Chicken in Oyster Sauce Stir Fry with Mushrooms

Do you like ordering out a fantastic Asian stir fry recipe? How about chicken in oyster sauce? This chicken and oyster sauce is a stir fry that is full of irresistible umami flavours as well as the earthy flavours of the mushrooms. Before you start this recipe, make sure that you have all the ingredients at home, especially when it comes to making that sauce! Otherwise, this chicken in oyster sauce stir fry is really easy to prepare. Simply toss in all the ingredients, stir and serve! It’s that easy. Make your own Chinese fakeaway!

The best part is that you can make large batches in a wok. This chicken stir fry recipe stores well too, so don’t be shy and make as much as you want. 

chicken in oyster sauce and mushrooms

Chicken in oyster sauce is absolutely delicious. At first glance, you might think that the flavours of chicken and oysters don’t go together. However, they really do. Chicken with oyster sauce is actually a match made in heaven! The flavour combination is similar when shrimp sauce is added into red thai curry or green thai curry. The shrimp sauce brings out the umami flavours of the curry and makes them more intense. The same goes for the oyster sauce, soy sauce and other sauces.

Just take a look at some of the stir fries which you can create if you already bought a bottle of oyster sauce. These include:

• beef, mushroom and oyster sauce stir fry – inspire yourself and make two versions of the stir fry
• tofu in black bean sauce – also super-delicious
• ginger prawns with soy sauce – excellent idea for the summer. You can also use oyster sauce.

oyster sauce – chicken marinade

If you’re still unsure about this chicken in oyster sauce recipe, let me tell you more about oyster sauce. In short, oyster sauce is one that’s made from cooked oysters. Generally speaking, it looks like a balsamic thick glaze. However, it is a dark brown sauce that’s super-viscous. You make it from oysters, sugar, water, and salt. Usually you thicken it with corn starch. Sometimes, more intense versions are seasoned and thickened with caramel. In essence, oyster sauce is a vital ingredient in Chinese, Cantonese, Vietnamese, Thai, Khmer and Malay cuisines. In conclusion, most Asian cuisines use this thick sauce.

oyster sauce – history

Oyster sauce first appeared in 1888 by Lee Kum Sheung in the Chinese province of Guangdong. The invention of the oyster sauce was one of those genius accidents that was just meant to happen. Apparently, Lee was making oyster broth and he let it simmer way too long because he lost track of time. Funnily enough, he found out when there was a super-strong aroma in the air. When he went to see what had happened, he was happy to find that instead of the oyster broth he found a thick oyster glaze. Instead of it being clear, it was dark and thick. Lee was the first person to start selling his new invention. He is widely credited for the discovery of oyster sauce and its promotion in Asian cuisine. What a history! 

how to cook a stir fry

To replicate this chicken in oyster sauce as authentically as possible, then use a stir fry wok for the cooking process. A wok is a large deep dish, where one generally makes the stir fries. You can purchase them in any home appliances store or Asian stores. Moreover, you can also find them online. Just take a look below if you are in doubt.

• cast iron shallow concave wok – click right here
• 14″ Green Earth Wok – click right here

Otherwise you can also use a stir fry pan:

• Tefal precision plus stir fry pan – click right here

Again, the best part is that you can easily reuse these woks or stir fry pans for other Asian stir fry recipes. These include:

• sweet chilli chicken stir fry – more sweet than salty
• Chinese mixed vegetable stir fry – also works with the oyster sauce 
• chicken and sugar snap pea stir fry – super-delicious with the sugar snap peas. You can also include them in the chicken in oyster sauce stir fry.
• Bok Choy Stiry Fry – Very tasty asian dish that works well with the majority of the ingredients listed in this recipe.
• Salt and Pepper Chicken – Fantastic, popular asian dish.

Take a look and perhaps you’ll find further information for your chicken in oyster sauce and mushroom stir fry. 

mushroom with oyster sauce stir fry

First of all, you can easily make this chicken in oyster sauce stir fry recipe vegetarian. In fact, mushrooms make up a large part of this stir fry. Hence, you can easily leave out the meat element and make it heavy on the mushrooms. Therefore, you can make a fabulous Asian stir fried mushrooms recipe or Chinese mushroom stir fry. 

types of mushrooms

However, for this, you’ll need to know about the best possible mushrooms for Asian stir fries. Here is a list of the best Asian mushrooms:

• shiitake mushroom
• oyster mushroom
• beech mushroom
• maitake mushroom
• crimini mushroom
• enokitake mushroom

One of these mushrooms would be the best. My top picks include the shiitake or oyster mushrooms. However, you can also stick to the common mushroom as a last resort. You won’t ruin the recipe.

different topping ideas

For any meaty or vegetable stir fry recipe, I encourage you to add these toppings:

• spring onions – chopped or whole, they refresh the palate and add a lovely crunch
• takuan – Japanese pickled yellow daikon that’s a total neutraliser
• coriander or parsley – for a bit of freshness 
• onions or shallots – for a hint of acidity and freshness
• sesame (black or white) – both are an excellent option
• fresh red chilli peppers – for a bit of heat if you want to spice up your stir fry
• bamboo – works also as a topping
• sprouts – typical topping that’s refreshing and crunchy
• peanuts – I love using peanuts with a salty sauce. It’s a heavenly combination! 
• lime juice – this is my favourite topping for all types of Asian recipes

Have you got any more in mind that you’d like to use with this chicken in oyster sauce? With the oyster sauce being so pungent and distinct, the more ingredients the better! 

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