19 Chinese-Inspired Recipes for Dinners, Soups, and Appetizers

A Chinese-inspired dinner at home can mean a saucy plate, a bowl of soup, or an appetizer that starts the meal well. Pick one when you want takeout-style flavors without choosing the same dish again. You can go for a rice plate, a warm bowl, or something to serve before the main meal.

A plate of sesame chicken pieces covered in sauce, garnished with sesame seeds and chopped green onions. — Panda Express Orange Chicken. Photo credit: Pocket Friendly Recipes.

Chinese Lemon Shredded Chicken

A colorful salad with shredded carrots, zucchini, chicken, orange slices, and sesame seeds on a brown plate, garnished with fresh herbs. — Chinese Lemon Shredded Chicken. Photo credit: Hungry Cooks Kitchen.

Chicken drumsticks simmer with ginger and Shaoxing wine before shredding and tossing in a lemon juice, garlic, and toasted sesame dressing for Chinese Lemon Shredded Chicken, ready in about 25 minutes. Lemon zest stirred into the dressing adds more citrus punch than juice alone would carry. It skips the deep fryer that most restaurant lemon chicken relies on, so the dish stays lighter without losing the citrus flavor the name promises. Fresh cilantro and Holland chili finish the plate with color and a mild kick.
Get the Recipe: Chinese Lemon Shredded Chicken

Panda Express Black Pepper Sirloin Steak

A bowl of stir-fried beef strips with red and green bell peppers, topped with sesame seeds. — Panda Express Black Pepper Sirloin Steak. Photo credit: Pocket Friendly Recipes.

Sliced sirloin stir-fries with green and red bell pepper and onion in a soy sauce, oyster sauce, and cracked black pepper sauce for Panda Express Black Pepper Sirloin Steak, ready in about 25 minutes. Beef broth thinned into the sauce keeps it from turning too thick or sticky in the pan. Cracked black pepper gives the dish more heat than the sweeter beef options on a typical takeout menu. Cilantro and sesame seeds finish the plate before serving.
Get the Recipe: Panda Express Black Pepper Sirloin Steak

Kung Pao Chicken

A close-up of a stir-fry dish featuring pieces of chicken, snap peas, red bell peppers, scallions, and black sesame seeds. — Kung Pao Chicken. Photo credit: Pocket Friendly Recipes.

Cubed chicken breast stir-fries with red bell pepper and sugar snap peas in a soy sauce, rice wine, and white vinegar sauce for Kung Pao Chicken, ready in about 30 minutes. Low-sodium chicken broth thinned into the sauce keeps the dish from tasting too salty after a full pan reduction. Sugar snap peas add crunch that most delivery containers lose by the time they reach the table. It’s a good match for the spicier end of a Chinese-inspired dinner lineup.
Get the Recipe: Kung Pao Chicken

Chinese Salt & Pepper Shrimp

A close-up of a serving of shrimp garnished with chopped green onions, red chili slices, and cilantro, placed in a bowl with chopsticks on the side. — Chinese Salt & Pepper Shrimp. Photo credit: My Reliable Recipes.

Shrimp coats in cornstarch before frying until crisp, then tosses with garlic, green onions, red chili, and a salt and white pepper seasoning for Chinese Salt & Pepper Shrimp. Skipping a heavy sauce keeps the shrimp’s texture and flavor front and center instead of masking it under something sweet. Sesame oil finishes the dish with a light nutty note that doesn’t compete with the shrimp itself. It’s a good pick for the appetizer course or a lighter plate alongside a saucier main.
Get the Recipe: Chinese Salt & Pepper Shrimp

General Tso’s Chicken

Stir-fried chicken pieces in a spicy sauce, garnished with chopped green onions, served in a round metal dish on an orange placemat. — General Tso’s Chicken. Photo credit: My Reliable Recipes.

A cornstarch, flour, and egg white batter coats cubed chicken breast before frying, then tosses in a garlic, ginger, soy sauce, and hoisin glaze for General Tso’s Chicken, ready in about an hour. Frying the chicken in batches is what keeps every piece crisp instead of steaming in a crowded pan. Rice vinegar stirred into the glaze balances the sweetness from the hoisin so the sauce doesn’t turn syrupy. Green onion on top is the only garnish the dish needs.
Get the Recipe: General Tso’s Chicken

Panda Express Beijing Beef

A bowl of stir-fried beef with red bell peppers, onions, and chopped green onions, served on a white plate. — Panda Express Beijing Beef. Photo credit: Pocket Friendly Recipes.

