This simple and authentic Moo Shu Chicken hides a healthy twist to a classic Chinese takeout dish. Cooked with tender sliced chicken, vibrant vegetables, and fluffy scrambled eggs, this is a fantastic one-skillet weeknight supper that’s also Whole30-compatible, paleo, and gluten free!
Seriously, folks: if you’re looking to do a Chinese spin on Taco Tuesday, cook up a big batch of my paleo, Whole30, and gluten free Moo Shu Chicken!
Table of Contents
What is Moo Shu Chicken?
This is my swine-free spin on a traditional northern Chinese dish, moo shu pork, that’s been adapted many times over in American Chinese restaurants and households. Moo Shu Chicken is a delicious stir-fry featuring thin strips of chicken, crisp-tender shredded vegetables, and fluffy scrambled eggs. Typically, the stir-fry itself isn’t strongly flavored because most people tuck it into a thin Mandarin pancake wrapper slathered with punchy sweet-and-savory hoisin sauce—but mine is plenty flavorful on its own!
A Whole30, Paleo, and Gluten Free Version!
Similar to my Moo Shu Pork recipe, this one is perfect if you’re on a Whole30 or need to eat gluten-free. To keep this recipe paleo-friendly and super simple, I use my All-Purpose Stir-Fry Sauce as the seasoning base, and I serve this dish with lettuce wraps (for Whole30 compliant eaters) or store-bought Siete brand cassava and coconut flour tortillas as the wrappers. I also use my own recipe for Paleo Hoisin Sauce, which pulls the whole dish together and can be whipped up in just a few minutes.
Tips for the best Moo Shu Chicken
- Soak your dried mushrooms early! Although they take only 30 minutes to an hour to rehydrate, I like to soak them in the morning so they’re ready to cook at dinnertime.
- Measure and prep all the ingredients ahead of time! With your mise en place, the actual cooking part will take just a few minutes!
- Fry the chicken, veggies, and egg separately! The resulting dish will have the perfect texture of of tender meat, fluffy scrambled eggs, and crisp tender veggies!
- Don’t skip the hoisin sauce! Moo Shu Chicken tastes amazing, but the hoisin sauce really ties it together.
Ingredients
- Dried shiitake mushrooms: Reconstituted dried shiitake mushrooms have more flavor (umami!) and a chewier texture than fresh ones. I normally steal some from my mom or I buy them online.. If you insist on using fresh ’shrooms, substitute ¼ pound fresh shiitake mushrooms or even cremini mushrooms.
- Dried wood ear mushrooms: You can buy these at your local Asian market or buy some online. Wood ear mushrooms don’t have a distinctive flavor per se, but they add a delightfully chewy-crunchy texture to the dish. You can definitely leave it out if you can’t find any.
- Boneless, skinless chicken thighs or chicken breasts: I always prefer chicken thighs to chicken breasts, but you can use either in this recipe. The easiest way to cut raw chicken into thin strips is to freeze it for about 15 minutes prior to slicing.
- Umami Stir-Fry Powder: I use this versatile seasoning salt whenever I cook stir-fries because it adds so much flavor to the dish. The recipe is in our latest cookbook or you can just buy it online at Amazon, iHerb, or from The Spice Lab. If you don’t have any, Diamond Crystal kosher salt is a decent substitution.
- Avocado oil: My preferred high temperature cooking oil.
- Eggs: scrambled eggs are essential to moo shu! (Of course, you can leave them out if you don’t have any or are allergic to eggs.)
- Red Boat fish sauce: I like to season the scrambled eggs with fish sauce, but you can also substitute salt.
- Shredded cabbage: I typically use green cabbage, but red cabbage, Napa cabbage, or a coleslaw mix will work fine.
- Carrot: I like to eat the rainbow, so the more colorful veggies, the better!
- All-Purpose Stir-Fry Sauce: To keep things paleo, Whole30, and gluten-free, I season the Moo Shu Chicken with my versatile stir fry sauce. I use it in place of soy sauce and oyster sauce.
