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.
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
Here's an overview of the ingredients needed for this recipe. The exact measurements are included in the recipe card below.
- 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.
- Aromatics: Minced garlic and ginger.
- 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
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. Scroll down to the recipe card for detailed instructions. Here are the basic steps for making this recipe:
Combine the sauce ingredients in a small bowl. Stir-fry the cabbage, garlic, and ginger. Add the shredded chicken.
Reduce the heat and stir in the scallions and sauce.
Divide the mixture into lettuce cups and serve.
Recipe Tip
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.
Recipe FAQs
No. Soy sauce is a must in most Asian-style sauces. You can use a gluten-free alternative if needed.
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.
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.
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 cauliflower rice, microwave spaghetti squash, or zucchini noodles to soak up the yummy sauce. And, of course, you can simply serve it in pretty bowls!
Recipe Card
Easy Moo Shu Chicken
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.
- 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.
- Stir in the shredded chicken and cook, stirring, for 1 more minute.
- Reduce the heat to medium. Mix the sauce again, then stir in the green onions and sauce.
- Cook, stirring, until the chicken and cabbage are well-coated in the sauce, about 1 more minute.
- Serve immediately, on cauliflower rice or 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
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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.