Oyster Sauce Chicken and Mushroom Stir Fry

Ready in under 30 minutes, this quick and easy Oyster Sauce Chicken and Mushroom Stir Fry is a must-try! This Asian recipe is savory, naturally sweet, lightly sour, with a punch of white pepper and umami mushroom flavor. If you are craving a nourishing dish to wake up your taste buds, this easy Chinese stir fry will not disappoint.

Serve it up with a side of rice so you can thoroughly enjoy the saucy, velveted chicken, earthy shiitake mushrooms, crisp water chestnuts, and nourishing Chinese red dates. Perfectly balanced with warming and cooling ingredients and the natural sweetness of dates. This stir-fried chicken and mushroom recipe is soon to be your new favorite go-to weekday recipe.

Kicked Up Cantonese Style Chicken

Have you ever had Cantonese steamed chicken with mushrooms, red dates, and goji berries cooked in a claypot? This is one of our favorite homestyle meals to order in Hong Kong. It always comes with a bowl of steamed rice and endless cups of hot tea. Perfect rainy day and change of season meal for the soul. However, there is one BIG problem with this dish it is not very Western Friendly!

We know you are probably not found of stewed meat on the bone and it’s rare for those outside of Asia to own a claypot cooking device.  That is exactly why we decided to Westernize this homestyle Chinese recipe.  We have transformed this oyster sauce chicken recipe into a quick and easy saucy stir fry with loads of umami flavor.  So, let’s get to it!

Main Ingredients

Chicken – We chose a skinless boneless breast. It is also delicious with boneless skinless thighs or tenderloins.

Dried Shiitake Mushrooms – Once they are rehydrated, they give the best umami flavor. You can also use fresh shiitake or mushrooms of choice. We don’t suggest preparing wood ear mushrooms because they do not have lots of flavor but they do have a great crunch.

Umami means “delicious savory taste” in Japanese. It is one of the five basic tastes, along with sweet, sour, bitter, and salty. It is often described as a savory or meaty flavor. Umami is found in foods like tomatoes, mushrooms, soy sauce, and aged cheeses. It kicks up the flavor and richness to recipes, making them more satisfying.

Aromatics – garlic and ginger

Cornstarch – This ingredient is added to the marinade to velvet (tenderize) the chicken. More on this process below.

Soy Sauce – light soy sauce. You can also use tamari or coconut aminos to keep this recipe gluten-free.

Oyster Sauce – This is one of our go to pre-made Chinese sauces. It’s made from actual fresh oysters. Not only does this sauce add a savory flavor in this recipe, but also in our eggplant with garlic sauce recipe and many others. Lee Kum Lee has a gluten-free oyster sauce. Kikkoman has a vegetarian option if needed.

Sesame Oil – Fragrant and has a nutty delicious flavor. We add a teaspoon to the chicken marinade and a teaspoon while stir frying.

Shaoxing wine or cooking sherry – this adds flavor and tenderizes the meat during the marinade process.

Secondary Ingredients

Chinese Red Dates (jujubes or Hong Zao) – These delightful red dates are not just delicious in a goji berry and date tea or eggless banana bread.  They also impart a natural sweetness to this oyster sauce chicken stir fry and are very nourishing if you have a spleen qi deficiency.

Chinkiang Vinegar – Chinese Black vinegar is our favorite. This acid adds a pop of brightness and flavor at the very end of the cooking process and balances the flavors. If you do not have Chinese black vinegar, the closest substitute is combining ½ tablespoon balsamic vinegar and ½ tablespoon rice vinegar, apple cider vinegar, white vinegar or even a little squeeze of lemon or lime juice.

Water Chestnuts – We used the sliced ones in a can for a delightful crunch. The texture will remind you of a Chinese Moo Goo Gai Pan stir fry. This ingredient is optional but delicious.

How to Prepare Dried Shiitake Mushrooms?

There are 2 methods…

1. Boiling Water Soaking Method – Rinse the dried shiitake mushrooms well. Cover with boiling water and soak for 15 – 20 minutes or until softened.
2. Room Temperature Soaking Method - Rinse the dried shiitake mushrooms well. Cover with room temperature water and soak for or until softened.

Rehydrating Mushroom Tips

• Place another bowl on top of the mushrooms to keep the mushrooms submerged under the water to soften.
• Whole dried mushrooms take longer than sliced dried mushrooms to rehydrate.
• Smaller shiitake mushrooms take less time and larger mushrooms can take longer.
• If mushrooms are not softened enough after the first boiled water method, add more boiling water and continue soaking for a few more minutes.
• Once the mushrooms are softened, gently squeeze out the excess water and slice the mushroom caps into thin slices.
• Do not use the mushroom stems because they are too tough for a stir fry. We generally reserve the sliced mushroom stems for soups, stews, and curries.
• Depending on the quality of your mushrooms you may need to rinse them again after soaking to remove any impurities. We will leave that up to you.
• Don’t throw away that mushroom soaking liquid – its pure gold. It’s delicious as a broth for hot and sour soup or even the liquid to cook a mushroom risotto.

How to Use Jujubes in a Stir Fry?

Chinese red dates (jujubes) need to be softened before adding to a stir fry.

• Rinse the red dates well.
• Place the red dates in a bowl and cover with boiling hot water for 15 minutes or until softened. Drain the water.
• Cut the jujube in half lengthwise and remove the pit – just like we did in our Steamed Gingerbread Date Bread Recipe.
• Chop the red dates in bite size pieces.

How to Velvet Chicken Like a Chinese Restaurant?

Velveting chicken is a technique used in Chinese cooking to create a tender and smooth texture in the meat.

The secret is in the marinade. There are 3-4 ingredients key to making the chicken tender and delicious.

1. Cornstarch acts like a coating to create a barrier to keep the moisture inside the chicken.
2. Shaoxing wine (or cooking sherry) is a flavoring agent and helps tenderize the chicken.
3. Soy sauce add a savory flavor and light bronzing to the chicken meat.
4. Sesame oil adds a nutty delicious flavor to the chicken.

After you slice the chicken against the grain into thin slices, place them into a bowl. Add cornstarch, Shaoxing wine (cooking sherry), soy sauce and sesame oil and stir the chicken mixture well. Marinate the chicken mixture for at least 15 minutes.

How to Stir Fry Chicken and Shiitake Mushrooms?

• Add oil to the wok or pan.  Saute ginger and garlic and until aromatic.
• Next add the marinated sliced chicken, season with white pepper, and stir fry until no longer pink.

• Add the sliced mushrooms and chestnuts to the stir fry.
• Pour in the sauce ingredients (soy sauce, oyster sauce, water, sesame oil) and stir fry until ingredients are coated with the sauce.
• Finally add the chopped red dates and a splash of Chinese black vinegar and stir fry until well mixed and sizzling.

How to Serve?

Enjoy this oyster sauce chicken and mushroom stir fry with hot white or brown rice and endless cups of tea. Try our 5 minute stir fried garlic pea shoots, sesame string beans or stir fried romaine lettuce on the side.

Special Add Ins

Feel free to add any vegetables you desire. Depending on if they are hard veggies like carrots or soft veggies like peppers, they will need to be added at different stages of the stir fry process. Add the hard veggies early in the stir fry process.

Goji berries are also delightful – chewy and sweet. Make sure to rinse and soak (15 minutes) to soften before adding to the oyster sauce chicken stir fry. We often use Root + Spring Goji Berries and Red Dates for this recipe and to make our Goji Berries and Red Date Tea. The red dates are large, chewy, sweet, and so are the goji berries.