Chinese Hunan Chicken
on Mar 16, 2021, Updated Dec 23, 2023
Make this hot and spicy takeout copycat Chinese Hunan Chicken at home in under 30 minutes. It’s budget-friendly and loaded with colorful veggies, and the spices can be adjusted to your taste.
Here are some more Chinese-style dishes: Shrimp Chow Mein, Vegan Pad Thai Noodles, Hunan Shrimp, and Instant Pot Chicken Congee.
Table of Contents
About Hunan Chicken
Hunan Chicken is a very popular Chinese recipe from the Hunan region. It consists of tossing juicy, thinly sliced chicken breasts (or thighs) and veggies with a spicy and savory sauce.
Hunan chicken recipe comes from the Hunan province of China, where spicy and tart flavors are prevalent in their cooking style. It is hotter in flavor and not sweet, unlike the Schezwan chicken, which is a little sweeter.
This Hunan-style chicken is among Chinese restaurants’ most popular takeout dishes worldwide.
I love it so much that I made it a point to perfect my homemade recipe. I proudly say that my homemade Hunan spicy chicken tastes as good, if not better than most takeouts.
The cooked chicken is tender and juicy, and the Hunan sauce it is coated with is incredibly flavorful and delicious.
It comes together in under 30 minutes using simple ingredients. This customizable recipe lets you adjust the heat, sauces, and veggies. It is also much more economical to make it at home.
Serve it with stir-fried noodles or steamed rice for a comforting meal.
Ingredients
Chicken – Make this spicy Hunan recipe with boneless, skinless chicken thighs or breasts.
Cornstarch – Cornstarch coats the chicken before sauteeing and thickening the sauce.
Veggies – I used red bell peppers, broccoli, and celery.
Others – You will also need oil, salt, black pepper, garlic, and low-sodium chicken broth.
Replace black pepper powder with crushed Sichuan peppercorns if you have them.
Hunan Sauce Ingredients
Hunan chicken is a spicy dish with a spicy kick from a spicy Hunan sauce.
To make the sauce, you will need dark soy sauce, oyster sauce, rice vinegar, honey, and red chili paste.
You can make chili paste at home using my easy Asian Red Chili Paste recipe or buy a bottle. Adjust the amount to match your spice level.
Variations
You can add nuts like cashew nuts or peanuts for a nice crunch.
Make this recipe with other meats like pork or beef, seafood like shrimp or scallops, and fish like salmon and sea bass.
You can also replace chili paste with sambal oelek.
For a more authentic taste, use sesame oil.
You can also use other fresh vegetables, such as mushrooms, zucchini, sugar peas, green beans, and baby corn.
Canned veggies like water chestnuts, bamboo shoots, etc., are also great additions.
Rice vinegar is made from fermented rice and adds a mildly sweet flavor. If it’s not readily available, replace it with regular white vinegar.
How To Make Hunan Chicken
Preparation
Hunan chicken comes together very quickly if all the ingredients are ready. So, let’s start by preparing the ingredients.
Using paper towels, I pat dry 1 lb (2 large) chicken breasts and slice them into thin slices. I freeze the chicken breasts for 20-30 minutes until they firm up. Then, I cut them against the grains into thin slices, almost shaved. Freezing makes the slicing easier.
Cut a small broccoli head into small florets, slice a stalk of celery, core, deseed 1 red bell pepper, and cut it into ½ inch cubes.
Mince 3-4 cloves of garlic.
Gather the remaining ingredients and keep them next to the cooking area. We need to be quick once we start to stir fry.
Fry The Chicken
Add 1 pound (500 g) chicken breast (cut into thin slices) to a mixing bowl. Add 2 tablespoon cornstarch and toss well to coat the chicken pieces.
Heat a wide, flat pan or a large skillet over high heat. Once the pan is hot, add 2 tablespoon oil.
Add the chicken pieces to the pan and spread them in a single layer. We want the chicken to fry instead of steam. Hence, it is essential to use a wide pan.
Note: I used a 12-inch pan for 1 pound of chicken. If you are scaling the recipe, fry it in batches.
