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Home » Chicken Recipes » Moo Shu Chicken

Moo Shu Chicken

A photo of Vered DeLeeuw.
by Vered DeLeeuwUpdated Jun 6, 2025
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5 from 2 votes

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This easy Moo Shu Chicken recipe utilizes shredded cooked chicken and pre-shredded cabbage. Served in lettuce wraps, it makes a wonderful lunch that takes less than 30 minutes to prepare.

Moo Shu Chicken is served in lettuce cups.

This Moo Shu Chicken recipe is a delight. The Asian-style sauce is deeply flavorful, and aromatics like garlic and ginger further enhance the flavor. It's a breeze to make, thanks to the use of convenient ingredients like pre-cooked chicken and shredded cabbage.

Ingredients & Substitutions

The ingredients needed to make moo shu chicken.

See the recipe card for exact measurements. Here are my comments on some of the ingredients.

  • For the sauce: Soy sauce, rice vinegar, sriracha, and just a bit of cornstarch.
  • Oil: I use avocado oil. Other good options include ghee and refined sesame oil.
  • Shredded cabbage: To make life easy, I use pre-shredded bagged cabbage.
  • Shredded cooked chicken: I usually use shredded grilled chicken breasts. You can also use rotisserie chicken - just make sure to remove the skin. Its texture won't work in this recipe.
  • For garnish: Thinly sliced scallions. You can use thinly sliced red onions instead of green onions. If you do, add them to the skillet with the cabbage.

Instructions

The detailed instructions and step-by-step photos are included in the recipe card. Here's a quick overview.

Combine the sauce ingredients in a small bowl. Stir-fry the cabbage, garlic, and ginger. Add the shredded chicken.

The chicken was added to the skillet.

Reduce the heat and stir in the scallions and sauce.

Adding the scallions and sauce.

Divide the mixture into lettuce cups and serve.

Serving moo shu chicken in lettuce cups.

Recipe Tips

  1. I like to serve this dish in lettuce cups. It's delicious and pretty, and it's a better choice than the pancakes traditionally used to serve this dish. The best lettuce varieties for this purpose are Iceberg or Boston. While Romaine is delicious, its large, elongated leaves with their prominent ribs don't work well as cups.
  2. As is the case with most stir-fry recipes, the cooking itself is quick. It's the prep that takes most of the time. When using precooked chicken and pre-shredded cabbage, even the prep is quick and easy.
  3. I love the flavor of sriracha, but you can use your favorite hot sauce in this recipe. I usually prefer hot sauces in which the first ingredient listed is peppers rather than vinegar. They are less vinegary and more flavorful.

Recipe FAQs

Can I omit the soy sauce?

No. Soy sauce is a must in most Asian-style sauces. You can use a gluten-free alternative if needed.

Can I use a thickener other than cornstarch?

I don't worry about the cornstarch because I only use one teaspoon, which is then divided between four servings. This adds just 0.5 grams of carbs to each serving.

Can I use pork instead of chicken?

Yes. I like pork, but I almost always use chicken because I cook a lot of chicken breasts and often have leftovers that I want to use up. If you'd like to use this recipe with pork, use shredded (or thinly sliced) roasted pork tenderloin.

Can I keep the leftovers?

Leftover chicken can be stored in the fridge for 3-4 days in an airtight container. But if you use pre-cooked chicken, keep that in mind when counting those 3-4 days. To reheat the leftovers without drying out the chicken, it's best to cover them and use the microwave on a low setting.

Serving Suggestions

The traditional recipe is served with small, savory pancakes. Instead of those, I use lettuce wraps.

Another option is to serve this dish on a bed of something that would soak up the yummy sauce, such as any of the following:

  • Cauliflower rice
  • Microwave spaghetti squash
  • Zucchini noodles
  • Hearts of palm pasta
  • Shirataki sesame noodles (if you tolerate them)

Recipe Card

Moo shu chicken is served in lettuce wraps.
5 from 2 votes
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Easy Moo Shu Chicken

This easy 25-minute moo shu chicken recipe utilizes shredded cooked chicken and pre-shredded cabbage.
Prep Time20 minutes mins
Cook Time5 minutes mins
Total Time25 minutes mins
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Chinese
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 177kcal
Author: Vered DeLeeuw
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Video

Ingredients

For the sauce:

  • 3 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce - or a gluten-free alternative
  • 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon sriracha
  • 1 teaspoon cornstarch

For the chicken:

  • 2 tablespoons avocado oil
  • 4 cups shredded green cabbage - I use a 12-ounce bag of coleslaw mix
  • 1 tablespoon fresh garlic - minced
  • 1 tablespoon fresh ginger root - minced
  • 3 cups cooked chicken breasts - shredded; 15 ounces, from 2 large chicken breasts
  • ½ cup sliced green onions - 1 ounce

Instructions

  • In a small bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, vinegar, sriracha, and cornstarch.
    Mixing the sauce in a bowl.
  • Heat the oil in a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat for about 2 minutes. Add the shredded cabbage, garlic, and ginger. Cook, stirring, until the cabbage is tender-crisp, about 1 minute.
    Cooking shredded cabbage, garlic, and ginger in a skillet.
  • Stir in the shredded chicken and cook, stirring, for 1 more minute.
    The chicken was added to the skillet.
  • Reduce the heat to medium. Mix the sauce again, then stir in the green onions and sauce.
    Adding the scallions and sauce.
  • Cook, stirring, until the chicken and cabbage are well-coated in the sauce, about 1 more minute.
    Coating the veggies and chicken in the sauce.
  • Serve immediately, on cauliflower rice or in lettuce cups.
    Serving moo shu chicken in lettuce cups.

Notes

  • The traditional recipe is served with little savory pancakes. Instead of those, I use lettuce wraps. The best lettuce varieties for this purpose are Iceberg or Boston. While Romaine is delicious, its large, elongated leaves with their prominent ribs don't work well as cups.
  • Another option is to serve this dish on a bed of cauliflower rice to soak up the yummy sauce. And, of course, you can simply serve it in pretty bowls!
  • Storing leftovers: Leftover chicken can be stored in the fridge for 3-4 days in an airtight container. But if you use pre-cooked chicken, keep that in mind when counting those 3-4 days. To reheat the leftovers without drying out the chicken, it's best to cover them and use the microwave on a low setting.

Nutrition per Serving

Serving: 0.25 recipe | Calories: 177 kcal | Carbohydrates: 11 g | Protein: 18 g | Fat: 6 g | Sodium: 345 mg | Fiber: 2 g | Sugar: 4 g

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Disclaimers

Most recipes are low-carb and gluten-free, but some are not. Recommended and linked products are not guaranteed to be gluten-free. Nutrition info is approximate. Please verify it independently. The carb count excludes non-nutritive sweeteners. Please read these Terms of Use before using any of my recipes.

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A photo of Vered DeLeeuw.

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Healthy Recipes Blog was founded in 2011 by Vered DeLeeuw. It features real food recipes with a focus on low-carb and gluten-free ingredients. All recipes are nutritionally reviewed by a Registered Dietitian. Contact us at HealthyRecipesBlog@gmail.com.

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