Chicken Egg Foo Young

Chicken Egg Foo Young (also spelled “egg foo yung”) is a Chinese American classic—and the perfect solution when you want a light meal or a satisfying late-night snack. Eggs, onions, bean sprouts, shredded carrots, and chicken fried into fluffy, golden brown patties and topped with a savory sauce. It’s essentially a Chinese omelette merged with a fritter, and it’s easy to make at home.

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What Is Egg Foo Young?

A much-beloved dish in Chinese-American cuisine, Egg Foo Young was developed by Cantonese chefs in the U.S. in the mid- to late-1800s, but was likely based on a Shanghainese dish called Fu Yung Egg Slices. These early Chinese-American restauranteurs cooked the dishes they loved from their homeland, but adapted them based on ingredients available in the U.S. and to cater to American tastes. Egg Foo Young reached its peak of popularity here in the the 1950s and 60s. 

It has roots in Cantonese cuisine (Guangzhou), where the name translates to “Hibiscus egg,” probably because the finished pancakes look like flower blossoms.

It’s an exquisite cross between an omelet, a pancake, and a fritter—this egg foo young recipe consists of lightly beaten eggs mixed with a protein (in this case, ground chicken), and an array of vegetables, all crisply pan-fried to perfection. The savory brown sauce usually includes soy sauce, oyster sauce, and rice wine and is thickened with cornstarch.

Why You’ll Love This Chinese Egg Dish

The allure of Chicken Egg Foo Young lies in its simplicity. The ingredients, for the most part, are basic pantry items, but put them all together this way and you get something uniquely appealing. If you enjoy omelets, you’ll love this Chicken Egg Foo Young recipe. It’s even a great way to use up leftover cooked meat or vegetables. Just chop them and toss them into the egg mixture before cooking.

Like the Japanese dish Oyakodon, this version combines chicken and egg, or parent and child, together to make a protein-filled meal that’s affordable and super satisfying.

Ingredients You Need

The ingredients for Egg Foo Young are all easy to find at any supermarket, and most are things you likely already have in your kitchen. Here’s what you need:

• Ground Chicken: Lean, versatile, and easily available at most grocery stores, ground chicken serves as the protein base, adding a delightful meatiness to the dish. You can also used diced chicken breast or chicken thigh meat, if you like, but make sure to cut it into small pieces so they mix in well with the other ingredients.
• Cornstarch: Used as a thickening agent, cornstarch helps in binding the sauce and achieving that velvety texture.
• Soy sauce: A staple in Chinese cooking, it adds salt as well as a deep umami.
• Onion, carrot, and mung bean sprouts: These versatile vegetables add crunch, flavor, and color.
• Oil: Use neutral cooking oil with a high smoke point and mild flavor.
• Eggs: The binding agent, eggs are the star ingredient and give the dish its structure.
• Sesame oil: This aromatic oil adds a distinctive nutty flavor. You can likely find this in the international foods aisle in your supermarket, but if not, look for it in an Asian grocery or online.
• White pepper: Used for its unique heat and slight floral notes, it can be replaced with black pepper.
• Green onions: Used as both an ingredient and garnish, green onions, or scallion, add a fresh, mild onion flavor as well as fresh green color.
• Chicken broth: Using chicken stock or broth in the sauce gives it added depth of flavor, but you can substitute water if you like.
• Oyster Sauce: A thick, rich sauce that adds a savory, slightly sweet flavor to the brown gravy. For a vegetarian option, consider a mushroom-based substitute.
• Shaoxing Wine: A Chinese rice wine that adds depth and complexity to the sauce. Dry sherry, dry white wine, or sake make acceptable substitutes.

How to Make This Egg Foo Young Recipe

If you can make an omelet or a pancake, you’ll find this recipe a cinch. Here’s how you make it:

• First, marinate the ground chicken in a blend of cornstarch, soy sauce, salt, and a dash of white pepper. The marinade works its magic, tenderizing the chicken and imbuing it with an intense flavor.
• Heat a small amount of oil in a wok or skillet over medium high heat, then add the ground chicken to the hot oil, frying until it turns a beautiful golden brown. It’s then set aside and let it cool.
• While the meat cools, make the Egg Foo Young gravy. Combine the broth, soy sauce, oyster sauce, wine, and cornstarch in a saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, for a few minutes, until the sauce thickens a bit. Remove from the heat.
• Beat the eggs lightly with a drizzle of sesame oil, a pinch of salt, and a pinch of white pepper. Whisk in the cooked chicken, onion, carrot, bean sprouts, and a handful of green onions.
• Ladle about ½ cup of the egg mixture into the hot pan. Use a spatula to push the sides in making a rough patty shape about 4 inches across. Let the egg sizzle until it is set and golden brown on the bottom and edges. Flip the egg pancake carefully and allow the other side to cook until it, too, is set and golden brown. Transfer the patties to a paper towel-lined plate as they are cooked.
• Serve the egg patties over rice with the sauce spooned over the top and a garnish of green onions.

