This copycat version of PF Chang's spicy chicken is the perfect blend of savory and spicy! Tender chicken gets stir-fried with the ultimate flavor-packed sauce, with hints of garlic and sambal. This quick stir fry is so easy to make at home!
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
A delicious copycat: This stir-fry recipe is almost as good as PF Chang's version - and you don't need to leave your home! The flavor profile is just as crave-worthy as the rest of these homemade copycat recipes!
Staple pantry ingredients: This spicy chicken recipe uses common Asian pantry staples. Once you have a stocked pantry, you won't need to look further to build a flavorful sauce.
Quick cooking: One of the best parts of stir-fry cooking is the speed. A hot wok brings this chicken to your table in 30 minutes or less.
Ingredient Notes
- Shaoxing wine: This is also known as Chinese cooking wine. It is on the sweeter side and is strictly used for cooking, not drinking. It is often the "secret" ingredient you will feel is missing when you recreate Chinese-style recipes at home.
- Soy sauce: This recipe calls for light soy sauce, which is the most commonly found type in supermarkets. Soy sauce is a pantry staple for Chinese takeout recipes.
- Scallions: Also known as green onions, you will mostly need the whites of the scallions, which are the bottom root area.
- Sambal oelek: Sambal is an Indonesian chili paste, made with chilies and added savory ingredients like garlic and shallots.
- Chicken broth: I recommend using reduced-sodium chicken broth so you can control the salt content on your own. The other ingredients have quite a bit of salt as well.
A full list of ingredients with measurements is located on the recipe card, below.
Get Your Pantry Ready to Cook!
For more detailed information on many of the ingredients used in this recipe, check out this guide to 10 pantry staple ingredients in Chinese cooking!
Substitutions
- Chicken breasts: Substitute chicken breasts with sliced boneless, skinless chicken thighs.
- Shaoxing cooking wine: Use sherry, mirin, or rice wine vinegar with some added sugar.
- Sambal oelek: Substitute with sriracha, chili garlic paste, or sweet chili sauce.
- Chicken broth: Vegetable broth or water will work if you don't have chicken broth.
Variations
- Different proteins: Substitute chicken for shrimp, pork, or beef for a different twist.
- Vegetables: Add your favorite vegetables like onions, celery, carrots, or peppers to bulk up this stir fry.
- Extra spicy: Add extra sambal, sriracha, or chopped red chilies for an extra kick to this chicken.
Looking for Other Substitutions?
Ask ChatGPT for suggestions on substituting any particular ingredient!
Step-by-Step Instructions
Prep Work Before Cooking
Collecting all ingredients: This will make cooking so much easier. Gather all the spices you will need, and keep them nearby.
Prep the chicken: Thinly slice the chicken breast partially against the grain. This is a great guide to slicing chicken breast.
Marinate the Chicken
Add the thinly sliced chicken to a medium-sized bowl with soy sauce, cooking wine, and corn starch.
Mix thoroughly, and let the chicken sit for 5-10 minutes.
Prepare the Sauce
Add the spicy sauce ingredients to a mixing bowl or measuring cup.
Mix until everything is combined.
Saute the Chicken
Heat a large wok over medium-high heat. Add neutral cooking oil to the hot wok.
Carefully add the velvetted chicken to the hot wok, and let it sit for 1-2 minutes. Using a flat spatula, toss the chicken to brown on all sides.
Remove the cooked chicken from the wok.
Stir Fry
Wipe the same wok, and heat 2 tablespoons of neutral oil over medium-high heat. Stir-fry the garlic and scallion whites for 1 minute.
Add the sauce to the wok and cook for 2 minutes.
Mix in the cooked chicken, and toss in the spicy sauce. Finish with the green part of the scallions, and serve.
Expert Tips
Be prepared: This recipe will move fast in a hot wok. Keep all of your ingredients next to you so that you are ready to go.
Cooking without a wok: If you do not have a wok, use a large, heavy-bottom skillet with a lot of surface area.
Thickening the sauce: The chicken is coated in corn starch, which is usually enough to thicken the sauce at the end of the cooking process. If you find that the sauce is too thin, add a slurry made with 1 tablespoon cornstarch and 1 tablespoon of cold water to thicken.
Make Ahead & Storage
- The spicy sauce can be mixed and jarred. Store in the fridge for up to a week.
- Refrigerate leftover spicy chicken in an airtight container for 3-4 days.
- Reheat leftover chicken in a skillet, and thin out the sauce with chicken broth if it is too thick.
Serving Suggestions
- Rice & Noodles: This classic stir fry goes perfectly with rice, including classic white jasmine rice, hibachi fried rice, or sheet pan pineapple fried rice. If you prefer noodles, hakka noodles are a great choice.
- Vegetables: Round out this meal with vegetables, like air-fried soy broccoli, hibachi-style vegetables, or Chinese garlic green beans.
More Asian-Inspired Recipes
If you love restaurant-style dinners without the wait, this recipe is part of my collection of weeknight dinner ideas made with simple ingredients and ready in 30 minutes or less
PF Chang's Spicy Chicken (Copycat)
Equipment
Ingredients
Chicken Marinade
- 1 lb Chicken breasts - boneless, skinless, thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoon Soy sauce
- 2 tablespoon Shaoxing cooking wine
- 2 tablespoon Cornstarch
- 2 tablespoon Vegetable oil
Spicy Sauce
- 1 tablespoon Sambal Oelek
- ¼ cup Chicken broth
- 1 tablespoon Oyster sauce
- 1 tablespoon Rice wine vinegar
- 1 ¼ tablespoon Granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon Soy sauce
Stir Fry
- 4 cloves Garlic - finely minced
- ¼ cup Scallions - whites only
Instructions
- Add the thinly sliced chicken to a medium-sized bowl with oil, soy sauce, cooking wine, and cornstarch. Mix thoroughly, and let the chicken sit for 5-10 minutes.1 lb Chicken breasts, 2 tablespoon Soy sauce, 2 tablespoon Shaoxing cooking wine, 2 tablespoon Cornstarch, 2 tablespoon Vegetable oil
- Add the spicy sauce ingredients to a mixing bowl or measuring cup. Mix until everything is combined.1 tablespoon Sambal Oelek, ¼ cup Chicken broth, 1 tablespoon Oyster sauce, 1 tablespoon Rice wine vinegar, 1 ¼ tablespoon Granulated sugar, 1 tablespoon Soy sauce
- Heat a large wok over medium-high heat. Add neutral cooking oil to the hot wok.
- Carefully add the velvetted chicken to the hot wok, and let it sit for 1-2 minutes. Using a flat spatula, toss the chicken to brown on all sides. Remove the cooked chicken from the wok.
- Wipe the same wok, and heat over medium-high heat. Add 2 tablespoons of neutral oil, and stir-fry the garlic and scallion whites for 1 minute.4 cloves Garlic, ¼ cup Scallions
- Add the sauce to the wok and cook for 2 minutes. Add the cooked chicken back to the wok, and toss in the spicy sauce. Finish with the green part of the scallions, and serve.
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