19+ Best Chinese Recipes

There’s something satisfying about pulling off a Chinese dinner at home that tastes closer to your favorite takeout spot than anything from a cardboard container. A hot wok, a few pantry staples like soy sauce and sesame oil, and twenty minutes can turn into a meal that rivals the restaurant down the street.

This collection pulls together 19+ best Chinese recipes at home, from quick stir-fries you can pull off on a weeknight to dumplings and Peking duck worth the weekend effort. Some dishes need a wok and high heat; others just need a pot, a steamer, or a sheet pan.

Quick picks:

• Best weeknight stir-fry: Beef and Broccoli, done in under 30 minutes
• Best for dumpling beginners: Pork and Cabbage Potstickers
• Best comfort soup: Pork Wonton Soup
• Best weekend project: Peking Duck or Xiao Long Bao

1. Kung Pao Chicken

Kung Pao Chicken delivers that sweet-spicy-savory combo that made it a takeout menu staple. Diced chicken thighs get a quick velvet in cornstarch and egg white, then a fast toss in a wok with dried chilies, Sichuan peppercorns, and roasted peanuts.

Servings: 4 | Prep: 20 min | Cook: 10 min

• 1.5 lbs boneless chicken thighs, diced
• 1 tbsp cornstarch
• 1 egg white
• 3 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tbsp Chinkiang vinegar
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 8-10 dried chilies
• 1 tsp Sichuan peppercorns
• 1/2 cup roasted peanuts
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp ginger, minced
• 4 scallions, chopped

1. Mix chicken with cornstarch and egg white; rest 15 minutes.
2. Combine soy sauce, vinegar, and sugar for the sauce.
3. Stir-fry chicken in hot oil until golden, remove.
4. Fry chilies and peppercorns 30 seconds, add garlic and ginger.
5. Return chicken, add sauce and peanuts, toss, add scallions.

2. Pork and Cabbage Potstickers

Pork and Cabbage Potstickers reward patience with a crisp, lacy bottom and juicy filling inside. Napa cabbage keeps the pork mixture light instead of dense, and a quick pan-steam-then-fry method gives you that signature golden skirt.

Yield: 40 dumplings | Prep: 45 min | Cook: 10 min per batch

• 1 lb ground pork
• 2 cups napa cabbage, finely chopped and salted
• 2 scallions, minced
• 1 tbsp ginger, minced
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 40 round dumpling wrappers
• 3 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup water per batch

1. Squeeze excess water from salted cabbage.
2. Mix pork, cabbage, scallions, ginger, soy sauce, sesame oil.
3. Fill and pleat wrappers.
4. Fry in oil until bottoms brown, 2 minutes.
5. Add water, cover, steam 6 minutes until cooked through. Check our guide to Chinese cabbage recipes for more filling ideas.

3. Mapo Tofu

Mapo Tofu brings silky tofu cubes together with spicy, numbing chili bean sauce and ground pork for one of Sichuan cooking’s most comforting dishes. The sauce clings to rice in the best way.

Servings: 4 | Prep: 10 min | Cook: 15 min

• 14 oz soft tofu, cubed
• 1/2 lb ground pork
• 2 tbsp doubanjiang (chili bean paste)
• 1 tbsp fermented black beans
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1 tbsp cornstarch mixed with 2 tbsp water
• 1 tsp ground Sichuan peppercorn
• 2 scallions, sliced

1. Brown pork in oil, breaking it up.
2. Add doubanjiang, black beans, garlic; cook 1 minute.
3. Pour in broth, add tofu gently, simmer 5 minutes.
4. Thicken with cornstarch slurry.
5. Top with Sichuan peppercorn and scallions. Pair it with tips from our best tofu recipes roundup.

4. Beef and Broccoli

Beef and Broccoli turns out glossy and restaurant-worthy with thinly sliced flank steak and a simple oyster sauce glaze. The trick is searing the beef in batches so it browns instead of steaming.

Servings: 4 | Prep: 15 min | Cook: 10 min

• 1 lb flank steak, thinly sliced
• 1 tbsp cornstarch
• 3 cups broccoli florets
• 3 tbsp oyster sauce
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp sugar
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup beef broth

1. Toss beef with cornstarch.
2. Blanch broccoli 1 minute, drain.
3. Sear beef in hot oil until browned, remove.
4. Stir-fry garlic, add broth, oyster sauce, soy sauce, sugar.
5. Return beef and broccoli, toss to coat. Our quick beef and broccoli stir fry recipe has more detail on technique.

5. Char Siu Pork

Char Siu Pork gets its signature red color and sticky-sweet glaze from a marinade of hoisin, honey, and five-spice powder. Roasting on a rack lets the glaze caramelize instead of pooling.