Thin strips of flank steak get an egg white and cornstarch coating before frying crisp, then join yellow onion and red bell pepper in a hoisin, ketchup, and sweet chili sauce for Panda Express Beijing Beef, ready in about an hour. Frying the beef in two stages is what gives it the crunch a single quick sear can’t match. It’s one of the longer recipes on this list, but the payoff is a plate that holds its texture instead of going soft under the sauce.
Get the Recipe: Panda Express Beijing Beef

Sweet and Sour Chicken

Chicken breast pieces coat in cornstarch and cornflour before frying, then join a pineapple juice, brown sugar, and ketchup sauce for Sweet and Sour Chicken, ready in about 35 minutes. Pineapple juice instead of canned chunks keeps the sauce from turning overly sweet the way some bottled versions do. Garlic and ginger stirred in add depth that a straight sugar-and-ketchup base would otherwise lack. It’s a dependable pick for the table when a milder dish needs to sit next to something spicier.
Get the Recipe: Sweet and Sour Chicken

Beef and Broccoli

Thinly sliced flank steak sears before broccoli florets and a soy sauce, brown sugar, and ginger sauce join in the same pan for Beef and Broccoli, ready in about 30 minutes. Apple cider vinegar stirred into the sauce brightens a dish that can otherwise taste flat after a long soy reduction. It’s one of the simpler recipes on this list, using pantry staples instead of a specialty sauce. Sesame seeds and a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes finish the plate.
Get the Recipe: Beef and Broccoli

Crispy Sesame Chicken

A close-up of glazed chicken pieces with sesame seeds and chopped scallions on a bed of rice. — Crispy Sesame Chicken. Photo credit: Hungry Cooks Kitchen.

Bite-size chicken breast fillets coat in corn flour and egg before frying, then toss in a honey, sweet chili, and ketchup sauce for Crispy Sesame Chicken, ready in about 30 minutes. Chinese rice vinegar keeps the sauce from tasting flat once the sweetness from the honey and ketchup builds up. The batter uses both corn flour and all-purpose flour for a coating that stays crisp longer than a single-flour dredge. Serve it over rice for a plate that mirrors the takeout version closely.
Get the Recipe: Crispy Sesame Chicken

Egg Roll

A wooden tray with spring rolls and lime wedges lined with parchment paper sits next to a small bowl of dipping sauce on a light surface. — Egg Roll. Photo credit: Hungry Cooks Kitchen.

Ground pork cooks with ginger, garlic powder, and soy sauce before folding into coleslaw mix and wrapping in egg roll wrappers for Egg Roll, ready in about 30 minutes. A simple flour and water paste seals each wrapper shut, no special equipment required beyond a hot pan of oil. Frying them at home means they arrive at the table hot instead of steaming inside a delivery bag. It’s the appetizer that opens the meal the way a restaurant order usually does.
Get the Recipe: Egg Roll

Chinese Steamed Chicken

A bowl of steamed chicken pieces with mushrooms, garnished with chopped green onions, with chopsticks picking up a piece. — Chinese Steamed Chicken. Photo credit: Your Perfect Recipes.

Boneless chicken thighs steam alongside shiitake mushrooms before a ginger and green onion sauce, finished with hot oil poured over the top, tops Chinese Steamed Chicken, ready in about 30 minutes. Steaming instead of frying keeps this dish lighter than most of the other mains on this list. Light soy sauce and sesame oil round out the sauce without overpowering the ginger and scallion base. It’s a good match for a dinner that needs a lighter option next to something richer.
Get the Recipe: Chinese Steamed Chicken

Air Fryer Honey Walnut Shrimp

A plate of honey walnut shrimp topped with green onions. — Air Fryer Honey Walnut Shrimp. Photo credit: My Reliable Recipes.

