Moo Goo Gai Pan: Healthy and Happy in 30 Minutes

It's easy to see how Moo Goo Gai Pan can become the next weeknight staple around your house. This is a fast healthy meal packed with flavor that will make your whole family happy in about 30 minutes!

Is Goo Goo Gai Pan Healthy?

Yes, most definitely! And since the vegetables and the chicken are cooked quickly over high heat, the chicken is tender and juicy and the veggies are crisp-tender, bright, and vibrant.

Pro Tip:

To get the most flavor and keep it healthy, use skinless thigh meat. It has a deeper and richer flavor than white meat.

Make Moo Goo Gai Pan Recipe

Moo Goo Gai Pan Ingredients:

• 1.5 pound chicken breasts or thighs, skinless & boneless
• 3 tablespoon cornstarch divided into 2 & 1 tablespoons
• 2 egg whites
• 4 tablespoons vegetable oil divided
• 4 cups mixed veggies snow peas, red cabbage, sliced carrots, red bell pepper
• 8 ounces button mushrooms, sliced
• 2 teaspoons ginger minced
• 1 clove garlic minced
• 1 can water chestnuts sliced & drained
• 1 can bamboo shoots sliced & drained (optional)

Moo Goo Gai Pan Sauce Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon brown sugar

Moo Goo Gai Pan Instructions:

1. In a small bowl whisk together an egg white with 1 tablespoon of cornstarch.
2. Slice the boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs into thin 2-inch pieces.
3. Add the chicken to the egg white/cornstarch mixture and toss to coat and set aside.
4. In a small bowl, whisk together 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 2 teaspoons sesame oil, and 1 teaspoon brown sugar.
5. Combine the chicken with the soy sauce mixture and let marinate the chicken in the refrigerator for 20 minutes.
6. Heat 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 4 cups of mixed vegetables (red, orange, yellow bell peppers, julienned carrots, snow peas) and cook for 3 minutes.
7. Add the sliced mushrooms to the skillet, and continue to cook all the vegetables until the mushrooms have browned about 5-7 minutes.
8. Lower the heat and stir in the bamboo shoots and water chestnuts. Taste and season with salt and pepper.
9. Remove the vegetables to a plate. Cover with foil to keep warm.
10. Add the other 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil to the skillet and increase the heat to medium-high.
11. Add the chicken to the skillet and stir occasionally until cooked through.
12. Lower the heat and stir in the minced garlic and grated ginger. Cook the chicken for another 2 minutes.
13. Whisk together the chicken stock with the remaining 2 tablespoons of cornstarch.
14. Pour this mixture over the chicken. Whisk over high heat until it comes to a boil and thickens. Immediately reduce heat to low.
15. Add reserved vegetables back into the skillet. Mix vegetables with the chicken and sauce and cook until heated through.
16. Serve with rice.

Steamed Rice (Stove Top Method)

This method for steaming rice is perfect if you don't have a rice maker but if you still want tender individual grains of rice that have just a bit of stick to them.

1st: rinse 1 cup of long grain rice like jasmine or basmati gently with cold water, agitating it with your hand until the water runs clear, about 3 or 4 times.

2nd: Put the rinsed rice in a pot so it is 1 inch over the top of the rice. Stir in 2 teaspoons of salt.

3rd: Heat the rice over medium-high heat UNCOVERED and boil just until the top of the water is gone and you can see tunnels of steam poking through the rice.

4th: Immediately lower the heat to a simmer and cover the pot with a tight lid for 15 minutes.

5th: Turn off the heat and let the rice rest for 5 minutes. Then gently fluff with a fork and serve.

One more word about steamed rice

What is the difference between boiled and steamed rice?

Ok, I'm not going to lie. Steamed rice has completely mystified me for years. How could rice be steamed if it is submerged in water?

Submerged in boiling water = boiled in water. Right?

No, apparently not.

Boiled rice is rice that is cooked in boiling water throughout the entire cooking process. Bring a pot of water to boil with rice using a 2:1 water/rice ratio, lower heat to a simmer, cover with a tight lid, set timer for 20 minutes, and... BING! Rice is done.

Groovy.

Steamed rice is cooked with at least 1 inch of rice in the pot and is covered with 1 inch of water. The water is set to boil UNCOVERED allowing the water to evaporate and create tunnels of steam in the rice. Once the water is no longer covering the rice, the heat is lowered, the pot is covered to trap the steam for 15 minutes, and... PRESTO! Rice is done (after a 5-minute rest).

Is Moo Goo Gai Pan Gluten-Free and Low Carb?

Moo Goo Gai Pan is thickened with cornstarch and not flour (like many traditional French sauces). If you substitute the soy sauce in the recipe for tamari sauce then it becomes 100% gluten-free.

Most soy sauces are made with wheat, soybeans, salt, and water. Tamari sauce on the other hand is a by-product of making miso and is made of soybeans but not wheat.

If you forgo the rice, this is an excellent low-carb meal. If you are looking for a keto option, try pairing your Moo Goo Gai Pan with sauteed zucchini noodles or cauliflower "rice".

Is Moo Goo Gai Pan an Authentic Chinese Dish?

Moo Goo Gai Pan directly translates to thin sliced chicken and mushrooms. However, it is an Americanized version of a traditional Cantonese dish made famous in American Chinese restaurants.

The original Chinese dish calls for only thinly sliced chicken and mushrooms stir-fried or made in a clay pot with an oyster sauce. Whereas the American version can have bamboo shoots, bean spouts, carrots, and snow peas.

Is it spicy?

Nope, not at all. The tender slices of chicken really shine through in this dish, but I think the sauce steals the show. It's smooth and silky with deep flavors of mushroom, ginger, and toasted sesame.

Can I make moo goo gai pan ahead or freeze it?

This dish is best when eaten immediately. However, you can put it in an airtight container and refrigerate it for up to 3-4 days. Be sure to discard the bean spouts before refrigerating since they go bad rather quickly.

The vegetables in Moo Goo Gai Pan become mushy if you freeze this dish. Part of the joy of eating it is biting into the fork-tender veggies that still retain a bit of "snap" as you crunch into them. So I would not recommend freezing it.

Other Asian Inspired Dishes to Try

Thai Curry Meatballs

Red Curry Soup

Teriyaki Sauce