Servings: 6 | Prep: 15 min + overnight marinate | Cook: 35 min at 375°F

• 2 lbs pork shoulder, sliced into strips
• 3 tbsp hoisin sauce
• 2 tbsp honey
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine
• 1 tsp five-spice powder
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• Red food coloring (optional)

1. Marinate pork overnight in all ingredients.
2. Roast on a rack at 375°F for 25 minutes.
3. Brush with reserved marinade, roast 10 more minutes until caramelized.
4. Rest 5 minutes before slicing.

6. Chicken Chow Mein

Chicken Chow Mein brings chewy noodles, crisp vegetables, and tender chicken together in one skillet with a soy-based sauce. Pan-frying the noodles briefly before tossing gives them a slight char.

Servings: 4 | Prep: 10 min | Cook: 15 min

• 10 oz chow mein noodles
• 1 lb chicken breast, sliced thin
• 2 cups cabbage, shredded
• 1 carrot, julienned
• 3 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp oyster sauce
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced

1. Cook noodles, drain, toss with a little oil.
2. Stir-fry chicken until cooked, remove.
3. Stir-fry cabbage and carrot 2 minutes.
4. Add noodles, chicken, soy sauce, oyster sauce, garlic.
5. Toss well, finish with sesame oil. Browse our egg noodle recipes for noodle swaps.

7. Egg Fried Rice

Egg Fried Rice turns day-old rice into something golden and fragrant with scrambled egg, scallions, and a splash of soy. Cold rice is the key; fresh rice turns mushy in the wok.

Servings: 4 | Prep: 5 min | Cook: 10 min

• 4 cups cold cooked rice
• 3 eggs, beaten
• 3 scallions, sliced
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil

1. Scramble eggs softly, set aside.
2. Heat oil, add rice, breaking up clumps.
3. Stir-fry 3 minutes until heated through.
4. Add eggs, soy sauce, scallions, toss.
5. Finish with sesame oil. Leftover rotisserie chicken works nicely stirred in, as shown in our rotisserie chicken fried rice recipe.

8. Dan Dan Noodles

Dan Dan Noodles layer chili oil, Sichuan peppercorn, and savory pork into a bowl of chewy noodles that pack real heat. A spoonful of preserved vegetable adds a salty, tangy crunch on top.

Servings: 4 | Prep: 10 min | Cook: 15 min

• 1 lb fresh wheat noodles
• 1/2 lb ground pork
• 2 tbsp chili oil
• 1 tbsp sesame paste
• 3 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp Sichuan peppercorn, ground
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup preserved mustard greens

1. Brown pork until crisp.
2. Cook noodles, drain.
3. Whisk chili oil, sesame paste, soy sauce, peppercorn in bowls.
4. Top noodles with pork and preserved greens.
5. Toss before eating.

9. Scallion Pancakes

Scallion Pancakes come out flaky and layered when you roll the dough with oil and scallions before coiling it into a spiral. Pan-frying in a bit of oil gives a crisp, golden crust.

Servings: 4 (8 pancakes) | Prep: 30 min + rest | Cook: 6 min per pancake

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup hot water
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup scallions, chopped
• 1 tsp salt

1. Mix flour and hot water, knead, rest 30 minutes.
2. Roll thin, brush with oil, sprinkle scallions and salt.
3. Roll into a log, coil, flatten.
4. Rest 10 minutes, roll flat again.
5. Pan-fry in oil until golden on both sides.

10. Sweet and Sour Pork

Sweet and Sour Pork balances crisp fried pork with a bright, tangy sauce built from vinegar, ketchup, and pineapple. The double-fry step is what keeps the coating crunchy under the glaze.

Servings: 4 | Prep: 20 min | Cook: 20 min

• 1 lb pork shoulder, cubed
• 1/2 cup cornstarch
• 1 egg
• 1 cup pineapple chunks
• 1 bell pepper, chopped
• 1/4 cup rice vinegar
• 3 tbsp ketchup
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 1 tbsp soy sauce

1. Coat pork in egg then cornstarch.
2. Fry twice for extra crunch, drain.
3. Simmer vinegar, ketchup, sugar, soy sauce until glossy.
4. Add pineapple and pepper, simmer 2 minutes.
5. Toss pork in sauce just before serving.

11. Pork Wonton Soup

Pork Wonton Soup is the kind of bowl that fixes a cold night, with delicate wrappers around a juicy pork filling floating in a clear, gingery broth. Fresh scallions on top keep it light.

Servings: 4 | Prep: 30 min | Cook: 15 min

• 24 wonton wrappers
• 1/2 lb ground pork
• 1 tbsp ginger, minced
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 6 cups chicken broth
• 2 scallions, sliced

1. Mix pork, ginger, soy sauce, sesame oil.
2. Fill and fold wontons.
3. Simmer broth.
4. Boil wontons in broth 4 minutes until floating.
5. Ladle into bowls, top with scallions. More ideas live in our Chinese soup recipes collection.