Tips for success

Making Egg Foo Young is easy. Here are a few tricks to ensure that yours turns out perfectly.

• Don’t overbeat the eggs. You want beat the eggs lightly—you should still be able to see some separation between white and yolk. This will ensure that your egg foo young pancakes are nice and fluffy, rather than dense.
• If you substitute another meat for the ground chicken, make sure to cut it into small pieces so that they mix well with the eggs and it all cooks evenly.
• Shred the carrots on the large holes of a box grater so that they’ll cook at the same rate as the onions and bean sprouts. You don’t want to end up with crunchy bits of carrot in your pancakes.

What to Serve It With

Chicken Egg Foo Young is a stand-alone meal that’s perfect for dinner, breakfast, or even a late-night snack. But it can also be part of a larger meal. Steamed rice is a classic accompaniment, but you could also serve it with Fried Rice. 

If you want to serve a whole spread, add other main courses like Kung Pao Chicken, Dan Dan Noodles, Szechuan Shrimp, Crispy Beef, or Singapore Noodles.

Make a comforting Sunday evening meal of Wonton Soup with Egg Foo Young on the side.

Or serve it as part of a snacky spread. Offer Har Gow, BBQ Pork Bao, Chicken Potstickers, Fried Wontons, and Spring Rolls.

Chicken Egg Foo Young

Robin Donovan

Chicken Egg Foo Young is a Chinese-American classic—eggs, onions, bean sprouts, shredded carrots, and chicken fried into patties and topped with a savory sauce. It’s essentially a Chinese version of an omelet merged with a fritter.

4.25 from 12 votes

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 10 minutes mins

Total Time 20 minutes mins

Course Dinner

Ingredients

  

For the chicken

• ½ pound ground chicken
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• Pinch of salt
• ¼ onion thinly sliced
• 1 carrot grated on the large holes of a box grater

For the sauce

• 1 cup chicken broth or water
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
• 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine or mirin
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch

For the pancakes

• 2 tablespoons oil divided
• 6 large eggs
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• ½ teaspoon toasted sesame oil
• ¼ teaspoon white pepper
• ¼ cup bean sprouts
• 4 green onions white and light green parts thinly sliced, plus additional for garnish

Instructions

 

• In a bowl, stir together the chicken, cornstarch, and soy
  sauce.
• Add about a tablespoon of the oil to a large nonstick skillet and heat over medium-high heat. When the pan is hot, add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, for a minute or so. Add the chicken and break it
  up with a spatula, spreading it out in the pan in a thin layer. Cook for a
  minute or two until the bottom begins to brown, then stir and flip the chicken, breaking it up into smaller pieces. Cook for another minute or two until the chicken is cooked through. Add the shredded carrots and stir to mix. Remove the skillet from the heat and let cool.
• While the chicken mixture cools, make the sauce. In a small saucepan, combine the broth or water, soy sauce, oyster sauce, wine, and cornstarch and cook over medium heat. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, for a few minutes, until the sauce thickens a bit. Remove from the heat.
• In a medium bowl, lightly whisk the eggs with soy sauce, sesame oil, and white pepper. Add the scallions, bean sprouts, and the cooked (cooled) chicken mixture to the eggs and stir to mix.
• Add 1 tablespoon of the oil to a nonstick skillet. Swirl the pan to distribute the oil evenly. When the pan is hot, add about 1/2 cup of the
  egg mixture to the skillet to create a patty about 4 inches across. Repeat 2 or 3 more times, depending on the size of your skillet, to make additional patties. Add the mixture to the pan slowly and then immediately use a spatula to push the edges in so that the egg doesn’t run all over the pan. You want to keep each ladleful of egg together in a rough patty shape.
• Cook the patties for about 2 minutes, until they are set on the bottom, and then flip them over to cook on the second side. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes more, until the second side is lightly browned. Remove the cooked patties from the skillet, and cook the remaining egg mixture in the same way.
• Serve the patties over rice with the sauce drizzled over the top and garnished with sliced green onions.
  
  

Notes

• Don't overbeat the eggs. You want them to be only lightly beaten—you should still be able to see some separation between white and yolk. This will ensure that your egg foo young pancakes are nice and fluffy, rather than dense.
• If you substitute another meat for the ground chicken, make sure to cut it into small pieces so that they mix well with the eggs and it all cooks evenly.
• Shred the carrots on the large holes of a box grater so that they'll cook at the same rate as the onions and bean sprouts. You don't want to end up with crunchy bits of carrot in your pancakes.

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