- Arrowroot Powder: A grain-free thickener for the stir-fry sauce (I use it in place of cornstarch in my paleo recipes.)
- Toasted sesame oil: Adds a fabulously nutty taste to the stir fry.
- Scallions or green onions: Adds a pop or green and freshness to the Moo Shu Chicken.
- Grain-free tortillas (I like Siete Cassava and Coconut flour tortillas) lettuce leaves, or thinly sliced jicama: Sometimes I just serve the stir fry with some cooked cauliflower rice, but if I want a paleo-friendly wrapper, there are lots of options!
- Paleo Hoisin Sauce: My homemade version tastes just like the store-bought stuff, but it’s made with Whole30-compatible ingredients!
How to make Moo Shu Chicken
Place the dried wood ear mushrooms and dried shiitake mushrooms in two medium bowls and cover with water for at least 30 minutes or until rehydrated and softened.
Squeeze out the extra liquid, cut off the stems from the shiitakes, and thinly slice the mushrooms on a cutting board. Set them aside with the rest of the sliced vegetables.
In a large bowl, toss the sliced chicken with ¾ teaspoon Umami Stir-Fry Powder or Diamond Crystal kosher salt and 1 teaspoon avocado oil. Set aside.
Whisk together the eggs and fish sauce in a medium bowl. Next, heat a large non-stick or well-seasoned cast iron skillet over medium heat and cook the scrambled eggs in some avocado oil until your desired doneness. Transfer the cooked eggs onto a plate.
Increase the heat to medium high and add 1 tablespoon of avocado oil to the empty pan. Add the seasoned chicken and cook, stirring frequently until it is no longer pink
Transfer the cooked chicken to a plate.
Discard any liquid in the pan and add another tablespoon of avocado oil before tossing in the chopped mushrooms, cabbage, and carrot. Sprinkle ½ teaspoon of Umami Stir-Fry Powder or Diamond Crystal kosher salt on the vegetables and stir-fry until the vegetables are tender crisp, about 2 to 3 minutes.
While the vegetables are cooking, whisk the All-Purpose Stir-Fry Sauce, arrowroot powder, and sesame oil in a small measuring cup or bowl.
When the vegetables are ready, stir in the reserved cooked chicken and pour the sauce over everything. Cook, stirring frequently, until the sauce has slightly thickened.
Turn off the heat and stir in the scrambled eggs and sliced scallions. Taste and adjust for seasoning if needed.
If you’re wrapping the Paleo Moo Shu Chicken in grain-free tortillas, heat the wraps in a dry skillet over medium heat until warm and softened.
Slather some Paleo Hoisin Sauce on a warm grain-free tortilla (or lettuce wrap if you’re going for a Whole30 or low carb version) and build your own Chinese tacos or mini burritos with the paleo Moo Shu Chicken filling! (Obviously, if you aren’t paleo, you can use store-bought moo shu wrappers or flour tortillas.)
How to save leftover Moo Shu Chicken
Any leftovers can be stored in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 4 days or in the freezer for up to a month. I simply reheat mine in the microwave in a large shallow Anyday bowl until heated through.
More Paleo Chinese chicken recipes
Looking for more recipe ideas? Head on over to my Recipe Index. You’ll also find exclusive recipes in my cookbooks, Nom Nom Paleo: Food for Humans (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2013), Ready or Not! (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2017), and Nom Nom Paleo: Let’s Go! (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2022).