12. Hot and Sour Soup

Hot and Sour Soup gets its name honestly, with white pepper heat and black vinegar tang running through a silky, cornstarch-thickened broth full of mushrooms and tofu.

Servings: 4 | Prep: 15 min | Cook: 15 min

• 6 cups chicken broth
• 1 cup shiitake mushrooms, sliced
• 1/2 cup bamboo shoots, julienned
• 1/2 cup firm tofu, julienned
• 3 tbsp black vinegar
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp white pepper
• 2 tbsp cornstarch mixed with water
• 1 egg, beaten

1. Simmer broth with mushrooms and bamboo shoots.
2. Add tofu, vinegar, soy sauce, white pepper.
3. Thicken with cornstarch slurry.
4. Drizzle in beaten egg while stirring slowly.
5. Serve hot. See our 18 Chinese soup recipes for more options.

13. Tomato and Egg Stir-Fry

Tomato and Egg Stir-Fry is a humble, homestyle dish that turns juicy tomatoes and fluffy scrambled eggs into a fast dinner over rice. Ripe tomatoes make all the difference here.

Servings: 2 | Prep: 5 min | Cook: 8 min

• 4 ripe tomatoes, cut into wedges
• 4 eggs, beaten
• 2 scallions, chopped
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil

1. Scramble eggs softly, remove.
2. Stir-fry tomatoes with sugar and salt until juicy.
3. Return eggs, toss gently.
4. Top with scallions. Serve over rice from our rice side dishes guide.

14. Garlic Eggplant

Garlic Eggplant turns soft, silky eggplant into something deeply savory with a garlicky, slightly sweet soy glaze. Salting the eggplant first keeps it from soaking up too much oil.

Servings: 4 | Prep: 15 min | Cook: 15 min

• 2 Chinese eggplants, cut into strips
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp black vinegar
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1 tsp chili flakes
• 3 tbsp vegetable oil

1. Salt eggplant, rest 10 minutes, pat dry.
2. Fry eggplant until soft and golden.
3. Stir-fry garlic and chili flakes.
4. Add soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, toss with eggplant.
5. Serve warm.

15. Ginger-Scallion Steamed Fish

Ginger-Scallion Steamed Fish keeps a whole fish moist and delicate, finished with a sizzling pour of hot oil over ginger and scallions right before serving. It is a Cantonese classic for good reason.

Servings: 4 | Prep: 10 min | Cook: 10 min

• 1 whole white fish (1.5 lbs), cleaned
• 2-inch ginger, julienned
• 4 scallions, julienned
• 3 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine
• 3 tbsp vegetable oil

1. Steam fish with half the ginger inside, 8-10 minutes.
2. Drain liquid, top with remaining ginger and scallions.
3. Drizzle soy sauce and wine.
4. Heat oil until smoking, pour over fish.
5. Serve immediately.

16. Twice-Cooked Pork

Twice-Cooked Pork gets its name from boiling pork belly first, then slicing and stir-frying it with cabbage and chili bean paste for a smoky, savory Sichuan favorite.

Servings: 4 | Prep: 15 min | Cook: 25 min

• 1 lb pork belly, whole piece
• 2 cups cabbage, chopped
• 2 tbsp doubanjiang
• 1 tbsp fermented black beans
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 scallions, cut into segments

1. Boil pork belly 20 minutes, cool, slice thin.
2. Stir-fry pork until edges crisp, remove excess fat.
3. Add doubanjiang, black beans, garlic.
4. Add cabbage and pork, stir-fry 3 minutes.
5. Finish with soy sauce and scallions. See our best pork belly recipes for more.

17. Crispy Pork Belly

Crispy Pork Belly delivers that crackling skin and tender meat combo through a dry-brine and high-heat roast. Poking the skin and drying it thoroughly before roasting is what gets it to blister.

Servings: 6 | Prep: overnight dry | Cook: 1 hr at 400°F, then 10 min at 475°F

• 2 lbs pork belly, skin on
• 2 tbsp salt
• 1 tbsp five-spice powder
• 1 tsp white vinegar

1. Pat pork dry, poke skin all over.
2. Rub salt and five-spice into meat side.
3. Brush skin with vinegar, salt generously, refrigerate uncovered overnight.
4. Roast at 400°F for 1 hour.
5. Increase to 475°F for 10 minutes until skin blisters. Our pork belly recipes collection has variations worth trying.

18. Xiao Long Bao

Xiao Long Bao are the soup-filled dumplings worth the extra effort, built around a gelatin-rich broth that melts into liquid once steamed. Pleating takes practice, but the payoff is worth it.

