These easy Chinese recipes give you six practical dishes built around stir-frying, steaming, boiling, and one-pan braising. You can make them with supermarket ingredients, short prep times, and a few shared sauces.
Choose chicken or shrimp for a fast stir-fry, rice or noodles for a flexible pantry meal, steamed fish for the lightest option, or soy-braised tofu when you want a meatless dish with rich flavor.
Easy Chinese Recipes: Six Dishes and Their Key Ingredients
Each recipe serves about four people. Prepare the sauce before heating your pan; stir-fries cook too quickly for you to measure between steps.
- Chicken and broccoli stir-fry: boneless chicken, broccoli, garlic, soy sauce, oyster sauce, and cornstarch.
- Shrimp and snow pea stir-fry: peeled shrimp, snow peas, ginger, scallions, soy sauce, rice vinegar, and sesame oil.
- Egg fried rice: cold cooked rice, eggs, peas and carrots, scallions, soy sauce, and neutral oil.
- Sesame-soy noodles: wheat or egg noodles, soy sauce, tahini or peanut butter, rice vinegar, honey, and garlic.
- Steamed fish with ginger and scallions: a mild white fish fillet, ginger, scallions, soy sauce, and hot oil.
- Soy-braised tofu: firm tofu, soy sauce, broth, garlic, ginger, brown sugar, and cornstarch.
The shared pantry is small: neutral oil, soy sauce, rice vinegar, toasted sesame oil, garlic, ginger, scallions, and cornstarch. Use tamari instead of soy sauce, hoisin sauce thinned with water instead of oyster sauce, and frozen grated ginger when fresh ginger is unavailable. A small cornstarch slurry—one teaspoon cornstarch mixed with two teaspoons cold water—thickens sauces without a long reduction.
Easy Chinese Food: Chicken, Shrimp, and Vegetable Stir-Fries
These easy Chinese food options need a large skillet or wok, high heat, and ingredients cut before you start. Cook in batches if the pan looks crowded; crowded food steams instead of browning.
- Chicken and broccoli stir-fry: Mix three tablespoons soy sauce, one tablespoon oyster sauce, one teaspoon sugar, one teaspoon cornstarch, and 1/4 cup water. Cut one pound of boneless chicken into thin strips and stir-fry it in one tablespoon oil for four to five minutes, until no pink remains. Add three cups broccoli and two minced garlic cloves. Stir-fry for two minutes, add two tablespoons water, cover for another two minutes, then pour in the sauce. Toss for one minute, until glossy and thick. The broccoli should remain bright green with a little bite; dull, mushy broccoli means it cooked too long.
- Shrimp and snow peas: Stir together two tablespoons soy sauce, one tablespoon rice vinegar, and one teaspoon sesame oil. Cook eight ounces of snow peas with one teaspoon minced ginger for two minutes. Add 12 ounces peeled shrimp and cook for two to three minutes, turning once. Add the sauce and sliced scallions, then toss for 30 seconds. The shrimp are ready when pink, opaque, and curled loosely. Tight, rubbery curls indicate overcooking.
For a simple vegetable variation, replace the chicken or shrimp with sliced bell pepper, mushrooms, carrots, cabbage, or extra broccoli. Add firm vegetables first and delicate greens during the final minute.
Quick Chinese Recipes: Egg Fried Rice and Sesame-Soy Noodles
These quick Chinese recipes are especially useful when you have leftover rice or noodles. Keep the seasonings measured because both dishes finish in minutes.
- Egg fried rice: Heat one tablespoon oil in a wide skillet. Scramble two beaten eggs for about one minute, then move them to the edge. Add one cup peas and carrots and cook for two minutes. Add three cups cold cooked rice, breaking up clumps with your spatula. Stir-fry for three to four minutes, then add two tablespoons soy sauce and two sliced scallions. Fold the egg back in. The rice should be separate and lightly toasted, not wet or clumped. Freshly cooked rice can work, but spread it on a tray and chill it first so excess steam evaporates.
- Sesame-soy noodles: Boil eight ounces of noodles according to the package directions, usually five to eight minutes. Whisk three tablespoons soy sauce, two tablespoons tahini or peanut butter, one tablespoon rice vinegar, two teaspoons honey, one minced garlic clove, and two tablespoons hot noodle water. Drain the noodles, toss them with the sauce, and add cucumber, shredded carrot, or scallions if desired. Add more noodle water one tablespoon at a time if the sauce is too thick. The finished noodles should look coated and glossy, never dry or swimming in sauce.
Simple Chinese Recipes: Steamed Fish and Soy-Braised Tofu
These simple Chinese recipes use gentler heat and work well when you do not want to manage a hot wok. For steaming, use a covered pot with a rack, steamer basket, or heatproof plate set above simmering water.
- Steamed fish with ginger and scallions: Place a one-pound white fish fillet, such as cod, tilapia, or halibut, on a heatproof plate. Top it with half the sliced ginger and scallions. Steam over simmering water, covered, for eight to ten minutes, depending on thickness. The fish is done when the center turns opaque and flakes easily. Carefully pour off excess liquid, then add one to two tablespoons soy sauce and the remaining scallions. For a restaurant-style finish, heat one tablespoon neutral oil until shimmering and pour it over the aromatics. Keep the lid closed while steaming; frequent checking releases the heat and extends the cooking time.
- Soy-braised tofu: Pat one 14-ounce block of firm tofu dry and cut it into cubes. Brown the cubes in one tablespoon oil for five to six minutes, turning them so several sides become golden. Add 1/2 cup broth, three tablespoons soy sauce, one teaspoon brown sugar, one minced garlic clove, and a few slices of ginger. Simmer uncovered for ten to twelve minutes, turning the tofu once. Stir in the cornstarch slurry during the final minute. The sauce should cling to the tofu; if it stays thin, simmer briefly after removing the tofu, or add a little more slurry.
Recipes for Chinese Dishes: Choose by Time, Equipment, Flavor, and Pantry Staples
- Fastest: Sesame-soy noodles take about 15 minutes, while egg fried rice takes about 20 minutes if your rice is already cold. Shrimp stir-fry takes about 20 minutes from prep to serving.
- Best for one skillet: Choose chicken and broccoli, shrimp and snow peas, or egg fried rice. A 12-inch skillet gives you enough surface area to brown the ingredients.
- Best for a steamer: Make the ginger-scallion fish. Use a thinner fillet for the shortest cooking time and check the thickest part for doneness.
- Best meatless option: Soy-braised tofu provides the deepest flavor because the tofu simmers in the sauce. Sesame-soy noodles are faster and need no protein.
- Lightest flavor: Steamed fish uses fresh ginger, scallions, and soy sauce without a heavy coating. For a richer result, choose braised tofu or the oyster-sauce chicken.
- Most flexible pantry meal: Fried rice absorbs leftover vegetables, cooked chicken, or shrimp. Use day-old rice when possible, and add soy sauce gradually so the grains do not become salty or soggy.