PRINTER-FRIENDLY RECIPE CARD
Moo Shu Chicken (Paleo, Whole30, Gluten Free)
Ingredients
- ½ ounce dried shiitake mushrooms (4 medium) or ¼ pound fresh shiitake mushrooms, sliced thinly
- ½ ounce dried wood ear mushrooms or a small handful
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs or breasts cut into thin strips
- 1¼ teaspoons Umami Stir Fry Powder divided or Diamond Crystal kosher salt, divided
- 3 tablespoons Avocado oil divided
- 3 large eggs
- ¾ teaspoon Red Boat fish sauce
- 3 cups thinly sliced green cabbage
- 1 large carrot peeled and cut into thin matchsticks
- ⅓ cup All-Purpose Stir-Fry Sauce
- 1½ teaspoons arrowroot powder
- ½ teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- 3 scallions thinly sliced
- Grain-free tortillas (e.g., Siete Cassava and Coconut flour tortillas) lettuce leaves, or thinly sliced jicama
- ¼ cup Paleo Hoisin Sauce
Instructions
- Place the dried shiitake mushrooms and dried wood ear mushrooms in two medium bowls and cover with water for at least 30 minutes or until softened.
- When the mushrooms are softened, squeeze out the extra liquid and cut off the stems from the shiitakes. Thinly slice the mushrooms. Set them aside with the rest of the sliced vegetables.
- In a large bowl, toss the sliced chicken with ¾ teaspoon Umami Stir-Fry Powder or Diamond Crystal kosher salt and 1 teaspoon avocado oil. Set aside.
- Whisk together the eggs and fish sauce in a medium bowl. Heat a large non-stick or well-seasoned cast iron skillet over medium heat. Swirl in 2 teaspoons avocado oil when the pan is hot and pour in the eggs. Stir and scrape the pan constantly until you have soft, moist curds of scrambled eggs. Transfer the eggs to a platter.
- Increase heat to medium high and add 1 tablespoon of avocado oil to the empty pan. Add the seasoned chicken and cook, stirring frequently until it is no longer pink. Transfer the cooked chicken to a plate.
- Discard any liquid in the pan and add another tablespoon of avocado oil before tossing in the chopped mushrooms, cabbage, and carrot.
- Sprinkle ½ teaspoon of Umami Stir-Fry Powder or Diamond Crystal kosher salt on the vegetables and stir-fry until the vegetables are tender crisp, about 2 to 3 minutes.
- While the vegetables are cooking, whisk the All-Purpose Stir-Fry Sauce, arrowroot powder, and sesame oil in a small measuring cup or bowl.
- When the vegetables are ready, stir in the reserved cooked chicken and pour the sauce over everything. Cook, stirring frequently, until the sauce is slightly thickened.
- Turn off the heat and stir in the scrambled eggs and sliced scallions. Taste and adjust for seasoning if needed.
- If you’re serving the Paleo Moo Shu Chicken in grain-free tortillas, heat them up in a dry skillet over medium heat until warm and softened.
- Slather some Paleo Hoisin Sauce on a warm tortilla or lettuce wrap and build your own Chinese tacos or mini burritos with the Paleo Moo Shu filling.
Video
Notes
- Use Umami Stir Fry Powder! I use this versatile seasoning salt whenever I cook stir-fries because it adds so much flavor to the dish. The recipe is in our latest cookbook or you can just buy it online at Amazon, iHerb, or from The Spice Lab.
- Soak your dried mushrooms early! Although they only take about 30 minutes to an hour to rehydrate, I soak them in the morning so they’re ready to cook at dinner time.
- Measure and prep all the ingredients ahead of time! With your mise en place, the actual cooking part will take just a few minutes in a hot skillet!
- Fry the chicken, veggies, and egg separately! The resulting dish will have the perfect texture of of tender meat, fluffy scrambled eggs, and crisp tender veggies!
- Don’t skip the hoisin sauce! Moo Shu Chicken tastes amazing, but the hoisin sauce really ties it together.
- Leftovers? Any leftovers can be stored in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 4 days or in the freezer for up to a month. I simply reheat mine in the microwave in a large shallow Anyday bowl until heated through.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
so good!! I wasn’t expecting it to taste so similar to restaurant moo shu but it was spot on and so delicious! loved it in the tortilla and also just in a bowl with some hoisin sauce mixed in. adding this to my regular rotation for sure.
Is the nutrition information for the entire recipe or by serving?
Per serving!