Yield: 24 dumplings | Prep: 1.5 hrs | Cook: 8 min per batch

• 1 lb ground pork
• 1 cup chicken stock, gelled (made with 2 tsp gelatin)
• 1 tbsp ginger, minced
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 24 thin dumpling wrappers

1. Chop gelled stock into small cubes.
2. Mix pork, ginger, soy sauce, sesame oil, stock cubes.
3. Fill and pleat wrappers tightly.
4. Steam over boiling water 8 minutes.
5. Serve with black vinegar and ginger strips.

19. Peking Duck

Peking Duck is the showstopper dish worth reserving for a special dinner, with lacquered, crackling skin wrapped in thin pancakes with hoisin and scallion. Air-drying the duck overnight is what makes the skin shatter.

Servings: 6 | Prep: overnight dry | Cook: 1.5 hrs at 325°F, then 10 min at 450°F

• 1 whole duck (5 lbs)
• 3 tbsp honey
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine
• Mandarin pancakes, hoisin sauce, scallions for serving

1. Blanch duck in boiling water 1 minute, pat dry.
2. Mix honey, soy sauce, wine; brush over skin.
3. Hang or rest uncovered in fridge overnight.
4. Roast at 325°F for 1.5 hours.
5. Increase to 450°F for 10 minutes until skin crisps and browns.

Choosing a Recipe for Your Time and Equipment

A hot wok and a few minutes get you through most of this list, but a handful of dishes need planning ahead. Peking Duck and Crispy Pork Belly both call for overnight drying time in the fridge, so they need a day’s head start, not a last-minute decision.

Dumplings like Xiao Long Bao and Pork and Cabbage Potstickers take longer in the folding than the cooking. Set aside 30 to 45 minutes if you’re new to pleating, less once you’ve made a few batches.

Recipe	Active Time	Equipment Needed	Difficulty
Kung Pao Chicken	10 min	Wok or skillet	Easy
Pork and Cabbage Potstickers	45 min	Skillet with lid	Moderate
Mapo Tofu	15 min	Wok or skillet	Easy
Beef and Broccoli	10 min	Wok or skillet	Easy
Char Siu Pork	35 min + overnight	Oven, rack	Moderate
Chicken Chow Mein	15 min	Wok or skillet	Easy
Egg Fried Rice	10 min	Wok or skillet	Easy
Dan Dan Noodles	15 min	Pot, skillet	Easy
Scallion Pancakes	30 min + rest	Rolling pin, skillet	Moderate
Sweet and Sour Pork	20 min	Wok, deep fryer or pot	Moderate
Pork Wonton Soup	15 min	Pot	Moderate
Hot and Sour Soup	15 min	Pot	Easy
Tomato and Egg Stir-Fry	8 min	Skillet	Easy
Garlic Eggplant	15 min	Skillet or wok	Easy
Ginger-Scallion Steamed Fish	10 min	Steamer	Moderate
Twice-Cooked Pork	25 min	Pot, wok	Moderate
Crispy Pork Belly	1 hr + overnight	Oven, roasting rack	Moderate
Xiao Long Bao	8 min per batch	Steamer	Hard
Peking Duck	1.5 hrs + overnight	Oven, roasting rack	Hard

If your kitchen doesn’t have a wok, a wide skillet or Dutch oven handles stir-fries just fine, as long as you keep the heat high and don’t crowd the pan. For dumplings and buns, a bamboo steamer helps, but a metal steamer basket set over a pot works too. Browse our best chicken recipes or 30 Asian recipes if you want more options built around what’s already in your kitchen.

Essential Ingredients and Practical Substitutions

Soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, sesame oil, and cornstarch show up in nearly every recipe on this list, so stocking those four first makes everything else move faster. Chili bean paste (doubanjiang) and black vinegar come up often in Sichuan dishes like Mapo Tofu and Twice-Cooked Pork.

No Shaoxing wine on hand? Dry sherry is a reasonable stand-in, since both bring a similar nutty depth to marinades and sauces. White wine works in a pinch, though it changes the flavor more noticeably.

Doubanjiang isn’t always easy to find. A mix of miso paste and a spoonful of chili garlic sauce gets close enough for weeknight cooking, even if it skips the fermented funk of the real thing.

Chinese black vinegar (Chinkiang) has a malty sweetness that balsamic vinegar can mimic reasonably well, especially cut with a splash of regular rice vinegar. For five-spice powder, a blend of cinnamon, star anise, cloves, fennel, and Sichuan pepper from the spice rack covers the gap if a store-bought jar isn’t in the cabinet.

Cabbage shows up across potstickers, chow mein, and twice-cooked pork, so a head of napa cabbage rarely goes to waste in a week of Chinese cooking. For more ways to use it, our easy cabbage recipes collection has extra inspiration, and the best broccoli recipes page covers another staple vegetable worth keeping stocked for stir-fries.