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20-Minute Moo Shu Pork (or Chicken)

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Learn how to make restaurant-quality Moo Shu Pork (or Moo Shu Chicken!) at home in just 20 minutes. So easy, so fresh, and soooo good! | gimmesomeoven.com

Haaaaaaaallelujah!

Daylight Savings has finally arrived! And I could not think of a better reason to lose an hour of sleep and wake up a little groggy. Because I don’t know about you, but I’m one of those people who feels like the extra hour of daylight in the evening is freaking life-changing.

Seriously.

I mean, sure, I’m all for some extra sun shining through my window in the mornings to help get me out of bed in the winter. But if given the choice between sun in the morning, and glorious, warm, bright, makes-you-feel-like-there’s-actually-more-of-the-day-left in the evenings after work, I will choose DST any day in a heartbeat. (In fact, yes, I’m totally one of “those people” who wishes Congress would let us keep saving daylight year-round….)  But in the meantime, I’m fully appreciating every second of these sunshiny evenings that celebrate the beginning of this warm season to come.

And one of my favorite things to do when it’s light out in the evenings? You’d better believe it — cook!  It nearly felt like summer here last night, so I decided to whip up a quick batch of my new favorite “better than takeout” recipes that I’m recently obsessed with making — moo shu! (Or moo shoo, mu shoo, it seems that the spelling options are endless.)  It has been one of my long-time favorite dishes to order when I’m doing Chinese takeout. And after studying the ingredients, I recently decided it was worth a try to make at home.

Turns out, Moo Shu Pork (or Chicken!) is super quick and easy to make, it’s chocked full of fresh and vibrant ingredients, and it’s full of those bold sweet and savory flavors we all love. But best of all, it can be ready to go in 20 minutes, so you can get on with your evening out in the warm spring sunshine. ;)

Let’s make some!

20-Minute Moo Shu Pork Recipe | 1-Minute Video

Learn how to make restaurant-quality Moo Shu Pork (or Moo Shu Chicken!) at home in just 20 minutes. So easy, so fresh, and soooo good! | gimmesomeoven.com

So, I was a little too excited about a few shortcuts I discovered to making Moo Shu extra-speedy at home:

  1. Instead of taking the time to chop up a green and purple cabbage and some carrots — you guessed it — just buy a bag of your favorite cole slaw! (Organic, if you can.)  I found one with green and purple cabbage, but either or both colors will do. I really loved the pop of the purple against the other colors.
  2. Instead of chopping up a bunch of mushrooms (and traditional moo shu uses shiitake and wood-ear/black mushrooms), I just went for the prepared package of thinly-sliced shiitake mushrooms. If you can’t find them pre-sliced, you can obviously slice them yourself. And if you can’t find shiitakes, white button or baby-bella mushrooms will also work.
  3. Instead of taking the time to make those homemade flour Mandarin pancakes — which I love at Chinese restaurants — I took the easy route and just used some Mexican flour tortillas. Not quite the same, but still delicious and ultra-easy.

Other than that, the basic stir-fry instructions are pretty simple!

20-Minute Moo Shu Pork (or Chicken!) -- quick and easy to make, and SO delicious! | gimmesomeoven.com

Just whip up a simple marinade, and toss half of it with your thinly-sliced pork or chicken, setting aside the second half of the marinade to be used in cooking.

Then while the meat marinates, cook your eggs. And then saute the meat (discarding its marinade). And then saute the veggies. And then toss the reserved marinade in the pan and saute everything all together until it’s cooked and evenly-coated in the sauce.

Learn how to make restaurant-quality Moo Shu Pork (or Moo Shu Chicken!) at home in just 20 minutes. So easy, so fresh, and soooo good! | gimmesomeoven.com

Then, this rainbow of deliciousness if going to be yours to enjoy.

Learn how to make restaurant-quality Moo Shu Pork (or Moo Shu Chicken!) at home in just 20 minutes. So easy, so fresh, and soooo good! | gimmesomeoven.com

Serve it up in some flour tortillas, or lettuce cups, or over a bed of rice, or whatever sounds good. Then drizzle with a little extra hoisin if you’d like. And voila — a delicious batch of homemade Moo Shu is ready for dinner!

