Mu Shu Chicken is an easy and affordable Chinese recipe that’s packed with flavor. Have the comfort of Chinese takeout without having to leave your house!
When I lived in New York in my late teens, I was introduced to a whole new world of food. New York is an amazing city for countless reasons, but one of the greatest is knowing that no matter what you crave, a dizzying array of cuisines are available to you 24 hours a day. The city is particularly well known for it’s Chinese food, and one dish that I got turned on to back then and considered a rare treat (since I was living on a $10 a day or less food budget) was Mu Shu Chicken.
Why I Love This Recipe
- Satisfies Craving for Takeout: This recipes satisfies that craving for Asian food when you want it ASAP! It’s ready in 20 minutes and lets you relish authentic flavors and tastes, recreating the restaurant experience in your kitchen.
- Cost-Effective: Cooking Mu Shu Chicken at home is a budget-friendly alternative to takeout, making it a great choice for the whole family.
- Family-Friendly Activity: Involve the kids! Assembling the wraps together adds a fun and interactive element to mealtime.
- Healthier Homemade: Just like with my Easy Ramen Noodle Soup and Beef and Broccoli Stir Fry, preparing this dish at home means you can use fresh, high-quality ingredients, ensuring a nutritious and wholesome meal for you and your family.
- Customizable: Making Mu Shu Chicken at home means you’re in charge of the ingredients so you can load up on extra veggies, use a different protein or add some extra sauce if you’re feeling it!
The Ingredients
- Cooked shredded chicken
- Eggs
- Chopped cabbage
- Shiitake mushrooms
- Soy sauce
- Hoisin sauce
- Sesame oil
- Vegetable oil
- Minced ginger
- Minced garlic
- Sliced scallions
How to Make Mu Shu Chicken at Home
- Cook the Eggs: Heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add the eggs and scramble. Transfer to a plate.
- Sauté Aromatics: Heat remaining 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in the skillet. Add the ginger and garlic to the skillet, and cook 1 minute.
- Sauté Vegetables: Add the cabbage and mushrooms and cook until cabbage is wilted, about 5 minutes. Stir in the soy sauce, hoisin sauce, and sesame oil.
- Add chicken: Add the chicken and scrambled eggs to the skillet, and cook until the chicken is heated through, about 2 minutes.
- Serve: Serve over rice or in warm tortillas, and garnish with scallions.
Tips for Easy Mu Shu Chicken
- Rotisserie chicken for the win. Any cooked chicken will work for this recipe, but I’ve used a rotisserie chicken before too and it made this recipe come together SO fast.
- Substitute bagged coleslaw for chopped cabbage to save you some chopping time.
- Any mushroom will work. If you don’t have shiitakes on hand or have trouble finding them, you can substitute any mushroom you like. Button, portobello or cremini are great options. You’ll need about 1 cup.
- Make it vegetarian. I have a couple vegetarians in the family, so I’ll usually pull some out before I add in the chicken for them. So if you have a vegetarian in your family, this recipe will work for them too!
Storage/Freezing Instructions
- To store: Allow leftover mu shu chicken to cool and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- To freeze: Mu shu chicken can be frozen in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
- To reheat: If frozen, thaw in the refrigerator when ready to eat. Reheat on the stove top until warmed through. Add more hoison or soy sauce if it seems like it needs some extra love.
More “Takeout at Home” Recipes
- Thai Curry Cellophane Noodles
- Asian Sautéed Shrimp
- Vegetarian Lo Mein
- Beef and Broccoli Stir Fry
- Stir Fried Ramen
Making mu shu chicken at home is super easy and ready in about 20 minutes! This dish is a perfectly simple weeknight dish that’s full of flavor. The whole family will love it! Let me know what you think of this Mu Shu Chicken recipe in the comments and tag me on social media if you make it!
Images by Ivan Solis
Mu Shu Chicken
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 large eggs, whisked
- 2 teaspoons minced ginger
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 3 cups chopped cabbage or bagged coleslaw mix
- 4 shiitake mushrooms, sliced (about 1 cup)
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons hoisin sauce
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 3 cups cooked chicken, shredded
For Serving:
- sliced scallions
- cooked white rice
- warmed flour tortillas
- extra hoisin sauce
Instructions
- Heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in a large skillet over high heat.
- Add the eggs and scramble. Transfer to a plate.
- Heat remaining 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in the skillet.
- Add the ginger and garlic to the skillet, and cook 1 minute.
- Add the cabbage and mushrooms, and cook until cabbage is wilted, about 5 minutes.
- Stir in the soy sauce, hoisin sauce, and sesame oil.
- Add the chicken and scrambled eggs to the skillet, and cook until the chicken is heated through, about 2 minutes.
- Serve over rice or in warm tortillas, and garnish with scallions and extra hoison if desired.
Notes
- To store: Allow leftover mu shu chicken to cool and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- To freeze: Mu shu chicken can be frozen in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
- To reheat: If frozen, thaw in the refrigerator when ready to eat. Reheat on the stove top until warmed through. Add more hoison or soy sauce if it seems like it needs some extra love.
- Rotisserie chicken. Any cooked chicken will work for this recipe, but I’ve used a rotisserie chicken before too and it made this recipe come together SO fast.
- Cabbage substitute:Â Bagged coleslaw mix can be used instead of cabbage to save time on chopping vegetables.
- Any mushroom will work. If you don’t have shiitakes on hand or have trouble finding them, you can substitute any mushroom you like. Button, portobello or cremini are great options. You’ll need about 1 cup.
- Make it vegetarian. I have a couple vegetarians in the family, so I’ll usually pull some out before I add in the chicken for them. So if you have a vegetarian in your family, this recipe will work for them too!
Fantastic! I made it with red peppers instead of mushrooms. Thank you for a great recipe!
So glad you love it! It’s one of our all time faves. Great idea using peppers instead of mushrooms!!
This sounds almost like a “clean out my fridge” recipe that isn’t just delicious, but also budget conscience. I would love to make wraps for the week but I have two questions.
1. Is hoisin sauce the same as plum sauce?
2. Can this recipe be frozen?
Hi! 1. Hoison and plum sauce are not the same but in a pinch could be substituted I suppose. Plum sauce is sweeter and more jammy than hoison sauce. 2. Yes! You can freeze the chicken in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Just thaw in the refrigerator when ready to eat and re-heat.
Hi. I can’t have hoisin sauce is there any substitute?
Made a gluten free version – GF tortillas and Hoisin sauce. Turned out great.
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Lovely recipe. Thank you and have a super-Sunday!
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