Mongolian Chicken but Make It ✨Crispy✨
There’s chicken, and then there’s crispy, saucy, low-key addictive Mongolian Chicken that makes your DoorDash history cry itself to sleep. This isn’t just a copycat—it’s the main character.
We’re talking tender and thin pieces of chicken (breast or thigh, your call), lightly coated in cornstarch for that delicate-yet-crackly crisp, then fried to golden perfection. And just when you thought it couldn’t get better? We hit it with a sticky-sweet-savory sauce that clings to every crevice like it’s emotionally dependent. Relatable.
Wait, What Even Is Mongolian Chicken?
Here’s the tea: Despite the name, Mongolian Chicken doesn’t have roots in actual Mongolian cuisine. It’s more like the culinary equivalent of naming your cat “Tiger.” It’s mostly an American-Chinese creation, made to taste bomb over rice and keep us coming back for more.
This Mongolian Chicken is everything you love about that glossy, sticky-sweet, savory situation, but it’s homemade, crisped up to golden perfection, and made with chicken breast or thighs (your choice, your rules).
The sauce? It’s that iconic blend of soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic, and green onion—balanced with just enough heat and sweetness to make you whisper “oh wow” after every bite. It’s the kind of sauce that sticks to your chicken and your soul.
Let’s talk texture. You toss thin-sliced chicken in cornstarch and give it a shallow fry for that classic crispy exterior—air fryer’s cool, but this is one of those times when a little oil in the pan hits different. Then we reduce our sauce until it’s thick, glossy, and ready to cling to every bite like your favorite hoodie in fall.
Fun fact to impress literally no one but yourself at dinner: Despite the name, Mongolian Chicken doesn’t actually come from Mongolia. It’s a Chinese-American restaurant invention, and honestly? We’re not mad about it. This is fusion food that works.
Mongolian Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs
- 1 tbsp avocado oil plus ⅓ cup for frying
- ¼ cup cornstarch for crispiness
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- ½ tsp ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon dried minced onion
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 3 green onions chopped diagonally because we’re fancy
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup hot water
- 2 tbsp cornstarch + 2 tbsp water our thickening BFFs
Instructions
- Pat chicken dry. Slice it up. Coat that chicken: Toss your sliced chicken in a tablespoon of avocado oil—just enough to give it a slight sheen. Then drop it into a bowl of cornstarch and lightly coat each piece like it’s getting ready for a spa day. Shake off the extra.
- Fry time: Heat up ⅓ cup of avocado oil in a large skillet or wok over high heat until it’s shimmering (but not smoking). If your chicken looks a little damp from sitting, give it another sprinkle of cornstarch. Lay the chicken in a single layer and let it fry for about a couple of minutes, undisturbed, until it’s golden and crispy. Flip and cook another couple minutes. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towels to keep that crunch.
- Sauce it up: Mix dry seasonings and garlic in a small bowl. In the wok, pour out the used oil, leaving about a tablespoon in the pan. Lower the heat to medium and toss in your minced garlic + seasoning mixture—cook for about 20 seconds, just until your kitchen smells amazing.
- Glaze game strong: Now pour in the soy sauce, brown sugar, and hot water. Stir it up until the sugar fully dissolves and it’s starting to simmer. Give your cornstarch slurry (equal parts water + cornstarch) a quick mix and drizzle it into the sauce while stirring. Let it bubble and thicken until it’s glossy and coats the back of a spoon.
- Bring it home: Add the crispy chicken back into the pan along with the green tops of your onions. Toss everything together so the chicken gets fully coated in that shiny, sticky glaze. The sauce should cling to the chicken like a dream—if it’s too loose, add a bit more slurry and keep stirring.
- Serve immediately: Get it on a plate and serve while the edges are still crispy and that glaze is still hot. No extra sauce needed—this stuff sticks.