Totally easy. Totally colorful. Totally packed with veggies and protein. And totally delicious.

Enjoy! And happy DST to all of you!

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20-Minute Moo Shu Pork (or Chicken)

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 4.7 from 59 reviews
  • Prep Time: 5 minutes
  • Cook Time: 15 minutes
  • Total Time: 20 minutes
  • Yield: 4 -6 servings 1x

Description

This 20-Minute Moo Shu Pork (or Moo Shu Chicken!) recipe is quick and easy to make, full of fresh and delicious flavors, and it tastes just as good as the restaurant version!


Ingredients

Scale

Marinade Ingredients:

Moo Shu Ingredients:

  • 1 pound boneless pork chops (or boneless skinless chicken breasts), sliced into very thin strips
  • marinade (see below)
  • 3 tablespoons peanut or vegetable oil
  • 2 large eggs, whisked
  • 1 (14-ounce) bag coleslaw
  • 8 ounces shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and thinly-sliced
  • 4 scallions, thinly sliced (green parts only)
  • for serving: flour tortillas, lettuce cups, rice or quinoa
  • optional toppings: extra hoisin, extra soy sauce, extra thinly-sliced green onions, toasted sesame seeds

Instructions

To Make The Marinade:

  1. Whisk all ingredients together in a medium mixing bowl until combined.  Separate the marinade into two portions — one to marinate the meat, and one to serve as the cooking sauce.

To Make The Moo Shu Pork:

  1. Add the thinly-sliced pork (or chicken) to half of the marinade, and toss until the meat is evenly coated in the marinade.  Set aside for 5 minutes.
  2. While the meat is marinating, heat 2 teaspoons oil in a large saute pan or wok over medium heat.  Add the whisked eggs, and let them sit and until they are cooked and form a large omelet.  Transfer the eggs to a separate cutting board, and set aside.  When you have a chance (while the pork is cooking), chop the omelet into small, thin pieces.
  3. Return the pan to the stove, and increase heat to high heat.  Add 1 more tablespoon of oil, and then use a pair of tongs (or a fork) to lift the meat out of the marinade and transfer it to the pan, discarding the marinade.  Saute the pork, breaking it up and stirring it with your tongs occasionally, until it is cooked and tender, about 3-4 minutes.  Then transfer the pork to a separate plate, and set aside.
  4. Add the remaining oil to the pan, along with the cole slaw, mushrooms, and half of the scallions.  Saute for 2-3 minutes, or until the cabbage begins to wilt and softens.
  5. Add in the reserved marinade for the sauce, and toss to combine.  Cook for an additional 2 minutes.  Stir in the cooked pork and chopped eggs, and toss until combined.  Taste, and season with extra salt and pepper (and/or hoisin or soy sauce) as needed.  Sprinkle with the remaining green onions.
  6. Serve immediately with flour tortillas (or lettuce cups, rice, or quinoa), and garnish with optional toppings if desired.

Notes

I just drizzled some extra (warmed) hoisin on top of the skillet before serving, and also drizzled a little extra on the tacos because I’m obsessed with hoisin.  But feel free to just use as little or more as you’d like.

Recipe slightly adapted from The Food Network and The Woks Of Life.

This post contains affiliate links.

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208 comments on “20-Minute Moo Shu Pork (or Chicken)”

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  1. Definitely a little groggy this morning *and yesterday* but 110% worth the extra hour of daylight at night. Means I’m not running around like a mad man trying to get photos in my kitchen before the sun sets. 

    Hoisin always makes everything taste better! And these look delicious. 

  2. This looks amazing and sounds delicious! Can’t wait to try it!

  3. This looks delicious! I can’t believe that they only take 20 minutes to make!
    Kari

  4. this looks super great–but I hate mushrooms! what would you sub in instead? my mom used to make this for xmas eve every year!!

    • Thanks Kimberly! And you could use any veggie you like in place of the mushrooms. We hope you enjoy! :)

  5. I do not like seafood and would like to omit the oyster sauce. That being said,  I do eat chinese and thai food regularly so I’m sure I already consume the stuff without knowing it. How much do you think it would alter the flavor if I left it out? If it makes a true difference I’ll give it a try. Thanks!  (Your pics are always so beautiful! )

    • No worries Michelle, you can definitely leave it (just do an extra TBS of soy sauce in its place). We hope you enjoy! :)

  6. Hi,
    It’s Mike from Queenstown. Just come to say hello! And following your beautiful food. 

  7. Hmmmm, wife and I are against daylight savings because it jams up the kids sleep schedules and they are cranky. But these taco’s….doing my happy dance. 

