Chicken chop suey is a popular item on many Chinese restaurant menus. The bounty of veggies, the juicy meat, and the heavenly sauce all come together for a fantastic flavor. Plus, it’s just the sort of dish you need to clear out your fridge before the next grocery run.
Ingredients
Recommended veggies
One thing that will make your chicken chop suey more authentic is adding canned bamboo shoots, water chestnuts, and/or baby corn. Not only do they taste delicious, but they also add a crunchy texture to your dish. Plus, the canned veggies last a long time in your pantry, so you can stock up on them and have them ready for the next time you get a craving for chop suey. And believe me, you will. It’s hard to resist and really makes for such a great way to use the things you have.
Vegetable alternatives
Though you can use just about any veggie you want in chicken chop suey, here are some veggies I recommend, to help you make selections based on what you might have canned, fresh, or in your freezer.
Aromatics: green onions (to replace the onion), ginger (to replace the garlic)Veggies that require more cooking time: sliced water chestnuts, peppers (sliced), snow peas, Chinese broccoli (sliced), baby bok choy (chopped), sliced mushroomsLeafy greens & veggies that require less cooking time: blanched broccoli, blanched green beans, spinach, bean sprouts, choy sum (chopped)
Ideally, you should have one or more ingredients from each of the three groups for a more vibrant chop suey. The bottom line is, you should have at least one aromatic and one vegetable. NOTE: It’s important to not to crowd your frying pan. If you use a large 12” skillet (or wok), you can use up to two cups of sliced vegetables that require more cooking time. And you can use up to three (loosely packed) cups of veggies that require less cooking time. The total volume of veggies should be four cups or less.
Prep
Don’t be intimidated by the recipe ingredient list. It looks long but the entire process is very simple. Before cooking, your counter should have: Marinated chicken, mixed sauce, aromatics (I forgot to show the garlic in the picture, oops!), veggies that require more cooking time (on one plate), and veggies that require less cooking time.
How to cut veggies for chicken chop suey
Cutting the vegetables properly is one of the most important things to make a great chicken chop suey. The veggies should be cut to a similar size, so they cook evenly and achieve a perfect texture.
For celery
I prefer to slice it on the bias so it has a longer shape and is easier to pick up with chopsticks.
For carrots
I tilt my knife to slice the carrot into chunks, place the chunk cut-side-down, and further slice them into rhombus-shaped pieces. If you prefer soft carrots instead of a crunchy texture, you can also slice it into strips (use a julienne peeler to make cutting easier).
For the broccoli rabe
This also applies to other vegetables that have stem and leaves, including bok choy, Chinese broccoli, and choy sum. I cut the stems on the bias into small pieces, and the leaves into bigger bite-size pieces. This will ensure both the stems and the leaves cook fast and evenly.
Cooking process
Once you’re done prepping, the cooking process is fast and easy. You will need to:
Afterthoughts
Chinese cooking might seem daunting sometimes, like you need to chop a million things before you start cooking. But once you understand the basics and how to group ingredients, the cooking process will be quite straightforward. Also, it’s always important to understand how to replace ingredients with whatever you have on hand. You’ll have a scrumptious restaurant-style chicken chop suey on the table at lightning speed, all the while making use of ingredients before they go bad in your fridge and eating enough veggies to stay healthy. I love the chop suey with steamed white rice although you can serve it over boiled noodles too. The sauce seeps into the rice for a truly satisfying meal that you’ll make again and again!
Complete your meal with
Steamed white riceChinese Egg Drop SoupVegetable Lo MeinChar Siu (Chinese BBQ Pork)Choy Sum with Garlic Sauce
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Pineapple ChickenChicken Fried RiceChinese Chili Garlic ShrimpTofu and Broccoli Stir FrySalt and Pepper Chicken Without Deep-Frying
Lilja Walter is a part of the Omnivore’s Cookbook team and worked closely with Maggie to develop and test this recipe.
