Chicken Cabbage Stir Fry – marinated chicken stir fried with garlic, ginger, shiitake mushrooms, cabbage and more in a flavorful sauce!

About the Chicken

For this recipe I use chicken thighs (dark meat). However you could substitute with chicken breast (white meat) if you prefer. I get asked a lot about which one to use, and it really depends on preference and what kind of meal you’re trying to accomplish.

Dark Meat / Chicken Thighs are a lot more tender, flavorful, and juicy because it has a higher fat content than white meat. It also doesn’t dry out the way chicken breast can if you do not prepare it for the stir fry. So if you are new to stir frying chicken, it’s easier to make this dish tasty. However, it is slightly higher in calories and fat.

White Meat / Chicken Breasts are more commonly used in the states than it is in Asian countries. It is more lean, and lower in calories and fat content, so it is the healthier choice. However, it can dry out and become tough if you accidentally over cook it.

Some tricks to make your white meat / chicken breast more tender is to make sure not to skip the marinade step. You want to marinade chicken breast for at least 30 minutes or up to over night. Another tip I can give you is to make sure that you slice it real thin – either in to thin slices or thin strips so that it cooks more evenly.

About the Cabbage

There are many types of cabbages, and I actually don’t use regular green cabbage here so I wanted to mention the type of cabbage I use – Taiwanese cabbage. You can TOTALLY use normal green cabbage, though! I’ve done it myself.

Taiwanese cabbage has a flat round shape with lighter green leaves than green cabbage. It is also milder, sweeter, flavor than green cabbage. Taiwanese cabbage is also a lot more tender and crisp, whereas green cabbage is more firm. This is why I recommend Taiwanese cabbage for stir fries as it cooks a lot faster.

However, if you can’t find any, as I mentioned you can totally just use green cabbage. I’ve done it before plenty of times. For both, you will want to stir fry until tender, and using the Taiwanese cabbage will just make it faster.

About the Soy Sauce

For the marinade you will be using regular light soy sauce (if it doesn’t say what type of soy sauce it’s most likely light soy sauce, it’s like the default.)

However, for the cooking soy sauce, I use Thick Soy Sauce, aka Soy Paste. Thick soy sauce is a lot thicker than your normal soy sauce. It has a richer, sweeter flavor, which is perfect for this dish.

If you can’t find any thick soy sauce, you can actually use regular soy sauce. However, since Thick soy sauce is more sweet, you are now missing a flavor, so I would recommend adding a bit of sugar or sweetener of your choice.

Or even more simple – Oyster sauce can often be used as a substitute because it is similar in texture and it is also salty and sweet at the same time.

By the way you can find these sauces, in your local Asian grocery store or even on amazon here:

Kimlan Soy Paste / Thick Soy Sauce

Lee Kum Kee Oyster Sauce

Wan Ja Shan Vegetarian Oyster Sauce (I actually prefer this to regular oyster sauce, it’s made with mushrooms and adds another umami flavor)

How to cook Chicken Cabbage Stir Fry

First, gather your ingredients:

1 lb chicken thigh, cut in to bite sized pieces
Marinade:
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- 1 tbsp rice cooking wine
1 tbsp cooking oil
5 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
1 tbsp ginger, sliced thinly
6-8 shiitake mushrooms
1 cup cabbage, shredded
2 tbsp soy paste (aka thick soy sauce)
1 tsp brown sugar
1 stalk green onions, chopped (optional)

Soak the dried shiitake mushrooms in warm water for 15 minutes or until soften. Remove shiitake mushrooms and slice. Do not discard the water as we will add this to the broth. If using fresh shiitake mushrooms, just slice it (no need to soak).

With a knife, cut chicken in to bite size. In a mixing bowl, add the chicken marinade ingredients. Combine well and then set it aside to marinade for half hour. You can prep the other ingredients during this time if you haven’t already.

In a cooking pan or wok, add cooking oil, and let it heat up on medium high. Add garlic, ginger and let it cook for about 1 minute. Then add chicken along with all the marinade sauce, and stir fry for about 3 minutes or until chicken is slightly browned, and remove chicken, garlic, and ginger from heat.

Add a little more cooking oil if your pan is too dry. Then, add cabbage and shiitake mushrooms, and stir fry for about a minute, and then add the water that was used to soak the shiitake mushrooms (or water if you used fresh mushrooms), and cover with a lid for about 2 minutes.

Uncover and stir fry until the cabbage has softened, and return chicken back in to pan and add thick soy sauce, brown sugar, salt to taste, and stir fry everything for about another 2-3 minutes or until chicken is cooked thoroughly.

Sprinkle with chopped green onions (optional) and mix well.

Remove from heat and serve!

Chicken Cabbage Stir Fry

Name: Chicken Cabbage Stir Fry
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 1 lb chicken thigh, cut in to bite sized pieces; 1 tbsp soy sauce; 1 tbsp cornstarch; 1 tbsp rice cooking wine; 1 tbsp cooking oil; 5 garlic cloves, roughly chopped; 1 tbsp ginger, sliced thinly; 6-8 shiitake mushrooms; 1 cup cabbage, shredded; 2 tbsp soy paste (aka thick soy sauce); 1 tsp brown sugar; 1 stalk green onions, chopped (optional)

Chicken Cabbage Stir Fry – marinated chicken stir fried with garlic, ginger, shiitake mushrooms, cabbage and more in a flavorful sauce!

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Ingredients

Chicken Marinade:

1 lb chicken thigh, cut in to bite sized pieces
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp cornstarch
1 tbsp rice cooking wine

Stir Fry:

1 tbsp cooking oil
5 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
1 tbsp ginger, sliced thinly
6-8 shiitake mushrooms
1 cup cabbage, shredded
2 tbsp soy paste (aka thick soy sauce)
1 tsp brown sugar
1 stalk green onions, chopped (optional)

Instructions

Soak the dried shiitake mushrooms in warm water for 15 minutes or until soften. Remove shiitake mushrooms and slice. Do not discard the water as we will add this to the broth. If using fresh shiitake mushrooms, just slice it (no need to soak).
With a knife, cut chicken in to bite size. In a mixing bowl, add the chicken marinade ingredients. Combine well and then set it aside to marinade for half hour. You can prep the other ingredients during this time if you haven’t already.
In a cooking pan or wok, add cooking oil, and let it heat up on medium high. Add garlic, ginger and let it cook for about 1 minute. Then add chicken along with all the marinade sauce, and stir fry for about 3 minutes or until chicken is slightly browned, and remove chicken, garlic, and ginger from heat.
Add a little more cooking oil if your pan is too dry. Then, add cabbage and shiitake mushrooms, and stir fry for about a minute, and then add the water that was used to soak the shiitake mushrooms (or water if you used fresh mushrooms), and cover with a lid for about 2 minutes.
Uncover and stir fry until the cabbage has softened, and return chicken back in to pan and add thick soy sauce, brown sugar, salt to taste, and stir fry everything for about another 2-3 minutes or until chicken is cooked thoroughly.
Sprinkle with chopped green onions (optional) and mix well. Remove from heat and serve!

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Nutrition Information:

Yield:

Serving Size:

1/4 of dish
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 351Total Fat: 19gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 14gCholesterol: 145mgSodium: 425mgCarbohydrates: 11gFiber: 2gSugar: 3gProtein: 29g

The nutrition information for this recipe is an approximate total per serving. Please double check the nutrition information for your exact ingredients and brands for more precise nutrition information. Keep in mind that if there is a marinade, often times not all the ingredients will be consumed.