Chinese Chicken Cabbage Stir-Fry—a quick, satisfying dish that’s light on carbs, big on flavour, and ready faster than delivery. The cabbage stays slightly crisp and soaks up the savoury sauce beautifully.
Chinese Chicken Cabbage Stir-Fry
Serves 2–3
Ingredients
For the Chicken & Marinade
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300g (10 oz) boneless, skinless chicken thighs (or breasts), sliced into bite-sized strips
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1 tbsp light soy sauce
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1 tsp Shaoxing wine (or dry sherry)
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1 tsp cornflour/cornstarch
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1/2 tsp sesame oil
For the Stir-Fry
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3 tbsp vegetable or peanut oil, divided
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4 cups (about 300g) green cabbage, sliced into 2cm (3/4 inch) ribbons
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1 small carrot, julienned or thinly sliced on the diagonal
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3 garlic cloves, minced
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1 tsp fresh ginger, grated
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2 spring onions, sliced, whites and greens separated
The Sauce
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2 tbsp light soy sauce
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1 tbsp oyster sauce (or hoisin for a slightly sweeter flavour)
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1/2 tsp dark soy sauce (for colour, optional)
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1 tsp rice vinegar
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1/4 tsp white pepper
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1/4 tsp sugar (or pinch of sweetener)
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2 tbsp water
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1 tsp cornflour/cornstarch
To Finish
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1 tsp toasted sesame oil
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Sesame seeds, for garnish
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Optional: dried red chillies or a drizzle of chilli oil for heat
Instructions
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Marinate the chicken: In a bowl, toss the chicken strips with the soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, cornflour, and sesame oil. Set aside for 10–15 minutes while you prep everything else. This velveting step keeps the chicken silky and tender.
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Mix the sauce: In a small bowl, whisk together all the sauce ingredients (the 2 tbsp soy sauce, oyster sauce, dark soy, rice vinegar, white pepper, sugar, water, and cornflour) until the cornflour dissolves completely. Set aside.
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Sear the chicken: Heat 1½ tbsp of oil in a wok or large skillet over high heat until just smoking. Spread the marinated chicken in a single layer. Let it sear undisturbed for 1 minute, then stir-fry for another 1–2 minutes until golden and just cooked through. Remove to a plate and set aside.
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Stir-fry the aromatics: Wipe the wok if needed. Add the remaining 1½ tbsp oil and heat until shimmering. Toss in the spring onion whites, garlic, and ginger. Stir-fry for 20 seconds until fragrant. If you’re using dried chillies, add them now.
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Cook the cabbage: Add the cabbage and carrot all at once. Stir-fry over high heat for 2–3 minutes, tossing constantly. The cabbage should wilt slightly but still have a bit of bite—you want tenderness with texture, not mush. It will reduce in volume by about half.
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Combine and sauce: Return the chicken and any juices to the wok. Give the sauce a quick re-stir, then pour it around the edges of the wok (it heats and thickens faster this way). Toss everything together for 30–60 seconds until the sauce turns glossy and clings to every piece. It should be thick enough to coat, not soupy.
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Finish: Remove from heat. Drizzle with the toasted sesame oil and toss once more. Scatter the spring onion greens and sesame seeds over the top.
Serving
Serve immediately in bowls, as-is for a low-carb meal, or over:
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Steamed jasmine rice — classic
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Cauliflower rice — for a low-carb option
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Noodles — toss through cooked lo mein or rice noodles
Variations
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Spicy Szechuan style: Add 1 tbsp of doubanjiang (chilli bean paste) with the garlic, and finish with Sichuan peppercorn powder.
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Extra vegetables: Mushrooms, bell pepper strips, or snow peas all slide in beautifully. Add mushrooms with the chicken, and quick-cooking veg like peppers with the cabbage.
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Ground chicken version: Use minced chicken instead of strips. It’s faster, more economical, and clings to the cabbage like a deconstructed dumpling filling. It’s exceptionally good.
Why It Works
Cabbage is the unsung hero of stir-fries. It releases just enough moisture to steam slightly while its edges char. It’s sweeter than you’d expect, and it drinks up the soy-oyster sauce combination without going limp. Paired with velveted chicken, you get a dish that tastes like it came from a proper wok station but is completely doable on a Tuesday night.
Let me know if you’d like a version with an egg cracked through it for extra richness.