Jumbo shrimp coat in cornstarch and egg before air frying, then toss in a honey mayonnaise sauce with candied walnuts for Air Fryer Honey Walnut Shrimp, ready in about 45 minutes. Brown sugar and water candy the walnuts separately while the shrimp cooks in the air fryer basket. Using the air fryer instead of a deep pot of oil cuts down on the mess a fried shrimp dish usually needs at home. Green onion on top is the last step before serving.
Get the Recipe: Air Fryer Honey Walnut Shrimp

Sweet and Sour Pork

Cubed pork tenderloin coats in cornstarch and corn flour before frying, then joins pineapple and bell peppers in a sweet and tangy sauce for Sweet and Sour Pork, ready in about 35 minutes. Frying the pork at home means it stays crisp instead of steaming inside a togo container on the ride home. It’s one of the more colorful dishes on this list, useful for adding visual variety to a table full of brown-sauced mains. Pineapple keeps the dish from tasting one-note sweet.
Get the Recipe: Sweet and Sour Pork

Copycat Panda Express Teriyaki Chicken

A bowl of white rice topped with glazed chicken and garnished with green onions and sesame seeds. — Copycat Panda Express Teriyaki Chicken. Photo credit: Pocket Friendly Recipes.

Chicken thighs sear before a brown sugar, soy sauce, and ginger glaze thickens around them for Copycat Panda Express Teriyaki Chicken, ready in about 25 minutes and serving 4. It’s a simpler sauce than most of the other mains on this list, just a handful of pantry staples plus a cornstarch thickener. Using thighs instead of breast keeps the chicken from drying out while the glaze reduces. It’s a fast pick for a weeknight when the rest of the menu feels like too much work.
Get the Recipe: Copycat Panda Express Teriyaki Chicken

Wonton Soup

A ceramic bowl of clear soup containing dumplings, sliced mushrooms, broccolini, chopped green onions, and cilantro. — Wonton Soup. Photo credit: Hungry Cooks Kitchen.

Shiitake mushrooms and broccolini simmer in chicken broth with ginger and garlic before frozen wontons cook directly in the pot for Wonton Soup, ready in about 30 minutes. Starting from frozen wontons instead of folding them from scratch is what keeps this recipe fast enough for a weeknight. A splash of sesame oil and soy sauce at the end rounds out the broth without needing a long ingredient list. It’s the one soup on this list, useful for a lighter night or as a starter before a heavier main.
Get the Recipe: Wonton Soup

Cashew Chicken

Cornstarch-coated chicken breast cubes stir-fry with red bell pepper, broccoli, and cashews in a soy sauce and honey glaze for Cashew Chicken, ready in about 40 minutes. Edamame stirred in adds a green vegetable that most takeout versions skip entirely. Rice wine vinegar and Asian chili garlic sauce give the glaze more depth than a plain sweet sauce would carry on its own. It’s a solid middle ground between the sweeter and spicier dishes on this list.
Get the Recipe: Cashew Chicken

Vegetable Stir Fry

Broccolini, three colors of bell pepper, and mushrooms stir-fry in sesame oil before a soy sauce, rice vinegar, and honey sauce coats everything for Vegetable Stir Fry, ready in about 27 minutes. It’s the only fully vegetable-based dish on this list, useful alongside a protein-heavy main or as a lighter meal on its own. A cornstarch slurry thickens the sauce the same way it would at a restaurant. Sesame seeds and green onion finish the dish before serving.
Get the Recipe: Vegetable Stir Fry

Chicken Fried Rice

Diced chicken breast cooks with garlic and ginger before scrambled eggs, peas, carrots, and rice fold in with a soy sauce seasoning for Chinese Chicken Fried Rice, ready in about 35 minutes. Using already-cooked rice is what keeps the grains separate instead of turning mushy, the same trick a restaurant kitchen relies on. Red bell pepper adds color that a plain fried rice usually leaves out. It’s a filling way to close out this list, a dish that stands on its own as a full meal.
Get the Recipe: Chicken Fried Rice

Panda Express Orange Chicken

A flour and cornstarch batter coats bite-size chicken breast pieces before frying, then joins a soy sauce, brown sugar, and fresh orange juice sauce for Panda Express Orange Chicken, ready in about 30 minutes. Real orange juice instead of just zest gives the sauce a brighter flavor than the syrupy version some takeout containers arrive with. It’s probably the single most recognizable dish on this list, which makes it worth mastering before anything else here. Sesame seeds and green onion finish the plate.
Get the Recipe: Panda Express Orange Chicken