Egg Foo Young is a light and fluffy Chinese egg pancake packed with veggies and topped with a savory gravy… No deep frying required! Pour the leftover sauce on a steamy bed of white rice and dig in!
Chicken Egg Foo Young Recipe
Got leftover cooked chicken and a few eggs in the fridge?
How about making the most delicious and fluffy homemade egg foo young! It has all the classic Chinese flavors we all love so much. Seriously, it’s addictive – and way better than takeout!
What is egg foo young?
Egg foo young is a Chinese Indonesian omelet, normally prepared with mixed vegetables and poultry or ham. The omelet-style pancakes are served topped with a brown gravy or sweet and sour sauce.
The origin of egg foo young comes from the Canton side of mainland China. The original version is called fu yung egg slices and is mainly found in Guangdon province.
It’s also a popular dish in Chinese American cuisine that can be found in most menus across the country. You may have seen it on restaurant menus phonetically spelled egg foo yung, egg fu yung or egg fu young.
Now, the classic cooking method is to deep fry the omelet pancakes. This yields a super light-weight texture. But since I’m generally petrified of deep frying stuff, I typically opt for pan frying with less oil.
It comes out lighter – and it’s just as delicious! In my book I consider that a win / win 🙂
The entire process is pretty much the same as making a regular pancake or frittata. Throw the veggies in with the eggs and pan fry until the pancakes smell so good your neighbors are calling to invite themselves to dinner!
You’re left with fluffy egg pancakes accompanied by a sour, savory and gooey brown sauce made with stock, soy sauceand vinegar.
Egg Foo Young Ingredients
Eggs: Yep. Obviously. You’ll beat a half dozen in a bowl just as you would for an omelette or frittata.
Chicken Broth: This will be mixed in with the eggy mixture to thin it out, while adding a fantastic savory element.
Shiitake Mushrooms: Sliced into thin strips, shiitake mushrooms deliver umami to this Chinese omelette.
Bean Sprouts: Fresh bean sprouts have a crunch like no other!
Red Bell Pepper: For a fiery burst of color and an understated sweet pop of freshness.
Scallions: Fresh sliced green onions impart a summery garden essence.
Cooked Chicken: Use finely chopped leftover chicken – or the protein of your choice.
Garlic: Minced garlic delivers a funky base of flavor.
Vegetable Oil: Any neutral oil will work for this egg foo young recipe.
Gravy: I make mine fresh from a mixture of chicken broth, soy sauce, rice vinegar, sugar, sesame oil and a slurry of cornstarch and water
The egg foo young pancakes are delicious by themselves or with a splash of soy sauce (or hot sauce – scrumptious!) – but taste best witha good spoonful of gooey Chinese brown gravy.
Now you can buy premixed Chinese brown gravy online or at an Asian supermarket – but you can easily make it at home as well.
A bit of cornstarch gives it a sticky, addictive texture. And the tang of the vinegar peeks through just enough to compliment the savory and umami combination of the other ingredients.
Whisk the eggs in a bowl and add chicken broth, mushrooms, bean sprouts, bell peppers, scallions, chicken and garlic. Stir until all the ingredients are evenly coated. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.
Make the foo young sauce: Put all the ingredients for the sauce in a small pot and bring to a boil. Turn the heat to low and simmer for 2 minutes. Turn the heat off and set aside.
Cook the foo young pancakes: In a pan over medium high heat, add vegetable oil. Using a ladle, pour small amounts of egg mixture into the pan and make 2-4 little pancakes at a time. Cook on both sides for 2-3, until slightly brown, and transfer two pancakes per plate. Work in batches until all the mixture has been used.
Quickly warm up the sauce and pour over pancakes. Top with scallions and serve immediately.
One of the best things about this recipe is that you can use the protein and veggies of your choice.
And while it’s not quite an ingredient-clearinghouse recipe like an all purpose crisper-emptying vegetable stir fry, there is still the notion that you can totally use it if you’ve got it!
The key to making egg foo young is to chop your veggies and chicken thin enough that they will cook in the time it takes the eggs to firm up in the pan.
How to store leftovers
You can make the chicken egg foo young pancakes ahead of time and keep them refrigerated for up to 3 days. As long as the eggy disks are covered, they’ll be fine in the fridge.
The gravy, however, is another story (more on that in a sec).
How to reheat egg foo young?
I like to reheat leftover egg foo young in a frying pan on low heat with a little oil. Keep the heat low so the insides will get a chance to warm up without scorching the outsides.
Or a spin in the microwave will do the trick in a pinch.
Now I recommend making the gravy the day of eating – simply because the gooeyness won’t last for more than a couple of hours. That’s the bummer about using cornstarch – it turns thick sauces back into thin-liquid form pretty quickly.
You can add more cornstarch to a liquified gravy to try and coax back the gooeyness, but I find this technique unreliable (sometimes it works and sometimes it just doesn’t).
If you’re cooking a big meal for a group, simply make the egg foo young pancakes ahead of time – and whip up the gravy a la minute for a bit of time-savings in the kitchen!
The perfect takeout fakeout
I love it when I can whip up a healthier version of a Chinese delivery favorite at home for a fraction of the price – and keep all of the flavors intact.
You might just say that this egg foo young recipe is the perfect takeout fakeout!
It’s a dish that’s kid friendly too; there’s nothing too complex or unfamiliar about this chicken egg foo young recipe. If your kids are used to eating Chinese American food, they will absolutely love this 🙂
What’s your favorite takeout classic that you make at home? I’d love to hear about it in the comments!