  8. I dont like pork. I will try this recipe with chicken. And definitely home made ingredients and freshly sliced vegetables are going to be more tasty than readily available products. 

  9. Glad I found that Asian spice store down the street – been looking for a proper oyster sauce and finally I found a perfect match!

  10. This looks totally bomb, Ali!!!!! My favorite things mixed into one!

  11. I love Moo Shu Pork – my husband not so much. Which means we never get it when we order Chinese food! So I made this last night – with chicken thighs – his favorite. I told him it was an Asian stir fry thing. Until he was face planted in his first bowl and then I told him what it was. He loved it and went for bowl number two. This will stay in our rotation!

    • Haha! Good for you Kathy, we think that’s awesome! We’re so glad he was pleasantly surprised! :)

  12. Yum, yum, yum – made mine with chicken and subbed a few different veggies because I didn’t want to go to the market. Excellent and quick, so glad I had pinned it.

  13. Just made this tonight. It was easy and absolutely delicious. Ill definitely be making it again. I used boneless chicken thighs since thats what I had. Thanks for sharing the recipe!

  14. These tacos are right up my alley!!! They look so good ?

  15. Yum. I’ve never eaten or made a recipe quite like this moo shu before but it looks so flavoursome and delicious. And yay to daylight savings too – I wish we had it where I live! 

    • Thanks Thalia — we hope you’ll get a chance to make it, and the you enjoy! :)

  16. This looks so tasty! I want to try this recipe out this week, thanks for the posts! 

  17. Just had this tonight….Delicious! The layer of flavors is great, the crunch of the cole slaw, the sesame oil and hoisin gave it richness! We made it with the pork and served it in tortillas, but on the side we had rice that I sweetened with a tbsp of sugar. My wife can’t wait to have the left-overs in a bowl just on the rice.

    Thanks for the Recipe!

    • Thanks for sharing Matt — we’re glad to hear you and your wife enjoyed it!

  18. Made this last night and it tastes just like the restaurant version! I’m not a big fan of green onions, but did add some sliced onions in with the cabbage. Pleased with the ease and flavor of this recipe…will definitely be adding it into the rotation!

  19. Lay all the sunshine on me, baby. And the pork, too. Definitely the pork. This looks amazing!

  20. this looks very tasty. However, I have some reserves about putting the marinade back in once you’ve used it. I’ve never seen a recipe that has you use it instead of throwing it away. How do you know you cook the marinade sufficiently to kill all the bacteria that might be on the raw meat?

    • Hi there! Yep, with the extra 2 minutes of cook time plus adding it to an already-hot mixture, it should have sufficient time to cook thoroughly. Enjoy!

  21. Hi Ali! This is going to be one of my all time FAVORITES!!! I couldn’t find sliced shitake mushrooms so I did have to slice a bunch. I know, I know I could make substitutions but my husband and Iove shitakes! This was a SUPER great recipe. He went back for thirds. Thanks a bunch!

  22. Ali, My computer burped so I don’t know if you got my first comment. This is AWESOME!! Dear hubbie went back for 3rds! Def. an all time favorite!

  23. Looks delish! My boyfriend is allergic to eggs, can I replace it with something else or just omit? 

    • Thanks Ellen, we hope you guys like it! And no worries, you can definitely just leave out the egg! :)

  24. Can’t wait to try this- moo shu pork was always my favorite chinese takeout, but I haven’t had it in years! I love how you even made a bowl of raw chicken look gorgeous! 

  25. I love to spread a little Plum Sauce on the “tortilla”. Very delicious!

  26. this was awesome and so easy. it would’ve been even better had I not accidentally dumped out the marinade. i added cilantro and siracha too.  a keeper! 

  27. Just did this recipe with brown rice yesterday – it is AWESOME! 

  28. We made this last night for dinner and it was awesome. I always forget about this dish but this recipe is so easy (especially when the hubs makes it) it is officially in the rotation. Thanks!