Stir the chicken a few times while cooking, and fry until nicely browned on both sides (6-8 minutes). Remove to a plate.
Note – Do not overcook the chicken; otherwise, it will become chewy.
Make The Hunan Sauce
Add 2 tablespoon oil to the same pan and heat over medium-high heat.
Once the oil is hot and shimmery, add 2 teaspoon minced garlic and saute it for 3-4 seconds.
Add the following ingredients and saute for 15-20 seconds.
- 1 cup broccoli florets
- ½ cup thinly sliced celery
- 1 red bell pepper (cored, seeded, and cut into ½ inch cubes)
Add the fried chicken back to the pan and mix well.
Stir 2 tablespoon cornstarch with ½ cup low sodium chicken broth in a small bowl and add the slurry to the pan.
Add the following ingredients and mix well.
- 2 tablespoon dark soy sauce
- 2 tablespoon oyster sauce
- 2 teaspoon rice vinegar
- 1 teaspoon honey
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper powder
Note – Be very careful about the extra salt. The sauces already have a lot of salt, so add a little, taste, and add more if necessary.
Add 2 teaspoon red chili paste and mix well again.
Garnish with green onions and sesame seeds, and serve hot.
Frequently Asked Questions
To cut chicken breast into thin pieces, keep your knife at a 45-degree angle and cut at this angle. Cutting against the grains will ensure juicy and flavorful chicken.
Here is a nice article that talks about cutting the chicken in detail. Do check it out.
To make a saucy version of this, increase the quantity of cornstarch from 1 tablespoon to 3 tablespoon and chicken broth from ½ cup to 1-½ cup. Add the slurry to the pan and cook until the sauce thickens.
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Easy Chinese Hunan Chicken Recipe (Takeout Copycat)
Ingredients
- 1 pound boneless chicken breasts (500 g)
- 4 tablespoons cornstarch (divided)
- 4 tablespoons oil (divided)
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 1 cup broccoli florets
- ½ cup thinly sliced celery
- 1 red bell pepper (cored, seeded and cut into ½ inch cubes)
- ½ cup low sodium chicken broth
- 2 tablespoons dark soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons oyster sauce
- 2 teaspoons rice vinegar
- 1 teaspoon honey
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper powder
- 2 teaspoons red chili paste
Instructions
Preparation
- Pat dry chicken breasts using paper towels and slice them into thin slices. I like to freeze the chicken breasts for 20-30 minutes until they firm up. Then cut them against the grains into thin slices, almost shaved. Freezing makes the slicing easier.
- Gather the ingredients and keep them next to the cooking area. Once we start to stir fry, we need to be quick.
Fry The Chicken
- Add chicken breast (cut into thin slices) to a mixing bowl. Add 2 tablespoon cornstarch and toss well to coat the chicken pieces.
- Heat a flat wide pan or a large skillet over high heat. Once the pan is hot, add 2 tablespoons of oil.
- Add the chicken pieces to the pan and spread them in a single layer. We want the chicken to fry instead of steam, hence it is very important to use a wide pan.
- I used a 12 inch pan for 1 pound of chicken. If you are scaling the recipe, then fry in batches.
- Stir the chicken a few times while cooking and fry until nicely browned from both sides (6-8 minutes). Remove on a plate.
- Do not overcook the chicken otherwise, it will become chewy.
Make The Hunan Sauce
- Add 2 tablespoons of oil to the same pan and heat over medium-high heat.
- Once the oil is hot and shimmery, add minced garlic and saute it for 3-4 seconds.
- Add broccoli florets, celery, and red bell pepper and saute for 15-20 seconds.
- Add the fried chicken back to the pan and mix well.
- Stir together 2 tablespoon cornstarch with chicken broth and add the slurry to the pan.
- Add dark soy sauce, oyster sauce, rice vinegar, honey, salt, and pepper powder, and mix well.
- Be very careful about the extra salt. The sauces already have a lot of salt in them so add little, taste, and add more if required.
- Add red chili paste and mix well again.
- Garnish with scallions and serve hot.
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