Serve this delicious chicken egg foo young recipe with other easy Chinese recipes such as:
Moo Goo Gai Pan
Chinese Eggplant With Garlic Sauce
Szechuan Chicken
Vegan Dan Dan Noodles
Hunan Chicken
Did you like thisChicken Egg Foo Young Recipe? Are there changes you made that you would like to share? Share your tips and recommendations in the comments section below!
I recommend serving this dish with a side of Japanese rice. Watch our video on How To Make Japanese Riceon the stove top or with a rice cooker!
No deep frying is required to make this yummy chicken egg foo young recipe! Healthy, light and fluffy egg pancakes packed with veggies and topped with the tastiest gooey gravy.
Ingredients
Scale
Foo young pancakes:
6 large eggs
1/2 cup chicken broth
2 ounces shiitake mushrooms (sliced in to thin strips)
1/4 cup bean sprouts
1/4 red bell pepper (sliced into thin strips)
1 stalk scallion (finely chopped)
2 ounces cooked chicken (finely chopped)
2 cloves garlic (minced)
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
Foo young sauce:
1 cup chicken broth
2 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons rice vinegar
2 teaspoons granulated sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch mixed with 1 tablespoon water
Whisk the eggs in a bowl and add chicken broth, mushrooms, bean sprouts, bell peppers, scallions, chicken and garlic. Stir until all the ingredients are evenly coated. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.
Making the foo young sauce: Put all the ingredients for the sauce in a small pot and bring to a boil. Turn the heat to low and simmer for 2 minutes. Turn the heat off and set aside.
Cooking the foo young pancakes: In a pan over medium high heat, add vegetable oil. Using a ladle, pour small amounts of egg mixture into the pan and make 2-4 little pancakes at a time. Cook on both sides for 2-3, until slightly brown, and transfer two pancakes per plate. Work in batches until all the mixture has been used.
Quickly warm up the sauce and pour over pancakes. Top with scallions and serve immediately.
Notes
Keep the sauce and pancakes separate if you decide to save some for later. When reheating, microwave pancakes for 30-45 seconds. For the sauce, reheat in a pot along with 1 tablespoon cornstarch mixed with 1 tablespoon water to bring back the gooey texture.
Nutrition
Serving Size:
Calories:133
Sugar:2.6 g
Sodium:714.7 mg
Fat:8 g
Saturated Fat:2.3 g
Carbohydrates:5.3 g
Fiber:0.6 g
Protein:10 g
Cholesterol:200.7 mg
Keywords: recipe, pancakes, omelette, Asian, side, easy, Chinese
Egg foo young can be served plain, but it's traditionally dressed with a thick, soy-sauce-based gravy. The gravy can be made with a variety of ingredients like chicken stock, soy sauce, oyster sauce, sesame oil, and a bit of sugar.
Egg Foo Young is a fluffy Chinese egg omelette filled with vegetables and pork or shrimp, smothered in a tasty Chinese Sauce. An easy Chinese recipe that's quick to make and versatile as you want it to be.
Chicken egg foo young is a classic Chinese restaurant dish of onions eggs, bean sprouts and chicken deep fried into pancakes and covered in delicious gravy.
Since the arrival of the egg foo young in the United States, Americans — particularly Midwesterners — have made it their own, adding barbecued meats, drizzling brown gravy over the top, and frying it into a fritter.
Oyster sauce is commonly used in Chinese food and adds a savory, salty, umami flavor. Both can be found in most grocery stores. If you like, you can add grated or minced ginger or garlic. Serve your homemade brown sauce with a beef, chicken, or pork stir-fry or chow mein dish.
Basically, the most common American-Chinese Cantonese sauce (like for beef and broccoli) is almost always Oyster Sauce, Soy sauce, Corn Starch, sugar, garlic powder, onion powder, Chicken/Pork/Beef stock and optionally sesame oil. Many people add additional MSG powder to the sauce.
Made with minimal oil, a serving of this egg foo young has 197 calories and is a good source of protein and potassium. The majority of egg foo young's calories are from protein and fat; however the saturated fat content in this dish is minimal. Of the 10 grams of fat, only 2 grams are from saturated fat.
Egg Foo Yung is a Chinese egg omelet. The name is Cantonese and means "hibiscus egg." Egg Foo Yung (also spelled Egg Foo Young and Egg Fu Yung) is made with beaten eggs and most often ham, but—as with the omelet we are all familiar with—a variety of meats and seafood as well as vegetables can also be added.
Crispy fluffy egg foo young filled with crisp veggies and aromatic green onion and served with a rich brown sauce. It's super easy to make and tastes so satisfying. Serve it with steamed rice and veggies and you'll have a nutritious meal in no time.
You'll notice that tenshinhan shares similar preparation as egg foo young (芙蓉蛋), a classic Chinese omelette dish filled with vegetables and meat and covered in a rich brown gravy. However, despite its Chinese influence, tenshinhan is uniquely Japanese as it originates in Japan.
How to make Egg Foo Young. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, coconut flour (or cassava flour), fish sauce, and apple cider vinegar until smooth. Mix in the ham, spinach, scallions, cilantro, and baking soda, and some freshly ground black pepper.
Soy sauce has been used in Chinese cooking for over 1,000 years. This classic dipping sauce is a staple in Chinese restaurants, as it is served with dim sum dishes and is used together with vinegar, ginger, and chili oil.
The sauce is called Lu (pronounced "loo"), and virtually every Chinese regional cuisine uses some variation of it. Lu sauce originally denoted salted water used as a marinade for meat that's boiled, then served cold, and for vegetables.
Soy Sauce. Soy sauce probably the most widely known of all Chinese sauces. Made from fermented soybeans, it has a rich, salty flavor, a dark brown color, and a liquid consistency. It is ubiquitous in Chinese cooking, and is used in soups in stir fry dishes.
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