  29. Getting a pork butt ready to put in my crock pot. Thinking about using some of the shredded pork to make Mu Shu. Do you think I could simmer the marinade and mix it in and have the same taste results? Any other suggestions?

    • Hi Michele — yes, we totally think you could do that! We hope you enjoy! :)

  30. Look so nice. I will try to cook it.

  31. I really enjoyed this recipe! It also looks awesome plated! presentation is on point! keep it up!

  32. This looks like the perfect easy dinner.  We have been loving asian inspired dishes lately!  Great and fast recipe!  It actually looks very “football food” friendly!  I am always looking for new things to mix it up with for all our football watching people!! 

    • Thanks, Maria — we’re happy to hear you enjoyed it — and yes, totally football food friendly! :D

  33. Aha,. This sounds new to me.. I never tried this recipe before. Hey whats the importance if adding oyster sauce in this recipe.. ?oyster sauce never tried with any recipe before.. Thanks for sharing a new recipe to me.. :)

    • Sure thing! It was a new ingredient to me too awhile back, but it turns out that it’s widely used in Chinese restaurants in America. It just adds some extra depth of flavor. Most people never know it’s there, but it makes recipes all the tastier. :)

  34. Cooking the marinade for two minutes with the veggies was not enough. My husband made this for himself with chicken breasts and got food poisoning. This could be very dangerous for somebody with a compromised immune system. The marinade needs to be cooked with the meat to make sure it gets cooked thoroughly, or not used at all. Or make a separate portion of the marinade for the veggies that doesn’t touch the meat. 

  35. do you think this could be frozen, before or after cooking? our daughter and son-in-law just adopted a new-born with no advanced notice, and I want to stock their freezer for the crazy days ahead – thanks!

  36. 1/4 tablespoon rice wine vinegar. Is that correct? I’m so excited to make this! Looks beautiful!

  37. Ive never seen 1/4 tablespoon in a recipe before. 1/3 tablespoon would be a teaspoon so i guess its a little less than a teaspoon? Even though vinegar is strong it seems like less than a teaspoon mixed into 1/2 cup of sauce wouldnt do much.

  38. Made this last night with chicken breast and it was SO great! I did 1 tablespoon of rice vinegar and loved the sauce. Stuffed it into a large flour tortilla and made a moo shu pork burrito. Will definitely be making this again. Thanks for the recipe.

  39. Hi Ali,
    Love the way you create such exotic dishes like moo shu pork.
    It looks delicious. Sharing this on Pinterest
    xoxo

  40. I just have to tell you–this looked so good that I faithfully made a double batch last night so it would last us for a bit. HOLY YUM. You are a genius and we have some very happy full bellies. Thanks for sharing and for your great recipes!

  41. The pork are definitely delicious, what an amazing recipe you have!

  42. Wow! Definitely delicious. Will probably try out the recipe during the weekend when I have enough time to experiment. Hope I’ll get this one right. Thanks

  43. We really enjoyed these– the pork came out very tender and the sauce was delicious!

  44. I had some Chinese pancakes—from a 99 Ranch Market—left over from when I made Peking duck last week, so I was looking specifically for a moo shu pork recipe. So glad I found this via my Google search!

    I made this last night for a dinner party I was hosting—a huge, HUGE hit! People polished it off; I had just a little bit left over, which I finished this morning. It was too good—I absolutely love this recipe. Thank you for sharing this!

    • We’re so happy this was a hit with folks, Elkie — thanks for giving it a try and for commenting!

  45. This looks so easy and delicious, I think it’s going on my bucket list. And your photos are gorgeous!

  46. Delicious recipe, I have made it several times. So easy and great taste. Could you please confirm the amount of rice vinegar, is it 1/4 of a Tablespoon or 1/4 of a cup.

  47. Looks tasty – I think i will try with chicken

  48. Years ago in our town was a woman who made moo-shu. All children very loved her. I have not eaten it from years. This article awaken pleasant memories in me. I will cook it this weekend!

  49. I’m a vegetarian, and the mixture of the ingredients sounded really tasty. I made this, but with jackfruit instead of the meat. This is one of the most amazing recipes I’ve ever made.