, Shaoxing wine or sherry, reserved mushroom liquid, and cornstarch mixture.
Bring to a boil and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring frequently, until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce is glossy and thick enough to coat the chicken and mushrooms, but still loose enough that there’s some sauce left to spoon over rice.
Taste before adding more soy sauce. Add some or all of the remaining tablespoon as needed. Stir most of the green onion through the finished dish, reserving a little for serving. Serve immediately.

Video

Notes

Erren's Top Tips

Taste Before Adding All The Soy Sauce: Oyster sauce and soy sauce both contribute salt, and brands vary. Start with 2 tablespoons of soy sauce, let the sauce finish cooking, then taste. Add the remaining tablespoon only if it needs it.

A Note On Oyster Sauce Substitutions: Oyster sauce gives this dish its distinctive savory flavor, so use it when you can. Hoisin or teriyaki can work when you’re in a pinch, but neither is a direct substitute. Hoisin is sweeter, while teriyaki is a Japanese sauce with a distinctly different flavor profile. If you use either, expect the finished dish to taste different—and start with less, then adjust to taste.

Keep Some Sauce: The sauce should cling to the chicken and mushrooms but shouldn't reduce until the wok is dry. That extra glossy sauce is one of my favorite parts once it hits the rice.

Don't Crowd A Small Pan: A wok is ideal, but a large skillet works too. If your pan is small, cook the chicken in batches so it stir-fries rather than steams.

Strain That Mushroom Liquid: The soaking water has great mushroom flavor, but dried mushrooms can leave grit behind. A quick trip through a fine-mesh strainer takes care of it.

Cut The Chicken Evenly: Similar-sized pieces cook at roughly the same rate, which helps keep chicken breast tender.

Variations & Add-Ins

Use Chicken Thighs: Boneless, skinless thighs stay especially juicy and can be substituted for the breast.

Make It Alcohol-Free: Replace the Shaoxing wine with additional strained mushroom liquid or chicken stock.

Add Vegetables: Bok choy, snow peas, or broccoli can turn this into an even more substantial meal. Keep them crisp-tender so they don't water down the sauce.

Change The Mushrooms: You can use dried shiitakes instead of wood ears if that's what you can find. Just know you're changing both the texture and flavor of the dish—and that's perfectly fine.

Storage & Reheating

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Reheat gently in a skillet over medium-low heat until the chicken is hot throughout. If the sauce has thickened too much in the refrigerator, add a splash of water or chicken stock to loosen it.

I prefer this freshly made because that's when you get the best contrast between the two mushroom textures.

Nutrition